The Internationalization Of Ayahuasca

Download The Internationalization Of Ayahuasca full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online The Internationalization Of Ayahuasca ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

The Internationalization of Ayahuasca

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher : LIT Verlag Münster
ISBN 13 : 3643901488
Total Pages : 447 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (439 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Internationalization of Ayahuasca by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book The Internationalization of Ayahuasca written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by LIT Verlag Münster. This book was released on 2011 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a fascinating compilation of medical, psychological and sociological papers on the spread of ayahuasca use...in Brazil and in several European countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands), as well as the USA....highly recommended for serious students of this subject. - Ralph Metzner, Ph.D, psychologist and author of Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca *** ...provides reliable information that has never before appeared in print, ranging from the rain forests of the Amazon to the churches in Western Europe....like it or not, ayahuasca has left the jungle and is here to stay! Read this book and you will understand the importance of its arrival on the global scene. - Dr. Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., Alan Watts Professor of Psychology, Saybrook U. *** ...a detailed consideration of the legal situation of ayahuasca...as well as a multidisciplinary assessment of the health implications of its use...a must-read for anyone attempting to understand the global implications of ayahuasca today. ~ Dr. Michael Winkelman, M.P.H., Ph.D., author of Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing (Series: Performances: Intercultural Studies on Ritual, Play and Theatre - Performanzen: Interkulturelle Studien zu Ritual, Spiel und Theater - Vol. 16)

Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199341214
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (993 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-05-21 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beatriz Caiuby Labate and Clancy Cavnar offer an in-depth exploration of how Amerindian epistemology and ontology concerning indigenous shamanic rituals of the Amazon have spread to Western societies, and of how indigenous, mestizo, and cosmopolitan cultures have engaged with and transformed these forest traditions. The volume focuses on the use of ayahuasca, a psychoactive drink essential in many indigenous shamanic rituals of the Amazon. Ayahuasca use has spread to countries far beyond its Amazonian origin, spurring a wide variety of legal and cultural responses. The essays in this volume look at how these responses have influenced ritual design and performance in traditional and non-traditional contexts, how displaced indigenous people and rubber tappers are engaged in the creative reinvention of rituals, and how these rituals help build ethnic alliances and cultural and political strategies. These essays explore important classic and contemporary issues in anthropology, including the relationship between the expansion of ecotourism and ethnic tourism and recent indigenous cultural revival and the emergence of new ethnic identities. The volume also examines trends in the commodification of indigenous cultures in post-colonial contexts, the combination of shamanism with a network of health and spiritually related services, and identity hybridization in global societies. The rich ethnographies and extensive analysis of these essays will allow deeper understanding of the role of ritual in mediating the encounter between indigenous traditions and modern societies.

The World Ayahuasca Diaspora

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1317011597
Total Pages : 291 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The World Ayahuasca Diaspora by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book The World Ayahuasca Diaspora written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2016-09-01 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ayahuasca is a psychoactive substance that has long been associated with indigenous Amazonian shamanic practices. The recent rise of the drink’s visibility in the media and popular culture, and its rapidly advancing inroads into international awareness, mean that the field of ayahuasca is quickly expanding. This expansion brings with it legal problems, economic inequalities, new forms of ritual and belief, cultural misunderstandings, and other controversies and reinventions. In The World Ayahuasca Diaspora, leading scholars, including established academics and new voices in anthropology, religious studies, and law fuse case-study ethnographies with evaluations of relevant legal and anthropological knowledge. They explore how the substance has impacted indigenous communities, new urban religiosities, ritual healing, international drug policy, religious persecution, and recreational drug milieus. This unique book presents classic and contemporary issues in social science and the humanities, providing rich material on the bourgeoning expansion of ayahuasca use around the globe.

