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When Plants Dream: Ayahuasca, Amazonian Shamanism and the Global Psychedelic Renaissance
Ayahuasca is a powerful tool for transformation, that more and more Westerners are flocking to drink in a quest for greater self-knowledge, healing and reconnection with the natural world. This formerly esoteric, little-known brew is now a growth industry. But why?
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew that has a long history of ritual use among indigenous groups of the Upper Amazon. Made from the ayahuasca vine and the leaves of a shrub, it is associated with healing in collective ceremonies and in more intimate contexts, generally under the direction of specialist – an ayahuasquero . These are experienced practitioners who guide the ceremony and the drinkers’ experience.
Ayahuasca has gained significant popularity these days in cities around the world. Why? What effect might ayahuasca be having on our culture? Does the brew, which seems to inspire environmental action, simplified lifestyles and more communitarian behaviour, act as an antidote to frenzied consumerist culture?
In When Plants Dream , Pinchbeck and Rokhlin explore the economic, social, political, cultural and environmental impact that ayahuasca is having on society. Part 1 covers the background; what ayahuasca is, where it is found, and its cultural origins. Part 2 explores the role and practices of the ayahuasquero in both Amazonian and Western cultures. Part 3 examines the medicinal plants of the Amazon, looking particularly at the ingredients in ayahuasca and their therapeutic qualities, covering the most up-to-date biomedical research, psychedelic science and psychopharmacology. It also covers all the legal aspects of ayahuasca use. Lastly in Part 4 Pinchbeck and Rokhlin question the future of ayahuasca.
When Plants Dream is the first book of its kind to look at the science and expanding culture of ayahuasca, from its historical use to its appropriation by the West and the impact it is having on cultures beyond the Amazon.
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew that has a long history of ritual use among indigenous groups of the Upper Amazon. Made from the ayahuasca vine and the leaves of a shrub, it is associated with healing in collective ceremonies and in more intimate contexts, generally under the direction of specialist – an ayahuasquero . These are experienced practitioners who guide the ceremony and the drinkers’ experience.
Ayahuasca has gained significant popularity these days in cities around the world. Why? What effect might ayahuasca be having on our culture? Does the brew, which seems to inspire environmental action, simplified lifestyles and more communitarian behaviour, act as an antidote to frenzied consumerist culture?
In When Plants Dream , Pinchbeck and Rokhlin explore the economic, social, political, cultural and environmental impact that ayahuasca is having on society. Part 1 covers the background; what ayahuasca is, where it is found, and its cultural origins. Part 2 explores the role and practices of the ayahuasquero in both Amazonian and Western cultures. Part 3 examines the medicinal plants of the Amazon, looking particularly at the ingredients in ayahuasca and their therapeutic qualities, covering the most up-to-date biomedical research, psychedelic science and psychopharmacology. It also covers all the legal aspects of ayahuasca use. Lastly in Part 4 Pinchbeck and Rokhlin question the future of ayahuasca.
When Plants Dream is the first book of its kind to look at the science and expanding culture of ayahuasca, from its historical use to its appropriation by the West and the impact it is having on cultures beyond the Amazon.
216 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2019
100 people are currently reading
1443 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Pinchbeck
73 books236 followersDaniel Pinchbeck is an American author. His books include Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism, 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, and Notes from the Edge Times. He is a co-founder of the web magazine Reality Sandwich and of the website Evolver.net, and edited the North Atlantic Books publishing imprint Evolver Editions. He was featured in the 2010 documentary 2012: Time for Change, directed by Joao Amorim and produced by Mangusta Films. He is the founder of the think tank Center for Planetary Culture, which produced the Regenerative Society Wiki.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 2, 2020
Daniel Pinchbeck has a long history of reported and self-admitted sexual abuse of women. You can just search for his name and read articles with his quotes.
He drugged women with “plant medicine” (the book...) and then sexually abused them, like Bill Cosby.
But he is a white male in the USA with a powerful family. So he is not in prison like a black man would.
He actually was able to turn his “conscious” apology and admittance of his misbehavior into profit!
Now he is victimizing himself if anybody confronts him, like I did since he is currently being accused of rape in my community.
He is a smart brain twisting things until he looks good or like a victim.
I have met him personally many time for about 3years and can attest to him not remembering men, but only women. He is in this for his ego and fame, so his writing is an extension of that.
He drugged women with “plant medicine” (the book...) and then sexually abused them, like Bill Cosby.
But he is a white male in the USA with a powerful family. So he is not in prison like a black man would.
He actually was able to turn his “conscious” apology and admittance of his misbehavior into profit!
Now he is victimizing himself if anybody confronts him, like I did since he is currently being accused of rape in my community.
