World Ayahuasca Conference 2014

Between September 25 and 27, 2014, hundreds of people will gather in Ibiza, Spain, for the most encompassing and profound discussion about ayahuasca in decades. The Aya World Conference is organized by the International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service (ICEERS), a non-profit association dedicated to research, education, and integration of ethnobotanical knowledge in contemporary society. For this event, it has the support of many organizations worldwide, including Plantando Consciência, but special mention must be made to Beckley and RiverStyx Foundations.

Ayahuasca is a mystery and a great challenge to the Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm that guides our ways of interpreting the world. As such, it demands a multidisciplinary approach so that its benefits can be better understood. This approach will be honored in the event, which is divided in different tracks to contemplate and facilitate the integration of various disciplines, ensuing a more encompassing look at this revolutionary tool for exploring the psyche.

The clinical aspects related to the use of ayahuasca will be discussed in the light of treatments for chemical addiction, depressive disorders and PTSD, among others. Scientific research on the clinical use and physiological effects of ayahuasca will also be highlighted, including a lecture from Eduardo Schenberg, general director of Plantando Consciência. Eduardo will talk about the effects of ayahuasca on the brain, a pioneer study from Plantando Consciência that has been conducted for three years, entering now enters it final phase.

The ethnobotanic richness of ayahuasca, the challenges for its sustainable use and personal development, and the political obstructions along the way – once the main psychoactive component in the brew, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), is considered to be a dangerous drug, banned throughout the world according to guidelines from the FDA – will be thoroughly discussed. In this regard, despite the contribution of scientists, medical doctors, religious representatives, western psychologists, and independent psychonauts, many of whom have dedicated their lives to fostering acceptance for ayahuasca in the West, it becomes necessary to listen to what traditional folk healers, shamans and tribal elders have to say about it.

These people have achieved a privileged status in their cultures precisely because of their experience in navigating the non-ordinary states triggered by such substances, acting as caretakers of a hidden wisdom that allows them to direct the access of such states to the benefit of the entire community. Their presence in such event ensues a real opening for dialogue and unbiased exchanging of knowledge, essential to the development of a truly multidisciplinary science of ayahuasca.

Besides the lectures, panels, and academic presentations – including a more than welcome panel on the Role of Woman in the World of Ayahasca – the event will also host a film forum pertaining to the theme. Plantando Consciência will be also represented there, through the exclusive screening of a 10 minute sample of Medicina, a documentary directed and produced by Marcelo Schenberg, executive director of this institution. The film will be presented as a work in progress, part of its fundraiser campaign. A large selection of films related to the central theme will also be screened, many for the first time, weaving the most diverse ideas and ways of seeing about this fascinating subject matter.

For a list of presenters, schedules and more in depth information, please check the event’s official website.

 

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