The Expanding World Ayahuasca Diaspora

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351854674
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (518 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Expanding World Ayahuasca Diaspora by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book The Expanding World Ayahuasca Diaspora written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-02-15 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During its expansion from the Amazon jungle to Western societies, ayahuasca use has encountered different legal and cultural responses. Following on from the earlier edited collection, The Expanding World Ayahuasca Diaspora continues to explore how certain alternative global religious groups, shamanic tourism industries and recreational drug milieus grounded in the consumption of the traditionally Amazonian psychoactive drink ayahuasca embody various challenges associated with modern societies. Each contributor explores the symbolic effects of a "bureaucratization of enchantment" in religious practice, and the "sanitizing" of indigenous rituals for tourist markets. Chapters include ethnographic investigations of ritual practice, transnational religious ideology, the politics of healing and the invention of tradition. Larger questions on the commodification of ayahuasca and the categories of sacred and profane are also addressed. Exploring classic and contemporary issues in social science and the humanities, this book provides rich material on the bourgeoning expansion of ayahuasca use around the globe. As such, it will appeal to students and academics in religious studies, anthropology, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, biology, ecology, law and conservation.

The Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 364240426X
Total Pages : 254 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (424 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book The Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-22 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a series of perspectives on the therapeutic potential of the ritual and clinical use of the Amazonian hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca in the treatment and management of various diseases and ailments, especially its role in psychological well-being and substance dependence. Biomedical and anthropological data on the use of ayahuasca for treating depression, PTSD, and substance dependence in different settings, such as indigenous contexts, neo-shamanic rituals, contemporary therapeutic circles, and in ayahuasca religions, in both South and North America, are presented and critiqued. Though multiple anecdotal reports on the therapeutic use of ayahuasca exist, there has been no systematic and dense reflection on the topic thus far. The book brings the therapeutic use of ayahuasca to a new level of public examination and academic debate. The texts in this volume stimulate discussion on methodological, ethical, and political aspects of research and will enhance the development of this emergent field of studies.

Psychedelic Justice

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780907791850
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (918 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Psychedelic Justice by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book Psychedelic Justice written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by . This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CULTIVATING A PSYCHEDELIC RENAISSANCE THAT INCLUDES EVERYONE Radical, cultural transformation is the guiding force behind this socially visionary anthology. Its unifying value is social justice. It guides us in cultivating a psychedelic renaissance that represents everyone, honors voices that have been suppressed for too long, and envisions a more beautiful tomorrow through a psychedelic lens. Psychedelic culture is at an inflection point. Within the last decade, psychedelics have assimilated into the mainstream, even becoming a multimillion-dollar industry. As they integrate into the dominant culture, a lot of longtime participants in psychedelic communities are wondering: will psychedelics help us revolutionize society, or will they merely reinforce old narratives? As psychedelic medicine integrates into mainstream, capitalist culture, the question of what forces will gain control and shape the direction of the psychedelic renaissance is front and center. In this pivotal time, with so many new players emerging, those of us who believe that psychedelics can help us transform society are being challenged to define, and embody, the values that will shape this growing movement. To do this, we must first acknowledge the shadow side of the psychedelic movement and challenge its longstanding injustices. If the psychedelic renaissance is going to expand and revolutionize society, it must include and serve everybody. The anthology highlights Chacruna's ongoing work promoting diversity and inclusion by prominently featuring voices that have been long marginalized in Western psychedelic culture: women, queer people, people of color, and indigenous people. The essays examine both historical and current issues within psychedelics that many may not know about, and orient around policy, reciprocity, diversity and inclusion, sex and power, colonialism, and indigenous concerns.