He is a smart brain twisting things until he looks good or like a victim.
I have met him personally many time for about 3years and can attest to him not remembering men, but only women. He is in this for his ego and fame, so his writing is an extension of that.
November 1, 2019
Being a materialist (because, well, there’s simply no other way to logically be), the concept of meeting other realities, especially entities is a trying adventure. While some of my peers may be willing to attribute an orb in a photo or shadow in a hallway as a ghost, or communication with an angel in a dream as a sign, I generally chalk up such things as coincidence or inflated mundane events. So when I get a chance to believe in magic, it’s something worth pursuing. After all, none of us materialists want it this way. I don’t wanna speak for all of us but I think I’ll go out on a limb here just this once and say that all of us would love to discover there’s other beings in other dimensions and realities cohabitating the universe with us. All of us would love to discover other intelligences out there. We have whole fields of work based on seeking out hidden things in the past, present and future - zoology, anthropology, archeology, psychology and others. We have organizations like SETI, which exist for the sole purpose of seeking out someone else off world and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry which investigates claims of the paranormal (among other things), trying to verify said claims. These groups are made up of scientists (and again if I may be so bold) really wanting to find proof of a world in another dimension. But to date, the findings have not panned out and there’s simply no proof of entities roaming in between dimensions attempting to assist humanity. That is, scientifically speaking. Subjective experience is a different thing.
I came across ayahuasca during my reading of Graham Hancock’s work and although I waved it off initially as just a hallucinogen working on the brain, I was struck by the similarities of ayahuasca consumers experiences, reminding me of Jung’s idea of archetypes. I’m still on the fence regarding archetypes but the human brain isn’t a tabula rasa as the behaviorists claim. We’re programmed from birth evolutionarily with things like facial recognitions and other “instincts” so I see no reason why we don’t have stamps somewhere in the noggin for a hero’s journey. At any rate, while researching a chapter for my second novel, I started reading more accounts of people who had taken the vine. This led to a curiosity to actually do the field research at some point. And before you ask, no, I haven’t. But the spark built a fire and I’m now rather intrigued to give ayahuasca a try. Even if one could come away from such an experience convinced the journey was all in the head, it would still be quite an experience much more exciting than any virtual reality game. No extra equipment needed to strap to your face.
And so this book, WHEN PLANTS DREAM came to my attention by, who else, Graham Hancock and I picked it up. Being new to the subject I’d say this volume didn’t disappoint. It gave me a great summary of everything I think I needed. Some history, use, misuse, cautions and the philosophy behind it.
I found a connection, of a sort, with the cognitive psychologist, Benny Shanon, who is discussed in this book. He began investigating ayahuasca from a reductionist point of view but after taking it himself and studying the phenomenon, he concluded there had to be something to “the repeating motifs and images – the ‘cognitive universals’. Shanon eventually came to consider that ayahuasca could be opening up one to reveal supernatural realities not available without the “medicine”.
And this is where I sit. Wouldn’t it be an amazing thing to discover there’s more to materialism? What if the human brain does, in fact, need a primer to see it, communicate with and in it? But until more research is done to verify such a thing, I’ll remain in the camp that says a hallucination is a hallucination and the brain has an amazing way of being tricked even when not exposed to a chemical interaction. Ayahuasca may just be really good at it. But just as I’d wander the halls in a VR machine, I think a journey as described in this book is worth investigating.
A highlight in this book was the discussion on how its possible plants evolved to cultivate us, not the other way around. It’s noted how flowers evolved to attract insects, primarily bees, to spread their seeds. What about apples and pears and nuts and potatoes and other species? Why not a plant to entice humans and other animals to do the same? The book then suggests the possibility ayahuasca exists to entice human participation in a more amazing world than what we see without it, as if the human brain is its own worst enemy in allowing the mind to see reality. But again, the view that the brain is a barrier to the magnificence of the real world in order to allow the human being to operate and survive without being dazzled and distracted at every turn (As Sam Harris noted in his very first podcast), is an unfalsifiable position to take. Harris notes that if the brain-as-barrier-thesis is correct, then damaging the brain to reduce the filter should increase cognition. But this does not occur. Loss of brain function either through accident, injury or disease does not create more mind.
Another fascinating review was the origins of the ayahuasca ceremony. I was always under the impression said ceremony, or at least the use of ayahuasca, went back centuries or even thousands of years along the Amazon. However, this does not appear to be the case. There is no record of such a drink or ceremony among the Inca who conquered the area. And the first European explorers didn’t mention it either, although they described other potions and rituals. The ayahuasca mix does not appear until relatively recently, maybe just a couple hundred years leading to the possibility it isn’t an ancient practice at all. That should alleviate any anxiety regarding cultural appropriation.
