Essential (re)sources
Explore a curated selection of authoritative books, documentaries, Indigenous organisations and scientific/academic institutes. Spanning philosophical treatises, integration guides, ethnographic research, and firsthand accounts, this curated guide balances Indigenous wisdom with modern science — perfect for researchers, practitioners, and curious seekers alike.
Book publications
Ayahuasca as Liquid Divinity: An Ontological Approach
Van der Braak argues that ayahuasca religiosity is ultimately not about individual recreation or healing, or even personal visions, but rather about engaging in communal transformative ecodelic practices that let us work as companions of the gods in order to practise solidarity with all sentient beings.
bloomsbury.com →
Psychedelic Integration: Psychotherapy for Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness
Marc B. Aixalà traces the evolution of psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration research from the 1960s to the present moment, explains therapeutic techniques and outlines a clinician’s real-world observations on the deep work of healing.
synergeticpress.com →
The Fellowship of the River: A Medical Doctor’s Exploration into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine
A Colombian-American physician recounts his apprenticeship with Amazonian healers. He describes patients’ stories where ayahuasca helped address trauma, chronic illness, and emotional pain, illustrating mind-body healing from a medical perspective.
drjoetafur.com →
Ayahuasca Reader: Encounters with the Amazon’s Sacred Vine
A comprehensive collection of essays, interviews, and Indigenous stories about ayahuasca. Contributors include ethnobotanists, anthropologists, healers, and artists, offering insights into the ritual use, spirituality, and science of the sacred brew.
synergeticpress.com →
Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond
This academic anthology brings together leading researchers exploring the globalization of ayahuasca shamanism, its various cultural expressions, and the intersection of traditional practices with modern contexts. The collection examines the complex cultural exchanges occurring as ayahuasca use expands beyond the Amazon into global settings.
global.oup.com →
Ayahuasca: Rituals, Potions and Visionary Art from the Amazon
A richly illustrated book combining ethnobotanical information, cultural context, and visual analysis of ayahuasca art and symbolism. It documents how ayahuasca visions have influenced artistic expression across cultures and provides comprehensive information on the history, chemistry, and traditional uses of ayahuasca.
divineartsmedia.com →
Ayahuasca in My Blood: 25 Years of Medicine Dreaming
Journalist Peter Gorman shares 25 years of journeys in the Peruvian Amazon drinking ayahuasca. He recounts his apprenticeship with Indigenous curanderos, profound healing experiences, and challenges faced integrating visionary teachings into daily life.
amazon.com →Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon
A detailed ethnographic study of how Amazonian healers work with ayahuasca and plant spirits. Beyer, an anthropologist trained in mestizo vegetalismo, describes icaros (sacred songs), healing rituals, and the complex relationship between shamans, spirits, and the jungle pharmacy.
unmpress.com →
The Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience
An Israeli psychologist documents over 100 ayahuasca sessions, analyzing common visions, themes, and cognitive effects. This scholarly work maps the phenomenology of ayahuasca — from imagery and insights to altered sense of time — and theorizes about its impact on the mind.
global.oup.com →
The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge
An anthropologist proposes that ayahuasca visions and shamanic knowledge symbolically communicate real information about DNA and biology. He recounts his fieldwork with Amazonian shamans and suggests that ayahuasca’s serpentine visions could represent microscopic biological truths, sparking debate between science and mysticism.
archive.org →
Documentaries
Antidote
Tourism, colonialism, and ecological healing. A critical, nuanced approach to the globalization of ayahuasca; perspectives from Indigenous practitioners, Western seekers, and environmental activists.
antidotefilm.com →
(Un)Well
A Netflix wellness-industry docuseries; the ayahuasca episode follows Western seekers to a Peruvian retreat, weighing reported breakthroughs against the real risks of unregulated ceremony.
netflix.com →
The Medicine
Follows former NFL player Kerry Rhodes to the Amazon with Shipibo healers. Honours Indigenous traditions while examining ayahuasca’s growing appeal to Westerners.
the-medicine.webflow.io →
From Shock to Awe
Two U.S. combat veterans with severe PTSD attend ayahuasca ceremonies to heal their trauma; therapeutic outcomes and the importance of support and aftercare.
vimeo.com →
The Nature of Ayahuasca
Holistic medicine and community healing; balances personal transformation stories with broader cultural and ecological contexts.
imdb.com →
The Last Shaman
A young American with depression travels to Peru as a last resort; addresses mental health, cultural respect, and the potential as well as pitfalls of the process.
play.google.com →
Embrace of the Serpent
A black-and-white dramatic film following an Amazonian shaman guiding two Western explorers; Indigenous cosmology and colonial impact, based on true travel diaries.
play.google.com →
Aya: Awakenings
A hybrid documentary-drama based on Rak Razam’s travelogue of deep immersion into Peru’s ayahuasca culture; ceremonies, visionary experiences, and interviews.
imdb.com →
The Shaman & Ayahuasca
Peruvian curandero Don José Campos explains ayahuasca rituals and teachings — icaros, dieta, and the spiritual philosophy behind the healing practice.
mwp.com →
Indigenous organisations
COICA — Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin
The largest Indigenous umbrella organisation across the nine Amazonian countries; a voice for Indigenous rights, territorial defence, ancestral knowledge, and biodiversity.
coicamazonia.org →Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund (IMC Fund)
An Indigenous-led nonprofit protecting traditional plant medicines and the cultures that steward them; counters biopiracy, overharvesting, and cultural appropriation by funding Indigenous-led conservation.
imc.fund →Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative of the Americas (IRI)
Incubated by Chacruna; ensures the benefits of the psychedelic renaissance are shared with Indigenous communities, addressing reciprocity, conservation, and cultural preservation.
chacruna-iri.org →UMIYAC — Union of Indigenous Yagé Doctors of Putumayo, Colombia
Elders and traditional doctors working with Yagé (ayahuasca) for community healing, peace, and spiritual revitalisation, and the protection of ancestral knowledge.
umiyac.org →Research & Support
Chacruna — Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines
Education, cultural understanding, and reciprocity in the psychedelic space, with a strong focus on ayahuasca: ethics, appropriation, traditional uses, legal aspects, Indigenous voices.
chacruna.net →ICEERS — International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service
Focused on psychedelics and ethnobotanicals with a strong emphasis on risk reduction, public health, and cultural integration, including a dedicated ayahuasca section.
iceers.org →Journal of Psychedelic Studies (JPS)
A peer-reviewed academic journal featuring rigorous research on ayahuasca and other psychedelics — methodologies, findings, and scholarly articles.
akjournals.com →Kahpi — an ayahuasca hub
A dedicated online encyclopedia for ayahuasca: history, chemistry, cultural uses, and therapeutic applications, with in-depth articles on traditional and modern practice.
kahpi.net →LIAAN — Network for Integrity and Safety in Ceremonial Work (Netherlands)
A Dutch peer-learning network supporting ethical and safe ceremony practice; founded with support from ICEERS, facilitators exchange knowledge and develop shared standards.
liaan.org →MAPS — Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
Research and advocacy for the medical and spiritual uses of psychedelics, including ayahuasca: clinical trials, policy updates, and educational resources.
maps.org →The OPEN Foundation
Founded 2007; the leading nonprofit advancing psychedelic research and therapies in the Netherlands and Europe through conferences, trainings, and interdisciplinary research.
open-foundation.org →