Plant Medicines, Healing and Psychedelic Science

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319767208
Total Pages : 239 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (197 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Plant Medicines, Healing and Psychedelic Science by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book Plant Medicines, Healing and Psychedelic Science written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-04-28 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a book about the intersections of three dimensions. The first is the way social scientists and historians treat the history of psychiatry and healing, especially as it intersects with psychedelics. The second encompasses a reflection on the substances themselves and their effects on bodies. The third addresses traditional healing, as it circles back to our understanding of drugs and psychiatry. The chapters explore how these dimensions are distinct, but deeply intertwined, themes that offer important insights into contemporary healing practices. The intended audience of the volume is large and diverse: neuroscientists, biologists, medical doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists; mental health professionals interested in the therapeutic application of psychedelic substances, or who work with substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and PTSD; patients and practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine; ethnobotanists and ethnopharmacologists; lawyers, criminologists, and other specialists in international law working on matters related to drug policy and human rights, as well as scholars of religious studies, anthropologists, sociologists, and historians; social scientists concerned both with the history of science, medicine, and technology, and concepts of health, illness, and healing. It has a potentially large international audience, especially considering the increasing interest in “psychedelic science” and the growing spread of the use of traditional psychoactives in the West.

Ayahuasca: Between Cognition and Culture

Author : Ismael Eduardo Apud Peláez
Publisher : PUBLICACIONS UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI
ISBN 13 : 8484248348
Total Pages : 294 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (842 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Ayahuasca: Between Cognition and Culture by : Ismael Eduardo Apud Peláez

Download or read book Ayahuasca: Between Cognition and Culture written by Ismael Eduardo Apud Peláez and published by PUBLICACIONS UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI. This book was released on 2020-03-01 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book summarizes Ismael Apud’s ethnographic research in the field of ayahuasca, conducted in Latin America and Catalonia over a period of 10 years. To analyze the variety of ayahuasca spiritual practices and beliefs, the author combines different approaches, including medical anthropology, cognitive science of religion, history of science, and religious studies. Ismael Apud is a psychologist and anthropologist from Uruguay, with a PhD in Anthropology at Universitat Rovira i Virgili.

Ayahuasca, Ritual and Religion in Brazil

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 113496126X
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (349 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Ayahuasca, Ritual and Religion in Brazil by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book Ayahuasca, Ritual and Religion in Brazil written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-08 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ayahuasca is a psychoactive drink used for healing and divination among religious groups in the Brazilian Amazon. 'Ayahuasca, Ritual and Religion in Brazil' is the first scholarly volume in English to examine the religious rituals and practices surrounding ayahuasca. The use of ayahuasca among religious groups is analysed, alongside Brazilian public policies regarding ayahuasca and the handling of substance dependence. 'Ayahuasca, Ritual and Religion in Brazil' will be of interest to scholars of anthropology and religion and all those interested in the role of stimulants in religious practice.

Drug Policies and the Politics of Drugs in the Americas

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319290827
Total Pages : 278 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (192 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Drug Policies and the Politics of Drugs in the Americas by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book Drug Policies and the Politics of Drugs in the Americas written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-30 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a collection of studies of drug policies in several Latin American countries. The chapters analyze the specific histories of drug policies in each country, as well as related phenomena and case studies throughout the region. It presents conceptual reflections on the origins of prohibition and the “War on Drugs,” including the topic of human rights and cognitive freedom. Further, the collection reflects on the pioneering role of some Latin American countries in changing paradigms of international drug policy. Each case study provides an analysis of where each state is now in terms of policy reform within the context of its history and current socio-political circumstances. Concurrently, local movements, initiatives, and backlash against the reformist debate within the hemisphere are examined. The recent changes regarding the regulation of marijuana in the United States and their possible impact on Latin America are also addressed. This work is an important, up-to-date and well-researched reference for all who are interested in drug policy from a Latin American perspective.

Ayahuasca Religions

Author : Beatriz Caiuby Labate
Publisher : Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 164 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Ayahuasca Religions by : Beatriz Caiuby Labate