Other areas covered in this volume are the ways of the shaman, bringing the vine outside South America and a review of practitioners outside its natural realm. Discussions on ayahuasca’s impact on traditional religion and remolding it, along with creating new hodge-podge mixing pots out of atheists is reviewed. The legality of it all wrap up the book as well as a look into the future. Is it possible ayahuasca at the very least will give a widening audience a reason to fix the damage of climate change, to seek being better off without war or in general, just being better stewards of themselves, others and the planet itself? Who knows.
The book finishes with a somewhat checklist of things to do (and not do) if you’re going to try the Vine of the Soul.
Upon completion of reading this book, I decided such an adventure, participation in such a ceremony would be worth it even if it turned out participation does nothing more than chemically alter the brain to see some fascinating things. The trick is to do enough research to not be taken advantage of by the charlatans that have sprouted due to the widening popularity of ayahuasca in recent years. For that, more questions need to be asked which will have to be done after you finish the last page should you decide to give it a go.
I came across ayahuasca during my reading of Graham Hancock’s work and although I waved it off initially as just a hallucinogen working on the brain, I was struck by the similarities of ayahuasca consumers experiences, reminding me of Jung’s idea of archetypes. I’m still on the fence regarding archetypes but the human brain isn’t a tabula rasa as the behaviorists claim. We’re programmed from birth evolutionarily with things like facial recognitions and other “instincts” so I see no reason why we don’t have stamps somewhere in the noggin for a hero’s journey. At any rate, while researching a chapter for my second novel, I started reading more accounts of people who had taken the vine. This led to a curiosity to actually do the field research at some point. And before you ask, no, I haven’t. But the spark built a fire and I’m now rather intrigued to give ayahuasca a try. Even if one could come away from such an experience convinced the journey was all in the head, it would still be quite an experience much more exciting than any virtual reality game. No extra equipment needed to strap to your face.
And so this book, WHEN PLANTS DREAM came to my attention by, who else, Graham Hancock and I picked it up. Being new to the subject I’d say this volume didn’t disappoint. It gave me a great summary of everything I think I needed. Some history, use, misuse, cautions and the philosophy behind it.
I found a connection, of a sort, with the cognitive psychologist, Benny Shanon, who is discussed in this book. He began investigating ayahuasca from a reductionist point of view but after taking it himself and studying the phenomenon, he concluded there had to be something to “the repeating motifs and images – the ‘cognitive universals’. Shanon eventually came to consider that ayahuasca could be opening up one to reveal supernatural realities not available without the “medicine”.
And this is where I sit. Wouldn’t it be an amazing thing to discover there’s more to materialism? What if the human brain does, in fact, need a primer to see it, communicate with and in it? But until more research is done to verify such a thing, I’ll remain in the camp that says a hallucination is a hallucination and the brain has an amazing way of being tricked even when not exposed to a chemical interaction. Ayahuasca may just be really good at it. But just as I’d wander the halls in a VR machine, I think a journey as described in this book is worth investigating.
A highlight in this book was the discussion on how its possible plants evolved to cultivate us, not the other way around. It’s noted how flowers evolved to attract insects, primarily bees, to spread their seeds. What about apples and pears and nuts and potatoes and other species? Why not a plant to entice humans and other animals to do the same? The book then suggests the possibility ayahuasca exists to entice human participation in a more amazing world than what we see without it, as if the human brain is its own worst enemy in allowing the mind to see reality. But again, the view that the brain is a barrier to the magnificence of the real world in order to allow the human being to operate and survive without being dazzled and distracted at every turn (As Sam Harris noted in his very first podcast), is an unfalsifiable position to take. Harris notes that if the brain-as-barrier-thesis is correct, then damaging the brain to reduce the filter should increase cognition. But this does not occur. Loss of brain function either through accident, injury or disease does not create more mind.
Another fascinating review was the origins of the ayahuasca ceremony. I was always under the impression said ceremony, or at least the use of ayahuasca, went back centuries or even thousands of years along the Amazon. However, this does not appear to be the case. There is no record of such a drink or ceremony among the Inca who conquered the area. And the first European explorers didn’t mention it either, although they described other potions and rituals. The ayahuasca mix does not appear until relatively recently, maybe just a couple hundred years leading to the possibility it isn’t an ancient practice at all. That should alleviate any anxiety regarding cultural appropriation.
