It’s pitch dark, about 2 hours into the ceremony. The ayahuasca is in full effect, and I’m in deep. After a period of silence, the ceremony leader begins to sing another icaro. Someone starts to cry, deepening into wrenching, anguished…

When drinking ayahuasca, intentions can be an important piece of the process. I was initially quite frightened to drink ayahuasca, but I was also on a mission: to figure out who the heck I was. So, my very first ceremony…