Download or read book Ayahuasca Religions written by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and published by Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. This book was released on 2008 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last two decades have seen a broad expansion of the ayahuasca religions, and it has also witnessed, especially since the millennium, an explosion of studies into the spiritual uses of ayahuasca. Ayahuasca Religions grew out of the need for an ordering of the profusion of titles related to this subject that are now appearing. This publication offers a map of the global production of literature on this theme. Three researchers located in different cities (Beatriz Caiuby Labate in São Paulo, Rafael Guimarães dos Santos in Barcelona, and Isabel Santana de Rose in Florianapolis, Brazil) worked in a virtual research group for a year to compile a list of bibliographical references on Santo Daime, Barquinha, UDV and urban ayahuasqueiros, including the specialized academic literature as well as esoteric and experiential writings produced by participants of these churches. Ayahuasca Religions presents the results of that collaboration. Ayahuasca Religions includes two essays commenting on aspects of the bibliography. The first presents a profile of these religious groups, including their history and expansion, and a general assessment of the principal characteristics, tendencies, and perspectives evident in the literature about them. The second essay summarizes the most important studies of human subjects in the context of Santo Daime, Unio do Vegetal and Barquinha, evaluating their results, contributions, and limitations. The essay also offers some preliminary anthropological reflections on biomedical research of ayahuasca.

Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca

Author : Ralph Metzner, Ph.D.
Publisher : Inner Traditions / Bear & Co
ISBN 13 : 1594777810
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (947 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca by : Ralph Metzner, Ph.D.

Download or read book Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca written by Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. and published by Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. This book was released on 2005-11-22 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compilation of writings on the chemical, biological, psychological, and experiential dimensions of Ayahuasca • Includes 24 firsthand accounts of Ayahuasca experiences and resulting life changes, including contributions from J. C. Callaway, Charles S. Grob, and Dennis J. McKenna • Discusses the medical and psychological applications of Ayahuasca Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic Amazonian plant mixture that has been used for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years by native Indian and mestizo shamans in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador for healing and divination. Many Western-trained physicians and psychologists have acknowledged that this substance can allow access to spiritual dimensions of consciousness, even mystical experiences indistinguishable from classic religious mysticism. In Sacred Vine of Spirits: Ayahuasca Ralph Metzner, a pioneer in the study of consciousness, has assembled a group of authoritative contributors who provide an exploration of the chemical, biological, psychological, and experiential dimensions of ayahuasca. He begins with more than 20 firsthand accounts from Westerners who have used ayahuasca and then presents the history, psychology, and chemistry of ayahuasca from leading scholars in the field of psychoactive research. He concludes with his own findings on ayahuasca, including its applications in medicine and psychology, and compares the worldview revealed by ayahuasca visions to that of Western cultures.

Santo Daime

Author : Andrew Dawson
Publisher : A&C Black
ISBN 13 : 1441154248
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (411 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Santo Daime by : Andrew Dawson

Download or read book Santo Daime written by Andrew Dawson and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-05-30 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces the Brazilian new religion and treats it in relation to ongoing developments influencing the status, nature and future of religion in the modern world.

The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions

Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004246037
Total Pages : 407 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (42 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions by :

Download or read book The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2013-03-27 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions explores the global spread of religions originating in Brazil, a country that has emerged as a major pole of religious innovation and production. Through ethnographically-rich case studies throughout the world, ranging from the Americas (Canada, the U.S., Peru, and Argentina) and Europe (the U.K., Portugal, and the Netherlands) to Asia (Japan) and Oceania (Australia), the book examines the conditions, actors, and media that have made possible the worldwide construction, circulation, and consumption of Brazilian religious identities, practices, and lifestyles, including those connected with indigenized forms of Pentecostalism and Catholicism, African-based religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda, as well as diverse expressions of New Age Spiritism and Ayahuasca-centered neo-shamanism like Vale do Amanhecer and Santo Daime. Contributors include Ushi Arakaki, Dario Paulo Barrera Rivera, Brenda Carranza, Anthony D'Andrea, Sara Delamont, Alejandro Frigerio, Alberto Groisman, Annick Hernandez, Clara Mafra, Cecília Mariz, Deirdre Meintel, Carmen Rial, Cristina Rocha, Camila Sampaio, Clara Saraiva, Olivia Sheringham, Neil Stephens, José Claúdio Souza Alves, Claudia Swatowiski, and Manuel A. Vásquez.

