Kambô: A Shamanistic Ritual Arriving in the West - Description, Risks and Perception by the Users
International Journal of Psychology and Psychoanalysis – November 14, 2018
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Traditional religious institutions are losing their cultural grip, diminishing opportunities for profound spiritual experiences. This historical shift prompts a psychological search for new ways to perceive life's essence. Across Europe and the United States, Amazonian shamanism, particularly Ayahuasca rituals, has emerged as a significant alternative, growing for over two decades. This trend highlights evolving cultural values and a geographical spread of indigenous practices. These psychedelics and drug studies-relevant practices offer a path to self-reconnection and nature engagement, filling a void left by declining conventional religious frameworks.
Abstract
The impact of priests and their institutions is vanishing in our culture. This depletes the society from religious experiences. However, many are looking into new ways of experiencing the essence of life. One of the new sources inspiring people to reconnect with themselves and with nature can be found in shamanism. Since some decades now rituals from the Amazon based on herbal products such as Ayahuascaare increasingly seen in Europe and the United States.