Shamanism and Spirit Possession

Order Description
Ayahuasca, which has been dubbed “the vine of souls”, is a brew comprised of the plant Banisteriopsis Caapi along with several other psychoactive ingredients. The brew has been used all throughout South America among indigenous tribes for healing and ceremonial purposes. The “vine of souls” gets its name from its extremely high dimethyltryptamine content, which causes users to have vivid and powerful psychedelic experiences. These experiences typically include hallucinations of ancestors, serpents, jaguars, bright colors, and flight-like experiences. The brew is also used to help rid patients suffering from “soul loss” or feelings of intense jealousy or hatred. It is believed that Andean Shamans commonly use the drug to assist in freeing the Shamans soul for “spirit flight” so he/she may interact within the spiritual world. However, a proper trance is impossible without the traditional acoustics.

Apparently, without the traditional accompanying whistles and rattles the patient and/or Shaman would have a terrible experience and only envision serpents. Across different Andean shamanistic cultures, different instruments capable of making similar high frequency noises have been found. These “whistles” are currently used to drive or guide the Ayahuasca ‘trips’. “Whistling bottles” from 500 BC, which are similar to instruments still used in Ayahuasca ceremonies today, were found on the Peruvian coast. Similar bottles have been found scattered throughout different parts of South America and all of them produce almost identical sounds.

What is the effect that these instruments have on not only the Ayahuasca trip, but on the brain as well. Do different sounds trigger different neurological reactions? What effects do music and sounds have on consciousness and emotion both in/and out of the trance? Why does the absence of whistling lead to horrible hallucinations of snakes?