Zig Zag Zen

Author : Allan Hunt Badiner
Publisher : Chronicle Books
ISBN 13 : 9780811832861
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (328 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Zig Zag Zen by : Allan Hunt Badiner

Download or read book Zig Zag Zen written by Allan Hunt Badiner and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2002-04 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Buddhism and psychedelic experimentation share a common concern: the liberation of the mind. Zig Zag Zen launches the first serious inquiry into the moral, ethical, doctrinal, and transcendental considerations created by the intersection of Buddhism and psychedelics. With a foreword by renowned Buddhist scholar Stephen Batchelor and a preface by historian of religion Huston Smith, along with numerous essays and interviews, Zig Zag Zen is a provocative and thoughtful exploration of altered states of consciousness and the potential for transformation. Accompanying each essay is a work of visionary art selected by artist Alex Grey, such as a vividly graphic work by Robert Venosa, a contemporary thangka painting by Robert Beer, and an exercise in emptiness in the form of an enso by a 17th-century Zen abbot. Packed with enlightening entries and art that lie outside the scope of mainstream anthologies, Zig Zag Zen offers eye-opening insights into alternate methods of inner exploration.

New Age in Latin America

Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004316485
Total Pages : 444 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (43 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis New Age in Latin America by :

Download or read book New Age in Latin America written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2016-06-10 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is at the crossroads where a New Age sensibility, advancing like an ecumen of worldwide spirituality without national, cultural, or ecclesiastical frontiers, meets Latin America's syncretic religions, practiced by groups of people wiht African or indigenous roots or developed from the tradition of popular Catholicism. The Syncretic character of the two sensibilities makes both the New Age and popular religion behave like two, syncretizing and syncreticizable matrices of meaning. This book opens up a rich vein of debate with new dilemmas and discussions, that will provide a framework for a new field of study in anthropology. What new ways of signifying living and experiencing religion is the New Age generating in Latin America? What are its limits? Contributors are: Alejandra Aguilar Ros, Santiago Bastos, Lizette Campechano, Sylvie Pédron Colombani, Alejandro Frigerio, Jacques Galinier, Silas Guerriero, Cristina Gutiérrez Zúñiga,Nahayeilli B. Juárez Huet, José Guilherme C.Magnani, Antoinette Molinié, María Teresa Rodríguez, Deis Siqueira, Carlos Alberto Steil, Engel Tally, Renée de la Torre, and Marcelo Zamora.

Christ Returns from the Jungle

Author : Marc G. Blainey
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438483155
Total Pages : 422 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Christ Returns from the Jungle by : Marc G. Blainey

Download or read book Christ Returns from the Jungle written by Marc G. Blainey and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2021-06-01 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After more than 450 years of European intrusions into South America's rainforest, small groups of people across Europe now gather discreetly to participate in Amazonian ceremonies their local governments consider a criminal act. As devotees of a new Brazil-based religion called Santo Daime, they claim that they contact God by way of ayahuasca, a potent psychoactive beverage first developed by native communities in pre-Columbian Amazonia. This bitter, brown liquid is a synergy of plants containing DMT, a mind-altering chemical classified as an illicit "hallucinogen" in most countries. By contrast, Santo Daime members (daimistas) revere ayahuasca as a sacrament, combining it with rituals and theologies borrowed from Christian mysticism, indigenous shamanism, Afro-Brazilian spiritualism, and Western esotericism. The Santo Daime religion was founded in 1930 by an Afro-Brazilian rubber tapper named Raimundo Irineu Serra, now known as Mestre (Master) Irineu. Presenting results from more than a year of fieldwork with Santo Daime groups in Europe, Marc G. Blainey contributes new understandings of contemporary Westerners' search for existential well-being on an increasingly interconnected planet. As a thorough exploration of daimistas' beliefs about the therapeutic potentials of ayahuasca, this book takes readers on an ethnographic journey into the deepest recesses of the human psyche.