#768: What Happens When Israelis and Palestinians Drink Ayahuasca Together?
Digest
This podcast episode, "Peacekeepers," delves into the use of ayahuasca by Israeli and Palestinian peace activists as a tool for healing intergenerational trauma and fostering peacebuilding. The episode begins by introducing the concept of ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew containing DMT, and its potential for promoting neural plasticity and emotional breakthroughs. It then focuses on Sami Awad, a Palestinian peace activist who uses ayahuasca to address the deep-rooted trauma within his community. The episode explores the impact of the 2023 Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the participants of an ayahuasca experiment in Spain, highlighting the challenges they faced in maintaining unity and connection amidst ongoing violence. While the experiment did not definitively prove that ayahuasca can bring Palestinians and Israelis closer to peace, it demonstrated its potential for individual healing and fostering a sense of interconnectedness. The episode concludes by discussing the long-term implications of the experiment and the potential for a consciousness shift towards a more peaceful future.
Outlines
Ayahuasca and Peacebuilding: A Journey of Healing and Connection
This chapter introduces the podcast "Altered States" and its focus on psychedelics. It features a teaser for the episode "Peacekeepers," which explores the use of ayahuasca by Israeli and Palestinian peace activists to address intergenerational trauma and promote peacebuilding.
Ayahuasca and Intergenerational Trauma: A Palestinian Perspective
This chapter delves into the nature of ayahuasca, its effects on the brain, and its potential for healing trauma. It introduces Sami Awad, a Palestinian peace activist who uses ayahuasca to address intergenerational trauma in his community.
The Impact of Conflict on the Ayahuasca Experiment
This chapter examines the impact of the 2023 Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the participants of the ayahuasca experiment. It explores how the violence has affected their hopes for peace and their ability to maintain unity and connection.
Keywords
Ayahuasca
A psychedelic brew made from a vine and a shrub native to South America. It contains DMT, a psychoactive compound that can induce hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, and emotional breakthroughs.
Intergenerational Trauma
The transmission of trauma from one generation to the next. It can manifest as heightened anxiety, fear, and a tendency towards violence.
Peacebuilding
The process of creating and sustaining peaceful relationships between individuals, groups, and nations. It often involves addressing historical grievances, promoting dialogue, and building trust.
Neural Plasticity
The brain's ability to adapt and change in response to experience. It is thought to be involved in learning, memory, and healing.
Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)
A powerful psychedelic compound found in ayahuasca and other plants. It is known for its intense hallucinogenic effects and its ability to induce profound spiritual experiences.
Oslo Accords
A series of agreements signed in 1993 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). They aimed to establish a framework for peace negotiations and Palestinian self-governance.
Hamas
A Palestinian Islamist militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. It has been involved in numerous conflicts with Israel.
Q&A
What is ayahuasca and how does it affect the brain?
Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew made from a vine and a shrub native to South America. It contains DMT, a psychoactive compound that can induce hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, and emotional breakthroughs. Researchers have found that ayahuasca can promote neural plasticity, which is the brain's ability to adapt and build new connections.
How did Sami Awad become involved in ayahuasca ceremonies?
Sami Awad, a Palestinian peace activist, was introduced to ayahuasca by an Israeli couple who believed it could help heal intergenerational trauma. He was initially hesitant due to the taboo nature of drugs in Palestinian society, but eventually decided to try it.
What were the goals of the ayahuasca experiment in Spain?
The experiment aimed to explore whether ayahuasca could help soften people's national identities and move them towards a feeling of oneness. The researchers also wanted to see if it could help participants confront their inherited pain and fear.
What were some of the challenges faced by the participants after the experiment?
The participants faced challenges in maintaining their sense of unity and connection in the face of ongoing violence and conflict. Many struggled with feelings of isolation, despair, and disillusionment.
What are the long-term implications of the ayahuasca experiment?
While the experiment did not definitively prove that ayahuasca can bring Palestinians and Israelis closer to peace, it did demonstrate that it can help individuals heal from trauma and develop a sense of interconnectedness. The researchers believe that the experiment represents a first step towards a consciousness shift that could lead to a more peaceful future.
Show Notes
Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show. For this episode, I’m doing something different. I’m featuring a very special episode from a brand-new podcast called Altered States.
Here’s the teaser for the episode you’re about to hear: “For the last couple of years, producer Shaina Shealy has been following Israeli and Palestinian peace activists who have been coming together to drink the psychedelic brew ayahuasca in an effort to heal their collective intergenerational trauma. It seemed to be helping them when suddenly the region erupts into chaos and violence.”
Shaina Shealy was a fellow from the Ferriss-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship, which offers ten $10,000 reporting grants per year to journalists reporting in-depth print and audio stories on the science, policy, business and culture of this new era of psychedelics. The fellowship is supported by my foundation, the Saisei Foundation, and made possible in collaboration with Michael Pollan, Malia Wollan, and others at UC Berkeley.
Altered States looks at how people are taking psychedelics, who has access to them, how they're regulated, who stands to profit, and what these substances might offer us as individuals and as a society.
[00:00 ] An intro to the Altered States podcast and its mission.
[00:02:24 ] Shaina Shealy explains what ayahuasca is and how it affects the human brain.
[00:03:47 ] Palestinian Sami Awad’s peace activism and ayahuasca journey.
[00:17:18 ] Dr. Rachel Yehuda and the science of intergenerational trauma.
[00:19:27 ] How the Israeli-Palestinian ayahuasca experiment came about.
[00:25:47 ] Participants share their experiences.
[00:38:35 ] How the violent events of October 7th affected the participants and the project.
[00:45:52 ] Reflections on the experiment’s effectiveness and participants’ continued commitment to peace.
[00:50:29 ] Closing credits.
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