Vine of the Soul

Can a sacred plant from the Amazon heal our minds and spirits?

Vine of the Soul airs on VisionTV, Wednesday, November 17 at 10PM

(Toronto, October 13, 2010)—For centuries indigenous people of South America have used ayahuasca (aye-ah-was-kah), a psychoactive plant medicine, to cure all psycho-spiritual ills.  Today, thousands of Westerners, seeking healing and spiritual awakening, attend ayahuasca ceremonies around the world to drink the hallucinogenic tea and experience dramatic transformations in their lives. 

Is ayahuasca a doorway to direct knowledge of the divine, or a path that leads to psychological trauma? Can it cure modern addictions to drugs and alcohol or is ayahuasca itself a possible substance of abuse? Some people call it a medicine, others a sacrament; the Amazonian shamans say it is simply a ‘plant teacher’ that tells you what you need to know. Filmmaker Richard Meech (Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World) follows some Canadians to Espiritu de Anaconda in Peru to find out.  VisionTV airs Vine of the Soul Wednesday, November 17th at 10pm ET.

“Most religions make a great deal about how you must have faith, you must believe in God, even though there’s no evidence to support it, but you must have faith. What’s interesting about ayahuasca is you don’t have to have faith - it’s the perfect tool for skeptics. Don’t believe me, don’t believe what anybody tells you, take it, have the experience, evaluate it for yourself, make of it what you will.” – Dennis McKenna, PhD

THE MEDICINE

Ayahuasca, or Vine of the Soul, has been used for centuries in the Amazon where it is a alegally recognized sacred medicine. It is a tea that is brewed from specific plants and has the ability to promote deep introspection and strong visualizations in the service of emotional and spiritual healing

THE CURANDEROS

Guillermo Arévalo has over 35 years experience in the field of Amazonian Shamanism and is recognized worldwide as a master curandero, or healer.  He is the founder of Espiritu de Anaconda, the healing centre where much of the film was shot.

Ronin Niwe is originally from British Columbia, but has been an apprentice of Guillermo’s for the past seven years. 

THE PARTICIPANTS

Rob Mader works as an accountant in Toronto, has just turned 40 and feels it is time to look for a new spiritual direction in his life.  He’s not sure that he has anything to learn from ‘plant spirits’, but he is willing to be open.

Kirsten Smith, N.D. is a registered Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine with a private practice in Toronto.  Her goal is to learn how she might incorporate ayahuasca into her practice – but she knows shemight have to meet her own demons first.

Colin Miller, a physiotherapist from Vancouver, attended ayahuasca ceremonies for a year before heading to Peru.  He is hoping to heal a troubled marriage.

THE EXPERTS

Dennis McKenna, Ph.D. has conducted extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian, Columbian, and Brazilian Amazon.  He is author or co-author of over 35 scientific papers and one of his most recent is “Ayahuasca and Human Destiny”. 

Dr. Gabor Maté is staff physician at the Portland Hotel, a residence in downtown Vancouver’s Eastside.  He believes that the proper use of ayahuasca can help in the treatment of modern addictions.

Kenneth Tupper is a Ph. D. candidate in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia completing his dissertation on “The Globalization Of Ayahuasca”. He is particularly interested in how policy makers should respond to the emerging evidence of the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of psychoactive substances like ayahuasca.