AYAHUASCA AND PSILOCYBIN ARE powerful and unique transformational experiences ORIGINATING IN time honored traditions FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
Plant Medicine
At Reunion, we have the privilege of working with Ayahuasca and Psilocybin medicines. Both are powerful and unique transformational experiences which come from time honored traditions from around the world. We work with Indigenous Elders, highly skilled medicine servers, practitioners, and experienced facilitators who respect these medicines and the ancient traditions from which they come.
Ayahuasca
A Brief History
Ayahuasca has been an integral part of various indigenous groups in the Amazon Basin for several thousand years. It was and still is used ceremonially for healing, spiritual activation, religious ceremonies, rites of passage, mental clarity, and emotional well-being. The tribes who work with Ayahuasca claim that the plants revealed their power to humans more than 2,000 years ago. The plants communicated with Shamans in modified states of consciousness such as dreams and visions. To the ancient tribes, Ayahuasca is medicine but, even more so, a spirit.
The Wisdom Keepers and Shamans of this traditional medicine have helped spread Ayahuasca and its teachings worldwide, surpassing the boundaries of their small villages in the Amazon. Their tireless work, which we are immensely grateful for, has allowed Reunion to serve our Guests this medicine while upholding centuries of respect and tradition.
At Reunion, we appreciate our opportunity to amplify Ayahuasca’s message and its magnificent properties to Western civilization and hope that more people can experience the power of this transformative medicine.
What is Ayahuasca?
An ancient medicine used to open the mind, heal from past traumas, and learn about oneself, Ayahuasca is a brew made from the leaves of the Psychotria viridis shrub and the stalks of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine. The name "Ayahuasca" originates from the Quechua language, where aya means soul or ancestors, and wasca (huasca) means vine or rope. Therefore, people often refer to Ayahuasca as the "vine of the soul." Ayahuasca targets the brain's serotonin production. Upon drinking, the Psychotria viridis shrub’s DMT - which occurs naturally in many plants and animals, including humans – stimulates the pineal gland, the part of the brain where introspection occurs, and emotions are processed. It's in this state that people can accomplish their desired self-work.
Healing Benefits of Ayahuasca
People choose to venture on a journey with Ayahuasca for many reasons, but research has shown the medicine's ability to heal difficult addictions, alleviate depression. Individuals who have used Ayahuasca most often claim that their experience led to positive, long-term, life-altering changes. Recent research has shown that Ayahuasca may benefit one's health in several ways.
Physical Wellbeing
The main active ingredients in Ayahuasca (DMT and b-carbolines have been shown to exhibit neuroprotective and neurorestorative qualities.
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DMT activates the sigma-1 receptor (Sig-1R), a protein that blocks neurodegeneration and regulates the production of antioxidant compounds that help protect your brain cells. Harmine, the main b-carboline in Ayahuasca, has been found to have anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and memory-boosting effects.
Mental Wellbeing
Research has shown that Ayahuasca may increase the mindfulness capacity of your brain and improve your overall psychological wellbeing by enhancing mood and regulating emotions.
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It has been used in the treatment of physical addictions, anxiety, stress, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as Ayahuasca can get to the root cause of these afflictions and aid in clearing them.
Spiritual Wellbeing
Ayahuasca aids in one's life journey by allowing individuals to receive spiritual teachings, gain insights, expand consciousness, and discover true purpose.
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People who participate in sacred plant medicine ceremonies report feeling a profound sense of self and well-being, many of whom carry the experience with them for the rest of their lives.
Working with Ayahuasca has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. After a period of Covid burn-out, I felt the call to this incredible plant medicine and it opened by mind and my heart in ways I can't even explain. Going in with the intention to peel back the layers on my true purpose, I walked out of my first ceremony with self-awareness and an appreciation for my life and those I share it with.
Sofia, Ayahuasca Retreat Participant
Psilocybin
A Brief History
Although often referred to as a plant medicine, Psilocybin is not actually a compound found in plants but rather a compound found in a group of more than 200 fungi. It is said that magic mushrooms (mushrooms containing the entheogenic chemical Psilocybin) have been used since time immemorial. The earliest evidence of their use is a mural that was found in Northern Australia which depicts mushrooms and psychedelic illustrations. Archeologists have dated it back to 10,000 BCE.
Some scientists suggest that because humans have been consuming psilocybin our brains developed more rapidly and we became evolutionarily distinct. This is in part because other species, like dolphins and jaguars, seek out and consume psychedelic substances.
Ethnobotanists, researchers, and advocates of plant medicine argue that magic mushrooms may have expedited human evolution by creating a state of hyperconnectivity between brain networks, doubling the size of human brains, facilitating technological innovations, and igniting ideas like religion and language. The ancient civilizations that most famously used psilocybin were in Central America. In the Nahuatl language, which was used by Mayan and Aztec people, entheogenic mushrooms were called Teonanácatl, which translates to “flesh of the gods.” Because of this, psilocybin was used in religious and spiritual ceremonies for mental and emotional healing, physical well-being, spiritual exploration and celebrations.
At Reunion we respect the ancient traditions around this healing and enlightening plant medicine, and welcome you to join a journey.
What is Psilocybin?
Psilocybin is an entheogenic chemical found in certain mushrooms that grow in Europe, South America, Mexico, and the U.S. Psilocybin is converted to psilocin in the body and is believed to influence serotonin levels most often in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, leading to altered states of consciousness. The prefrontal cortex affects mood, cognition, and perception. Entheogens also work in other regions of the brain that regulate arousal and panic responses.
Healing Benefits of Psilocybin
Guests of Reunion, as well as other psilocybin users, report beneficial shifts including:
Significantly reduced levels of anxiety
Newfound happiness, contentment, and overall wellbeing
Spiritual inclination
Increased awareness, openness, and connection to self and others
Increased insight and awareness of trauma
Forgiveness of self and others
Elevated self-acceptance and inner peace
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that psilocybin is proving to be an effective treatment for mood disorders, certain addictions, and relief of emotional distress.
The most reported benefit of psilocybin is a fundamental shift in life perspective and an overall increase of wellbeing and contentment.
I've always wanted to work with psilocybin so I took the plunge and it was definitely well worth it. I am taking away a new sense of how to live my life and how to serve others. I am taking away how to be open and authentic, vulnerable, and proud of who I am with a new joy for life, a respect for nature, and an appreciation for people who are authentic, service-oriented, and want to improve their lives in real ways. It's been a remarkable experience. I've never felt joy like this in a long time. I hope I can bring this to the other people in my life as I leave here.
Steve, Psilocybin Retreat Participant, 2022
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