Other areas covered in this volume are the ways of the shaman, bringing the vine outside South America and a review of practitioners outside its natural realm. Discussions on ayahuasca’s impact on traditional religion and remolding it, along with creating new hodge-podge mixing pots out of atheists is reviewed. The legality of it all wrap up the book as well as a look into the future. Is it possible ayahuasca at the very least will give a widening audience a reason to fix the damage of climate change, to seek being better off without war or in general, just being better stewards of themselves, others and the planet itself? Who knows.
The book finishes with a somewhat checklist of things to do (and not do) if you’re going to try the Vine of the Soul.
Upon completion of reading this book, I decided such an adventure, participation in such a ceremony would be worth it even if it turned out participation does nothing more than chemically alter the brain to see some fascinating things. The trick is to do enough research to not be taken advantage of by the charlatans that have sprouted due to the widening popularity of ayahuasca in recent years. For that, more questions need to be asked which will have to be done after you finish the last page should you decide to give it a go.
August 19, 2019
Just way too woo-woo, but I shoulda known that when one of the authors treated Graham Hancock as a serious source in the introduction. This could be good if it's you're very first introduction to this kind of literature, but definitely don't treat it as an unbiased source.
October 3, 2024
Really interesting histories of plant medicines and their use in ceremonies!
September 19, 2019
An overview on the current state of the affairs of the Ayahuasca trending Amazon escape. This may sound degrading but it is far from judgemental.
Ayahuasca is indeed trending and how one employs its use it's really a question of personal choice. However one never really gets all warnings up-front. Mother Earth needs our attention and in seeking to heal itself understood she needed to leave her Amazonian nest and heal us. It's really a communion beyond words and a task worthy of a God.
But is it safe? Aren't we, human beings a bit too disenchanted, too disconnected and a little bit too late!? Isn't our self-destructive nature keeping us from really understand her message?
Neo-shamanism - profoundly white and belonging to high privileged class as a new badge of higher spirituality while actually reinforcing another face of personal ego, or to those ex drug addicts that declare themselves cured and hoping to get a buck out of it- has to be put under scrutiny and discussed.
Ayahuasca is maybe trending but it is not a trend. It is a medicine. It is releasing herself from the leash human have put her in in order to cure us and hoping we would take care of her too- namely in the natural form. Ayahuasca is not to be taken lightly, it is not a drug. It is the most profound and personal discussion, therapy session one can come across. It is deserving of respect and humility. It is deserving and reverence and openness.
Luckily we started to give her the attention it deserves. We started researches, investigations on how it works and all the benefits that can be reaped from listening to her call. It is a deeply personal union.
This books is an introduction to how one should approach it. Is is also an introduction on what are the currents are out there and a beginner might benefit from reading it.
May we all be guided to love and light by love and light.
Ayahuasca is indeed trending and how one employs its use it's really a question of personal choice. However one never really gets all warnings up-front. Mother Earth needs our attention and in seeking to heal itself understood she needed to leave her Amazonian nest and heal us. It's really a communion beyond words and a task worthy of a God.
But is it safe? Aren't we, human beings a bit too disenchanted, too disconnected and a little bit too late!? Isn't our self-destructive nature keeping us from really understand her message?
Neo-shamanism - profoundly white and belonging to high privileged class as a new badge of higher spirituality while actually reinforcing another face of personal ego, or to those ex drug addicts that declare themselves cured and hoping to get a buck out of it- has to be put under scrutiny and discussed.
Ayahuasca is maybe trending but it is not a trend. It is a medicine. It is releasing herself from the leash human have put her in in order to cure us and hoping we would take care of her too- namely in the natural form. Ayahuasca is not to be taken lightly, it is not a drug. It is the most profound and personal discussion, therapy session one can come across. It is deserving of respect and humility. It is deserving and reverence and openness.
Luckily we started to give her the attention it deserves. We started researches, investigations on how it works and all the benefits that can be reaped from listening to her call. It is a deeply personal union.
This books is an introduction to how one should approach it. Is is also an introduction on what are the currents are out there and a beginner might benefit from reading it.
May we all be guided to love and light by love and light.
August 24, 2020
Honestly, 2 stars seems high, but I did learn a bit about the history of psychedelics and the indigenous people in different regions and how they use them. Beyond that, this was waaaaaaaay too out there. From taking anecdotal accounts at face value, to stating untestable hypothesis, then declaring that since we "can't know" it may as well be true, it was hard to get through this book. Simply because we don't know something, or have incomplete knowledge on something, it doesn't follow that therefore it could be anything. This book mentions another dimension, sentient intelligent plant beings, animal spirits, alien beings, and the list goes on and on based on absolutely nothing testable or verifiable...it was hard not to cringe at so many of the statements in this book.
March 24, 2020
Compelling read with a good balance between the history, benefits, and commodification of ayahuasca. I picked this book up for a class and found it highly entertaining.
