poledriver
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Cashing in on ayahuasca tourism: Aussies ditch rat race to run ‘shamanic healing’ retreat
THEY say you should follow your dreams — but should you follow your hallucinations?
One Perth couple has done quite literally that, walking away from their comfortable careers in engineering and mining to run a drug retreat deep in the Peruvian Amazon.
It’s called Refugio Altiplano, and is only accessible by a two-hour, 40-kilometre boat ride up the Amazon River from the north-eastern city of Iquitos.
There’s no hot water, limited facilities and mobile phone reception comes once a day if you’re lucky.
But here, nestled in 490 hectares of rainforest and far from the trappings of civilisation, people from all walks of life are guided through a psychedelic experience with the traditional plant ayahuasca.
‘SPIRIT WORLD’
Be warned: it’s not for the faint-hearted.
The hallucinogenic tea, which contains the potent psychoactive compound DMT, is definitely not a recreational drug, says Julian Moran, a former engineer who now runs the small Refugio with his wife Angela.
The centre is just one of thousands cashing in on the ayahuasca tourism industry, which has become big business in recent years.
While very much illegal in most countries — including Australia — the drug is considered integral to many tribal societies in South America.
Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock to Iquitos — described as the both the epicentre and the “wild west” of ayahuasca retreats — where traditional shamans guide them through the ordeal.
Visitors to Refugio Altiplano typically pay $US1500 ($A1850) for a 12-day retreat, which includes seven ceremonies with “strict processes governing the pouring of medicine, the blessings and protection of the room”.
The number fluctuates, but at any given time there are usually around 12 people staying, Mr Moran says.
The centre’s remoteness and the professional supervision is what distinguishes it from some of the more unscrupulous operators in and around Iquitos, where tourists can buy a cup of ayahuasca on the street.
Mr Moran describes it as a “tool for working on your mind, body and soul”. It’s a traumatic experience — there is a “physical purge” of vomiting and diarrhoea, and an “emotional purge” punctuated by crying, yawning and shaking.
“It can be terrifying, tormenting, heaven and hell. There’s a real sense of duality,” he says. “It’s been described as the best psychologist, the best doctor and the best priest at your beck and call.”
He prefers not to describe it as “hallucinating”, though — it’s more a matter of “gaining access to a different plane”.
It’s the job of the local shamans, who often don’t speak a word of English, to “navigate the spirit world”. “They use their songs to cross over,” Mr Moran says.
“With ayahuasca there’s a very real sense you are accessing a different consciousness. It’s very common for people to experience entities, other people, planes, dimensions, as well as the spirit world.”
Continued with lots of pics -
http://www.news.com.au/finance/exec...-healing-retreat/story-fng3e17m-1227186106033
THEY say you should follow your dreams — but should you follow your hallucinations?
One Perth couple has done quite literally that, walking away from their comfortable careers in engineering and mining to run a drug retreat deep in the Peruvian Amazon.
It’s called Refugio Altiplano, and is only accessible by a two-hour, 40-kilometre boat ride up the Amazon River from the north-eastern city of Iquitos.
There’s no hot water, limited facilities and mobile phone reception comes once a day if you’re lucky.
But here, nestled in 490 hectares of rainforest and far from the trappings of civilisation, people from all walks of life are guided through a psychedelic experience with the traditional plant ayahuasca.
‘SPIRIT WORLD’
Be warned: it’s not for the faint-hearted.
The hallucinogenic tea, which contains the potent psychoactive compound DMT, is definitely not a recreational drug, says Julian Moran, a former engineer who now runs the small Refugio with his wife Angela.
The centre is just one of thousands cashing in on the ayahuasca tourism industry, which has become big business in recent years.
While very much illegal in most countries — including Australia — the drug is considered integral to many tribal societies in South America.
Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims flock to Iquitos — described as the both the epicentre and the “wild west” of ayahuasca retreats — where traditional shamans guide them through the ordeal.
Visitors to Refugio Altiplano typically pay $US1500 ($A1850) for a 12-day retreat, which includes seven ceremonies with “strict processes governing the pouring of medicine, the blessings and protection of the room”.
The number fluctuates, but at any given time there are usually around 12 people staying, Mr Moran says.
The centre’s remoteness and the professional supervision is what distinguishes it from some of the more unscrupulous operators in and around Iquitos, where tourists can buy a cup of ayahuasca on the street.
Mr Moran describes it as a “tool for working on your mind, body and soul”. It’s a traumatic experience — there is a “physical purge” of vomiting and diarrhoea, and an “emotional purge” punctuated by crying, yawning and shaking.
“It can be terrifying, tormenting, heaven and hell. There’s a real sense of duality,” he says. “It’s been described as the best psychologist, the best doctor and the best priest at your beck and call.”
He prefers not to describe it as “hallucinating”, though — it’s more a matter of “gaining access to a different plane”.
It’s the job of the local shamans, who often don’t speak a word of English, to “navigate the spirit world”. “They use their songs to cross over,” Mr Moran says.
“With ayahuasca there’s a very real sense you are accessing a different consciousness. It’s very common for people to experience entities, other people, planes, dimensions, as well as the spirit world.”
Continued with lots of pics -
http://www.news.com.au/finance/exec...-healing-retreat/story-fng3e17m-1227186106033
