Is Ayahuasca a Shortcut?

There is an idea that goes around in the healing/plant medicine world that Ayahuasca can be a 'quick fix' or a 'shortcut' to healing or spiritual evolution. I've seen this promoted as a reason for drinking it and as a reason for not drinking it. Some people find it appealing that they may arrive at a spiritual or health goal very quickly, others are reluctant to take a shortcut in their process and don't want to resort to any kind of 'quick fix.' This idea about Ayahuasca is largely a myth and here I'll explore some of the reasons why Ayahuasca is promoted as a 'short cut' and why, for the most part, that just isn't true.

Before we begin, my perspective on Ayahuasca and Plant Spirit medicine comes from my experience and training which has mostly been in the Shipibo tradition. Other traditions, especially religious traditions, have very different ways of working with the Plant Spirit so I can't comment on the spiritual effects of attending those ceremonies. My perspective comes from working with Ayahuasca alongside other Amazonian master plants as a tool for healing, self-insight and improving the quality our lives.

A Shortcut to Healing?

The idea of Ayahuasca being a 'magic pill' or 'quick fix' doesn't often last longer than a few ceremonies. Ayahuasca is a powerful healer and it is absolutely possible for her to facilitate profound transformations and somewhat miraculous healings, but it certainly isn't a guarantee. I think this idea of Ayahuasca providing a 'quick fix' gets amplified as it tends to be the big experiences and huge transformations that make it onto YouTube – they make for much more interesting watching than a story about a long night of purging and feeling sad. Sometimes Ayahausca does bring incredibly deep healing experiences and sometimes she opens the door to a healing process that takes a bit more time. But she certainly doesn't fix your life for you. Most often, she will help you to release what you no longer need to carry from the past, remind you how to heal yourself, and give you some tools and insights for a healthier and more fulfilling life into the future; and it's up to you to then take the actions that you need to take to bring that wisdom into your life.

I think it is always good to remember that Ayahuasca is a medicinal plant and, just like all other medicinal plants, she can be incredibly effective with some people and some conditions and situations, can take a bit longer for others, and may not be effective at all for others. Just like taking a ginger tea can help some people very quickly and effectively with stomach pains, can help more slowly, perhaps alongside other things, for other people, and doesn't help some others at all; it is much the same with Ayahuasca (although a much more intense experience). I haven't come across so many people who are reluctant to drink Ayahuasca because they think they will heal more quickly – reluctancy usually comes more in connection with the other points listed below, but when there is some resistance to healing, or to healing quickly, it is definitely worth exploring the deeper feelings beneath this: sometimes there is a fear of the change that comes with healing or a fear of being well, and it's also worth considering if the same resistance arises around other natural medicines and therapies, or if it is just an idea that has arisen around Ayahuasca somehow being different to other healing modalities.

A Spiritual Shortcut?

There is a popular idea that Ayahusca provides some sort of 'spiritual shortcut': that drinking Ayahuasca will give you a spiritual awakening, lead you to enlightenment or help you to evolve spiritually in some way. And she can certainly deliver spiritual truths and insights, but I would not consider what she does to be a 'shortcut.' I think with this point it is important to remember that Ayahuasca is a medicine that can help us to heal on every level, including spiritually, and that, from the perspective of many Indigenous traditions, the spiritual disconnection that is very common in the Western world today would be considered to be a form of spiritual illness. In opening us up spiritually and reminding us of the presence of the spiritual world and of our spiritual selves, Ayahuasca helps us to heal the root causes of our spiritual disconnection. For many coming from a disconnected background or carrying religious or spiritual trauma, this can lead to a dramatic shift in perspective around spirituality and an awakening of a deeper understanding of one's spiritual self, their place in life, and their connection with nature and the Divine. The Plant Spirits also love to bring us spiritual teachings and wisdom around how live harmoniously with spiritual awareness, but none of this gives us a short-cut to any kind of spiritual growth or evolution. After any realisation or experience that arises in a ceremony, it is up to you to continue with the lifestyle, awareness and practices that will enable you to bring the teachings and wisdom you received into your daily experiences and to continue to expand spiritually. The spiritual high that can follow a ceremony will soon fade back to normal and it is up to you to then commit to your ongoing spiritual evolution. The medicines can show you what is there, what is possible, and give you some guidance, but grounding those insights into your everyday life is ultimately your responsibility and is an ongoing process.

Looking for Answers Outside of Yourself?

Many times I've heard people say that they don't want to drink Ayahuasca because they don't want to look outside of themselves for the answers/insights/healing. I 100% agree that everything we need can be found within us, but I find it interesting that Ayahuasca, specifically, is considered as 'looking outside' when taking a less strong herbal medicine, reading a book or listening to advice from a friend would still be considered okay to do. They are all external tools that can lead us to the same places within ourselves, just with different means of delivery. More than anything else that I can think of, Ayahuasca can teach us how to look inwards, how to explore ourselves, our minds and our feelings more deeply than we previously knew was possible, and how to find a wonderful balance between the internal and external worlds. For many people holding onto deeply suppressed emotions and traumatic and generational memories that can be difficult to access from our everyday state of awareness, the altered state that Ayahuasca facilitates can give a depth of personal insight and self-healing that would be almost impossible to achieve using other methods and techniques. Of course, it is absolutely possible to approach the medicine as an external source of healing or answers, but if you expect Ayahuasca to fix all of your problems, you will soon find that that's not something that she does. It's also possible to become dependent on attending Ayahuasca ceremonies, hoping for the magical solution to one day arrive, but eventually you'll realise that it's not going to come. It's also possible to become dependent on your Ayahuasca Curandero to heal or save you, until you learn that no one can do that for you but you. And there's just as much of a risk of developing a dependency on Ayahuasca as an external source of answers or healing as there is to become dependent on many other substances, people and healing techniques. If you are seeking an outside answer it can be sought anywhere but is unlikley to be found, and the nature of that seeking has nothing to do with the nature of Ayahuasca and how she works.

Where is 'there'?

The general idea that Ayahasca can provide a quick fix or a shortcut comes from an idea that there is an end point to eventually reach. That there is a place where we are 'healed', 'fixed' or 'enlightened' and, more often than not, Ayahuasca teaches us that there is no end point, there's no 'there', that life will continue to spiral on, and that from every resolution or change something new will arise. With this understanding, there is nothing for her to provide us with a shortcut to. She can, however, help us to feel healthier, more fulfilled and more at peace as we continue to travel through life's ups and downs.

Drinking Ayahuasca can be a hugely transformative experience that can dramatically change your perception of life. It's a big decision to make and is certainly not for everyone or at every time. But if the concept of Ayahuasca as a 'shortcut' or 'quick fix' is the biggest reason you don't want to drink it, it is worth asking yourself what it is that you don't want a short cut to, or what you think Ayahuasca could potentially do. Ultimately, Ayahuasca is a medicine, and like all other medicinal substances should be taken with care, in the right circumstances and for the right reasons, and although there are no quick fixes of magic pills, she is a medicine with the potential to dramatically improve the quality of our lives and teach us how to live with more peace and fulfillment.