2021 Health and Wellness
Ayahuasca Experience Shines Light on the Unconscious Spiritual Sanctuary Helps Heal and Restore By Alejandro Chavez A Grindr chat and a desire to lead a fuller and more enjoyable life led Gerwin Rutten to seek an unusual, but very old South American form of natural healing, Ayahuasca. Rutten, who is sales manager for Out & About PV, has taken a spiritual journey that has helped him emotionally and physically, opening his eyes to a different world of natural healers. “It was November, 2020 when I was chatting with a guy on Grindr here Puerto Vallarta. We exchanged WhatsApp and started a friendship. He shared with me that he had used ayahuasca to treat a medical condition,” Rutten said. “I researched it and became quite interested.” That led to Rutten experiencing a cacao ceremony with magic mushrooms in December 2020. “That was an amazing experience and my friend shared that the ayahuasca experience was even greater. By January 2021 I knew that ayahuasca was calling me.” Ayahuasca is known as a spiritual medicine - a psychoactive brew used in ceremonies among the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin - and is used to treat various ailments. It is also known as a medicine that expands consciousness and reconnects you with the here and now, as there are claims that Ayahuasca is capable of activating up to 99% of our cerebral activity. The Ayahuasca experience is not a recreational experience, but rather a very profound experience that requires a lot of work from one’s self. It is about finding out what has been holding you back. Think of Ayahuasca as a flashlight that lets us explore our unconscious.
We will return to Rutten and his story soon, but first you probably have doubts about Ayahuasca, so that is why O&APV talked to psychologist Víctor Fuentes Chong, an Ayahuasca ceremony guide and a promoter of consciousness development and of the use of indigenous people’s traditional medicine as therapeutic and ceremonial use. He discusses some of the important aspects that you want and need to know if you ever thought about taking Ayahuasca. What does Ayahuasca contain? Ayahuasca contains a chemical substance called ‘N, N-Dimethyltryptamine’, also known as DMT, a neurotransmitter that is already present in our bodies. Ayahuasca, or also known as Yague, is a potion made from two plants, Ayahuasca and Chacruna. It should be noted that none of these plants by themselves has a psychoactive effect since it is necessary to combine the two to achieve the potion with psychoactive properties. In combination with Liana Ayahuasca, which chemically contains an MAOI, chemically speaking it is the inhibitor of an enzyme (MAO) responsible for the degradation of DMT in the human body. Ayahuasca is known as the mirror of the soul because it allows us to see our interior through an expanded consciousness. Who would be a good candidate to take Ayahuasca? Normally, a person that is going to go through this experience is someone willing to let go of burdens of the past, resentment, traumas, fears, and attachments. This medicine is for those who are willing to live in peace. Many people do not want to live in peace because they like drama, so for those individuals that are not ready to let go of the past are not candidates for the Ayahuasca experience.
Photo of Rancho Vallejo 14
Rutten began his Ayahuasca journey one week before with a diet that eliminated meat, alcohol, dairy coffee, sugar and salt. He also had to eliminate sexual activities. He said on the day of his ceremony he had to stop eating eight hours before. “There are also some fruits and vegetables which are not recommended to eat,” he explained “But the ‘dieta’ depends as well on the healing center or shaman, so the best thing is to follow their instructions.”.
If you are thinking about doing this, go with the mindset of making a change, a willing heart, and the confidence that you will do a good job. Are there any health benefits? It brings relief to some ailments such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and according to a considerable amount of testimonies, it is also capable of curing cancer. H e a l t h a n d We l l n e s s G u i d e
Summer 2021