January 27, 2022
Some good info and history of psychedelics. Maybe a 4 rating but the guy narrating was not my favorite. He has a good voice but this really annoying dramatic whisper he would use way too much. First book I listen to while sped up.
July 11, 2024
big fan of all the information in this book. highly recommend
September 21, 2022
I was really excited about this book because I wanted to learn more about the medicinal preparation of Ayahuasca, the cultural background of shamanism, and all of that in the context of colonialism. The authors touch on a lot of these subjects, but never dive deep enough for the information to be particularly useful. I can find most of the book's facts with a cursory Google search.
What's more frustrating, and insidious, is that the authors vaguely mention various questionable anthropological theories ("stoned ape" hypothesis, "the mushroom and the cross") without providing context as to why they were controversial. They pepper in several unsupported assertions and personal opinions. They also grossly misinterpret the findings of Quantum Theory. They tell a story of a researcher who used Ayahuasca 75 times in 6 months and went home suffering acute psychosis, but later claim there's little evidence the substance can cause psychological harm. All of this makes it hard to pick apart fact from fiction and made the book an untrustworthy source of information to me. Which is a pity, because I think there is probably a lot of interesting information on this subject out there had the authors put in the time to find it. There's only a passing mention of compounds in Ayahuasca causing the hippocampus cells of rats to regrow, despite the fact there's probably a lot more really cool scientific research out there.
Furthermore, I got the feeling the authors run in circles of wealthy, new-age, mostly white individuals who live life in a bubble. Much more of the book should have been about the shamans and their training, as well as issues around ethical Ayahuasca use (which the authors touch on but never provide any solutions for). They don't even mention the many high profile killings of Indigenous Amazonian activists trying to protect their homes in recent years. It's troubling that the authors try to assert that Ayahuasca has only been used for the last 50-100 years, probably as a way to justify the cultural appropriation their social circles are taking part in (if it's a brand new practice, and not an established tradition, then we're not appropriating anything!). But a quick peek at Wikipedia will show you Ayahuasca has been used for 1000 years or more in the Amazon.
I'd stay away from this book, which is full of misinformation, and try to find another, less biased, more factual one. Preferably written by an Indigenous person. I'd love to learn more about the trials shamans go through to learn how to use Ayahuasca, the scientific research findings we have so far, how one could ethically use this substance for healing, and get a deeper history on how past colonialism links up to the issues faced by people living in the Amazon today. This book does not provide that.
What's more frustrating, and insidious, is that the authors vaguely mention various questionable anthropological theories ("stoned ape" hypothesis, "the mushroom and the cross") without providing context as to why they were controversial. They pepper in several unsupported assertions and personal opinions. They also grossly misinterpret the findings of Quantum Theory. They tell a story of a researcher who used Ayahuasca 75 times in 6 months and went home suffering acute psychosis, but later claim there's little evidence the substance can cause psychological harm. All of this makes it hard to pick apart fact from fiction and made the book an untrustworthy source of information to me. Which is a pity, because I think there is probably a lot of interesting information on this subject out there had the authors put in the time to find it. There's only a passing mention of compounds in Ayahuasca causing the hippocampus cells of rats to regrow, despite the fact there's probably a lot more really cool scientific research out there.
Furthermore, I got the feeling the authors run in circles of wealthy, new-age, mostly white individuals who live life in a bubble. Much more of the book should have been about the shamans and their training, as well as issues around ethical Ayahuasca use (which the authors touch on but never provide any solutions for). They don't even mention the many high profile killings of Indigenous Amazonian activists trying to protect their homes in recent years. It's troubling that the authors try to assert that Ayahuasca has only been used for the last 50-100 years, probably as a way to justify the cultural appropriation their social circles are taking part in (if it's a brand new practice, and not an established tradition, then we're not appropriating anything!). But a quick peek at Wikipedia will show you Ayahuasca has been used for 1000 years or more in the Amazon.
I'd stay away from this book, which is full of misinformation, and try to find another, less biased, more factual one. Preferably written by an Indigenous person. I'd love to learn more about the trials shamans go through to learn how to use Ayahuasca, the scientific research findings we have so far, how one could ethically use this substance for healing, and get a deeper history on how past colonialism links up to the issues faced by people living in the Amazon today. This book does not provide that.
January 28, 2020
This is the third book by Pinchbeck that I've read - 'Breaking Open the Head' (reasonably good) and 'How Soon is Now?' (poor) being the other two.
I didn't expect much but this was a pleasant surprise - it was (importantly) well balanced. I was particularly pleased to read ...
"Something continues to feel strange, disorienting, about the commercial exchange of money for ceremonial medicine work, even though this has become commonplace."
