Shamanic Tourism, Entheogens, and Consciousness: Perhaps Humanity's Most Important Emerging Fields of Study

 The source I’ve spent most of my time delving into is a dissertation written by Evgenia Fotiou entitled From Medicine Men to Day Trippers: Shamanic Tourism in Iquitos, Peru. I’m choosing to summarize that piece here because it’s the most recent research I’ve found on the subject, and nearly everything Fotiou covers pertains directly to our project. Plus, she’s inundated her dissertation with exceptional sources that I would like to research further.

           

Fotiou uses the first 100 pages or so to detail her methodology for field work, the hallucinogenic beverage Ayahuasca (the main draw for western tourists seeking “authentic” shamanic experiences), and the history of shamanism and its complex, fluid relationship with Western culture. Seeing as how I’ll be discussing the Ayahuasca experience in greater detail for my second recapitulation, here I’ll try to relay a condensed explanation of Fotiou’s research on shamanism's effect on the Western imagination.

             

Some of the earlier writings on shamanism, like those of Mircea Eliade, sought to distill the widespread (but culturally disparate) shamanic phenomena down to a generalized, universal model. Since then, this way of thinking has been subdued. It’s become clear to anthropologists, ethno-botanists, and psychologists that shamanism is very much culture-specific. For example, Siberian shamans’ ritualistic practices differ greatly from those of the Amazonian Indians. And it is from this viewpoint that Fotiou conducts her research.

           

Western reaction to shamanism has shifted dramatically as more literature is published on the subject. Unsurprisingly, the first accounts of shamanic practices were ethnocentric, exaggerated, and misinformed. European settlers had no desire to study shamanism within the environmental context, so the propaganda produced made these practices seem fraudulent and pathological.

            

 Counter that with the “New Age” or “Neoshamanic” movements of the present, and it becomes clear that our society has tended to stereotype these indigenous people (and their practices) into two basic groups: the noble and ignoble savage. Judeo-Christian thought placed a demonic interpretation upon the rituals, while the “New Agers” like to paint an idyllic picture of simplicity, spirituality, and closeness to nature.

             

Somewhere in between these two extremes lies a more scientific, medical point of view. This community sees shamanism’s potential in aiding the fields of medicine and psychology.

            

 The last part of what I’ve read so far expounds upon the history and present state of shamanic tourism, specifically in the accommodating town of Iquitos, Peru. This enterprise really took off during the countercultural movements of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, and remains popular today. In fact, because of the Western “invasion,” the native shamanic practices have mutated completely from their archaic origins. Peruvian shamans have adapted foreign techniques into their rituals to appease tourists with preconceived notions of an “authentic” experience. Things like yogic “chakras” and “energy centers” have become part of the native speech; these concepts are relatively new (and borrowed from Eastern philosophy) to the ancient practice. In fact, many shamans have been (unfortunately) converted to Christianity, and without the presence of Western tourists will actually conduct their ceremonies in front of a crucifix or a portrait of Jesus. Once the Westerners show up, however, all Christian relics are hidden away. 

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 For the following summary, I will blend together three brilliant sources I’ve been studying: two documentaries – Other Worlds and DMT: The Spirit Molecule – as well as a research paper written by Kenneth Tupper entitled Entheogens and Existential Intelligence: The Use of “Plant Teachers” as Cognitive Tools. I group these together because they deal primarily with hallucinogens’ neurological effects. I believe it is this common transcendental experience that consistently brings Western tourists and South American Indians together.

             

The first documentary I mentioned, Other Worlds, is about a Westerner’s experience partaking in the Shipibo-Conibo Ayahuasca “purge.” These ethnic groups are located along the Amazon basin, also in Peru. Frankly, I don’t have enough time tonight to chronicle every aspect of this complex and beautiful ritual, but this documentary will provide unmatched footage for our final video. The shamans, the villagers, and the initiates are all interviewed, and cameras capture every high and low of the psychedelic journey.

           

DMT: The Spirit Molecule is pertinent to our project because dimethyltryptamine is the psychotropic chemical in the Ayahuasca beverage. While this documentary isolates and takes the compound out of its native context, DMT’s existential importance is a fascinating topic. An interesting hypothesis, although unsupported by the scientific community as of yet, is that DMT might serve as the MEDIUM through which all life communicates at the natural level. However, studies conducted by Rick Strassman have shown the advantages of indigenous Ayahuasca practices over the intravenous method of receiving DMT. For one, the latter method is a 5-minute-speed-of-light-blast-off into this seemingly alternate universe, an experience almost too intense for the human brain to handle. Shamanic Ayahuasca brews and the corresponding rituals, however, stretch the experience out for hours, allowing for a more navigable and educational experience. In short, this documentary makes a plea to the Western scientific community to further research DMT, the pineal gland located strategically in the center of the brain, and how the ubiquitous shamanic visions of “intertwined snakes” might be linked to consciousness and DNA. To me, there really isn’t a more fascinating area of research.

           

Unfortunately, I have two exams and a research paper to work on immediately, so I’ll have to summarize Tupper’s brilliant article at some other point this week. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave some comments!  

           

 

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