Hacker News Reader

Comment by tomatowurst | Hacker News Reader

whew, ayahuasca is a whole different beast and frankly is frightens me and I don't think I ever want to be in a position where I do it.

psilocybin's come up is frightening/anxiety/panic inducing as it is....I don't think I can ever jump over ayahuasca, that seems like a whole different animal.

For me I feel like psilocybin "reset" my brain and there's some long lasting protection mechanism against depressive thinking. Even if I do feel down, something pulls me out of it. Whereas depression once it pulls you in, it likes to keep you there.

Do not take psychedelics lightly, especially ayahuasca and heroic doses. Even for the come up on psilocybin, it required considerable self calming and focused willpower to overcome the fear of losing ego. But my god, what comes after, the clarity, the peace, love and lingering positivity....zero chance the pharmaceutical community will be able to replicate it.

View on HN

> Do not take psychedelics lightly, especially ayahuasca and heroic doses.

In my experience with various psychedelics, the intensity of the experience is purely a function of dosage, and not of the specific substance. Heroic doses with psilocybin, LSD, and DMT, are all very serious and challenging, and I don't think there's a singling out of any specific type. Could I be mistaken?

I used to suffer from depression many years ago too, but I have grown through it. Low doses of psychedelics are the best thing on occasion, and DMT/ayahuasca is by far my favorite. Usually a couple times per year, I like to make a Mimosa hostilis and B. caapi brew with the plant equivalent of ~15 mg of DMT. It's a low dose (the Cubensis equivelant of ~1.5 grams), but the experience is incredibly therapeutic, healing, and educational. Minimal anxiety, and no psychosis of any sort. And I've always come away from it with such an intense love and appreciation for life that I can take with me everywhere.

If my experience is anything to go by, I think the experiences of low doses of ayahuasca are incredibly valuable and safe, and I only hesitate to suggest it to others because I'm not sure if my experience is unique.

Ayahuasca brews vary widely in composition, depending on who brews it.

I'd be very wary of some self-styled shaman adding datura or some other nightshade plant to the brew (which is not unheard of), and that's something I definitely want to stay far, far away from.

Unless I was brewing it myself I'd want nothing to do with it either, because I couldn't be sure of what I was getting.

heard lot of horror stories of self-proclaimed shamans trying to capitalize financially. datura is scary stuff...

With ayahuasca, it is critical to work with a knowledgeable plant medicine practitioner. The ceremony leader makes a huge difference in the experience. A very good plant medicine practitioner can control the tone of the entire experience for every single person. They can guide you into various emotional states through traditional Icaros or through nontraditional medicine songs, while ensuring that the ceremony setting remains psychologically safe for everyone. It's quite magical what a trained ayahascera/o can do to help navigate these mind states.

Conversely, an untrained or despotic ceremony leader can create an unsafe setting, and can lead vulnerable people right into psychotic-like states.

> whew, ayahuasca is a whole different beast and frankly is frightens me and I don't think I ever want to be in a position where I do it.

For me that line is deliriants. I can even admit to a morbid curiosity myself, but I have no idea why people would ever put themselves through that more than once.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com