... as on a number of times I've suggested to ayahuasca drinkers that retreats should be funded purely by voluntary donations and not fixed charges. Every time I raise this I've been met with overt hostility - it seems to be a sensitive subject matter. (I've had a lot of experience with meditation retreats that are funded purely by voluntary donations and it works well - someone's right to take part should not be determined by how much money they have) There's no authentic tradition of Shamen being paid for their services (traditionally they may receive gifts though). Also, given that people are attending retreats to receive teachings from the plants, it's dubious ethically to sell these when you don't own them.
The commodification of ayahuasca is something I think Pinchbeck writes about well.
I didn't expect much but this was a pleasant surprise - it was (importantly) well balanced. I was particularly pleased to read ...
"Something continues to feel strange, disorienting, about the commercial exchange of money for ceremonial medicine work, even though this has become commonplace."
... as on a number of times I've suggested to ayahuasca drinkers that retreats should be funded purely by voluntary donations and not fixed charges. Every time I raise this I've been met with overt hostility - it seems to be a sensitive subject matter. (I've had a lot of experience with meditation retreats that are funded purely by voluntary donations and it works well - someone's right to take part should not be determined by how much money they have) There's no authentic tradition of Shamen being paid for their services (traditionally they may receive gifts though). Also, given that people are attending retreats to receive teachings from the plants, it's dubious ethically to sell these when you don't own them.
The commodification of ayahuasca is something I think Pinchbeck writes about well.
October 21, 2019
A tremendously important book
Pinchbeck and Rokhlin have produced a missive of incredible insight and information. Takes a very honest view of ayahuasca, its use and history. Very much recommended.
Pinchbeck and Rokhlin have produced a missive of incredible insight and information. Takes a very honest view of ayahuasca, its use and history. Very much recommended.
October 7, 2024
I'm giving it a solid 3.5
I will start with the things I like. Firstly I do enjoy hearing about the history of ayahuasca and psychedelic drugs and this book does a fair job with it. It is very interesting to hear about all the mysticism and legends that surround these kinds of plants. In a way, I was surprised at actual criticism of the ever growing and sort of 'wild' use of psychedelic plants, and admission of how uncritically, selfishly and maliciously people use these drugs.
What I do have to critique however is the way ayahuasca is presented here. I am a proponent of using psychedelics in medicine and healing. I always have been. While this is my first bigger exploration in ayahuasca as a concept and it's healing properties, I have been studying and researching psychedelics for a while now. I am skeptical towards the 'other dimensions' and spirits ayahuasca is supposed to open to people, but I will not take that as a bad thing in this book. It is a theory coming from tradition and I have no right to critique it. Where I do have a problem however is the supposition that ayahuasca can heal pretty much anything somatic. The book even goes a step further and gives a theory that ayahuasca could be the thing that brings in the new 'Utopic world' by ridding the world of consumerism and bringing in some sort of collective spirituality. We all know the stories of people being healed from all sort of diseases by all sorts of substances. I have no issues with alternative treatments, some are very effective, but giving people the idea to renounce modern medicine and dive head first into alternatives is a slippery slope. This book makes several references to MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), but MAPS is actually on my side here. They are trying to bring hallucinogenic substances to the forefront of science and medicine through research, actual scientific research. In the final chapter, this book actually becomes hypocritical in a way. After pages and pages of stories about people's lives being changed and people being healed from mental and physical illnesses, the authors still had the need to sort of 'wash off' any potential guilt from themselves by listing a whole lot of diseases and medications that could prevent you from ever trying ayahuasca.
So yes, it is a poetic story of psychedelic plants and mystic worlds, spirit realms and miracle healings. But reader beware. Not everything is as simple as it may seem.
I will start with the things I like. Firstly I do enjoy hearing about the history of ayahuasca and psychedelic drugs and this book does a fair job with it. It is very interesting to hear about all the mysticism and legends that surround these kinds of plants. In a way, I was surprised at actual criticism of the ever growing and sort of 'wild' use of psychedelic plants, and admission of how uncritically, selfishly and maliciously people use these drugs.
