Shamanic work and peak states

mimi

I'm currently reading Grant's book and find it fascinating.  I note parallels between information in the book and experiences I had during a year in Peru working with the shamanic plant medicines ayahuasca and san pedro.  

My history is birth trauma - premature birth, incubator, abandoned twice in first month of life by mother. My mother also had two stillbirths before I was born. I have had lifelong problems with anxiety, particularly separation anxiety,  until I discovered TFT in 2001 and that cured my anxiety disorder in 2 hours.  

I re-experienced my birth trauma during a San Pedro ceremony and have to say it was a completely horrible process - I'm not sure whether I was retraumatised by the process or whether the experience released the trauma.  I'm still not sure whether the plant medicines on their own are sufficient to resolve some traumas.  My husband was definitely retraumatised by repeatedly re-experiencing childhood trauma during ayahuasca ceremonies.

I did experience some positive states - a sublime experience of connection with the divine mother; and one day waking with a feeling of extraordinary happiness and joy - but on the whole I have to say that there were more very challenging states; feeling the pain of the earth; separation from my mother and child; connection with a sense of evil and despair.  Several experiences pushed me to feeling suicidal - particularly with San Pedro and I wonder how this connects to the experiences of Grant and his researchers while exploring these states?   

I was interested in the theory about injury pre-birth disconnecting one from peak states.  A friend of mine experienced the trauma of surgery prebirth - her mother had an ovarian tumour that was removed when she was 4 months pregnant.  My friend remembers spending her childhood with a deep connection to nature that was somehow lost when she got to age 11 or 12.  I wonder if in her case the trauma opened her to a peak state of connection?  She has however been ill all her life and she is still trying to discover how to resolve this and the impact her birth trauma has on her life.

Does anyone here have any similar experiences with plant medicines or any thoughts ?

Sephtan

I am not sure what you mean with "the plant medicines on their own" because they will always interact with you. Generally I would say that they are able to heal trauma. But. There is quite a big "but" there, because a lot of things are interacting together that can have a huge impact. Your own state of mind at the moment of the ceremony, the setting, if you don't do it alone, the state of mind of the other persons involved, ... there are so many factors that might have an impact. Does the plant know you or are you still getting to know her, the plants own agenda, what you want subconsciously can differ from from what you want consciously, ...

While there sure is a huge potential in those plant teachers, I would say that taking them is a bit like a "random surgery" - it might help, but it might also do some damage. I know they are not allowed while and even around the time you are working with the peakstates techniques, because it is unforeseeable what the effects might be. But while I am not a practitioner and only a client, even the few things I can do on my own by now, are worth it not being allowed to meet with the plant teachers.

In the case of your friend it is probably best if she meets with an expert. Like with computers it's hard to make a diagnosis with only a vague description and the good old "have you tried turning it off and on again" doesn't work as well with humans  

Gaetan Klein

That is an intesting topic.
Those psychedelic plants can act as psychotherapy accelerators, such as in Stan Grof's work.

However, now we have safer ways to do it, like EFT, WHH, holotropic breathwork, etc... why would someone go for ayahuasca ? It seems there is a bizarre attraction to shamanic drugs these days because they can go over your resistances and do the work wether you like it or not. It is a bit like hacking your own brain.
Except you don't have control of the process and it can be damageable.

Regarding the traumas you mention, there is a good chance working with a peak states therapist can heal them !
Working alone or with other techniques, in my experience, can miss a lot during healing, and leave it incomplete.

And the wonderful states you describe : there is a good chance to live them again and to make them permanent. It really is the goal of the Institute's work, even thought it might be a state that is not yet in the index of known states.

Nemi

HI Gill, 

Experiencing Trauma can destroy peakstates. it will not build or repair peakstates. The healing of trauma, specific prenatal and preconception trauma, will reinstate peakstates. Peakstates are lost through developmental injuries from prebirth and preconception events. If someone had a peakstates, and is aware of having lost  it, then a different problem is in action that becomes active in the present/after birth. It can be healed in most cases and the state will return.

Greetings

Nemi