What I do have to critique however is the way ayahuasca is presented here. I am a proponent of using psychedelics in medicine and healing. I always have been. While this is my first bigger exploration in ayahuasca as a concept and it's healing properties, I have been studying and researching psychedelics for a while now. I am skeptical towards the 'other dimensions' and spirits ayahuasca is supposed to open to people, but I will not take that as a bad thing in this book. It is a theory coming from tradition and I have no right to critique it. Where I do have a problem however is the supposition that ayahuasca can heal pretty much anything somatic. The book even goes a step further and gives a theory that ayahuasca could be the thing that brings in the new 'Utopic world' by ridding the world of consumerism and bringing in some sort of collective spirituality. We all know the stories of people being healed from all sort of diseases by all sorts of substances. I have no issues with alternative treatments, some are very effective, but giving people the idea to renounce modern medicine and dive head first into alternatives is a slippery slope. This book makes several references to MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), but MAPS is actually on my side here. They are trying to bring hallucinogenic substances to the forefront of science and medicine through research, actual scientific research. In the final chapter, this book actually becomes hypocritical in a way. After pages and pages of stories about people's lives being changed and people being healed from mental and physical illnesses, the authors still had the need to sort of 'wash off' any potential guilt from themselves by listing a whole lot of diseases and medications that could prevent you from ever trying ayahuasca.
So yes, it is a poetic story of psychedelic plants and mystic worlds, spirit realms and miracle healings. But reader beware. Not everything is as simple as it may seem.
September 1, 2022
I am an ayahuasquero and regard myself as a shaman. This book is a study on Ayahuasca, the Amazonian 'Vine of the Soul' and one of the most ancient medicines known to man. The authors enthusiastically explore the history and tradition of this potent hallucinogenic plant brew, looking at traditions and shamanic or curandero practices in the lands where it evolved: Colombia, Peru, Brazil. The modern rise in cult popularity of Ayahuasca shamanism is explored. Apparently about 100 impromptu Western Ayahuaasca ceremonies take place alone in New York City on a daily basis. The brew is used by the Santo Daime church of Brazil where Ayahuasca is taken as a sacrament. Laws are starting to break down regarding the illegality of DMT and other psychedelics and scientific research is being now supported by authorities. Ayahuasca has many implications for the healing of addiction, PTSD, depression and other psychiatric conditions plus has been reported to have cured cancers and AIDS. Charlatanism amongst shamans has been discussed and the popular Ayahuasca tourism industry in South America. Does Ayahuasca represent nature's way of guiding us into dealing with the ecological catastrophe that is facing Planet Earth? The plant speaks and engages its human masters in realms unknown, where the jaguar and snake roam and ethereal otherworldly alien creatures engage in teaching us fundamental truths about our existence and survival. The plant, as it expands into Western societies reminds of of the rainforest from whence it came and can offer a new wave of spirituality to psychedelic adventurers that should surely benefit us all.
June 21, 2020
While Ayahuasca is rapidly spreading throughout Western (and global) popular culture, the movement is in desperate need of a critical analysis of its impact both ecologically and culturally. I was hoping that "When Plants Dream" would fulfill that role.
The book is similar to Michael Pollan's "How to change your mind", but sadly lacks the depth and critical approach. Instead we get a more romanticized picture of the culture, which of course is inevitable when the authors relationships to the plant teachers is already so intimate.
If you are going to try Ayahuasca for the first time and need some background it can be useful, but with all the literature about the subject on the market right now, there are a lot of other useful resources.
The book is similar to Michael Pollan's "How to change your mind", but sadly lacks the depth and critical approach. Instead we get a more romanticized picture of the culture, which of course is inevitable when the authors relationships to the plant teachers is already so intimate.
If you are going to try Ayahuasca for the first time and need some background it can be useful, but with all the literature about the subject on the market right now, there are a lot of other useful resources.
March 4, 2025
Very evocative, interesting book but too many dubious sources and assumptions to be taken as gospel. Luckily the author cites Graham Hancock early on to show the reader what side of history they’re on. Including a user’s guide at the end was a nice touch.
I’ve already heard the War on Consciousness arguments before so that was nothing new, but the author weaved in the shamanic history to provide much needed context. I think everything was provided at face value and left up to the reader to decide whether or not to believe the testimonies and conjecture. There’s a large difference between the native rituals and how tech bros use it to become enlightened. However, learning about that transition over the past several decades is important.
Curious if any ‘shamans’ will approach me in Iquitos when I visit…
I’ve already heard the War on Consciousness arguments before so that was nothing new, but the author weaved in the shamanic history to provide much needed context. I think everything was provided at face value and left up to the reader to decide whether or not to believe the testimonies and conjecture. There’s a large difference between the native rituals and how tech bros use it to become enlightened. However, learning about that transition over the past several decades is important.
Curious if any ‘shamans’ will approach me in Iquitos when I visit…
August 21, 2022
A fair warning to anyone interested in this subject and thinking of reading. If you’ve already read up on Shamanic traditions, visionary plants, plants-as-spirit, and similar subjects through the many resources out there, this book won’t feel very insightful.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good book. But it’s a synthesis of so many stories that have been told for many years in many other books. This book is a good entry point into the subject and if you don’t know much about it, you’ll likely find the stories fascinating.
But I think I expected a deeper level of insight and instead it was an amalgamation of the basics. Still good! Just not what I was hoping for.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good book. But it’s a synthesis of so many stories that have been told for many years in many other books. This book is a good entry point into the subject and if you don’t know much about it, you’ll likely find the stories fascinating.
But I think I expected a deeper level of insight and instead it was an amalgamation of the basics. Still good! Just not what I was hoping for.
December 17, 2019
ARC via NetGalley (thought I had already done this one. Read in on July/August)
Yes, I know the book has already been published but today is the day I review the books on my NetGalley shelf. First up is this one, When Plants Dream.
It’s a good introduction to the previous writings on ayahuasca usage, some aspects of indigenous Amazonian tribes, and how Western culture is using it. If you’ve already read One River by Wade Davis or Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice, this is more an overview of different writings, current research, and personal transformations.
Yes, I know the book has already been published but today is the day I review the books on my NetGalley shelf. First up is this one, When Plants Dream.
It’s a good introduction to the previous writings on ayahuasca usage, some aspects of indigenous Amazonian tribes, and how Western culture is using it. If you’ve already read One River by Wade Davis or Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice, this is more an overview of different writings, current research, and personal transformations.
December 24, 2019
Pinchbeck and Rokhlin produce a beautiful collaborative honest review of all topics ayahuasca, its use and history, implications, legality, best practices, etc.
Recommended. Provides a good starting point to think about plants, plant medicine from a non materialist viewpoint while remaining centered in a western scientific worldview.
I enjoyed the balance of personal anecdotes of the two authors as framing points for topic review.
Recommended. Provides a good starting point to think about plants, plant medicine from a non materialist viewpoint while remaining centered in a western scientific worldview.
I enjoyed the balance of personal anecdotes of the two authors as framing points for topic review.
May 1, 2020
Perhaps the spiritual consciousness of plants like ayahuasca, peyote, and psilocybin-containing mushrooms actually does exist in some subtler or higher dimension. In that case, the alkaloids they express provide the tangible means for us to access that wider field of the awareness. We provide them with the sensory apparatus – eyes, nose, ears, body and brain – they need to take a look and walk around our world
February 20, 2024
This book was pretty thorough. It was the first book I read on the subject so I’m no expert, but I appreciate that it discussed how western ayahuasca tourism and other western exploitation is harming these Amazonian communities. It also shows the dark side of ayahuasca- people die. It also shows the beauty and discusses various cultural approaches to ayahuasca. It’s written by westerners so I would love to hear a Shipiba review.
December 26, 2019
Insightful and thought provoking
Did not expect this book to be as thought-provoking as it ended u being. It provides tremendous background about the history of plant medicine in the Amazon. It additionally considers the good and the bad of our current psychedelic revolution and it's effects on local communities.
Did not expect this book to be as thought-provoking as it ended u being. It provides tremendous background about the history of plant medicine in the Amazon. It additionally considers the good and the bad of our current psychedelic revolution and it's effects on local communities.
February 25, 2020
I would have swapped some of the discussion of the various plants in use for more stories about the ethical and environmental issues of ayahuasca tourism. There are also a lot of interesting stories about the neoshaman scene, some of which are amazing eyerollers or just intriguing to experience in a Jon Ronson or Louis Theroux kind of way.
March 20, 2021
Informative and Enlightening
This book is extremely thorough and well-written. It gives a balanced perspective on the ayahuasca renaissance through many different contexts and experiences. Overall really informative and uplifting to read.
This book is extremely thorough and well-written. It gives a balanced perspective on the ayahuasca renaissance through many different contexts and experiences. Overall really informative and uplifting to read.
April 23, 2023
One of those books which could have been a twitter post or a podcast episode at max.
Author is walking around the topic repeating same points over and over again.
If you are already know about ayahuasca - you won't find anything new in this book and will be disappointed
Author is walking around the topic repeating same points over and over again.
If you are already know about ayahuasca - you won't find anything new in this book and will be disappointed
September 14, 2025
I’m glad I read it because now I feel much more informed about a future drinking of the medicine but after learning about the history of one of the authors, I feel quite icky about it. It’s dense and didn’t ever pull me in but it’s incredibly informative
July 26, 2019
An interesting, well researched and well written book. I learned a lot about Ayahuasca
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
September 11, 2019
very informative and relevant
September 18, 2019
A comprehensive overview of all things ayahuasca, and a nice supplement to Michael Pollan's 'How to Change Your Mind'.
December 8, 2021
A look at ayahuasca and the practices surrounding its use.
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