597. Psychedelic Practices and Perspectives: Insights from the Amazon with Rebekah Senanayake

The Far Side of Fitness

Rebekah is a cultural psychologist and PhD Cultural Anthropology candidate based in Wellington, New Zealand. Building on 8 years of experience and relationship building in the Amazon Rainforest, her research investigates traditional knowledge systems and the function of altered states of consciousness in Amazonian communities, ritual constructions, and ritual technologies. The outputs of this research are directly applicable to scientific and medicinal knowledge on physical and psychological health, plant botany, and the preservation of traditional knowledge. She completed her Master of Science in Cross-cultural Psychology, and her Bachelor of Science (First-class Honours) with majors in Psychology and Cultural Anthropology.

Rebekah's Links:

Blog: bekplants.wordpress.com

Twitter: @bekplants

IG: @bekplants

Dr. D's Links:

www.doctordarianparker.com

Intro Music by Wordsmith: www.wordsmithmusic.com

Time Stamps:

00:19 Recap of Rebecca's Field Work

00:57 Diving into Ayahuasca Research

03:44 Tourist vs. Local Ayahuasca Ceremonies

07:20 Malpractice and Ethical Concerns

15:32 Life in the Amazon 20:29

Deforestation and Its Impact

21:21 Complexities of Deforestation

25:38 Exploring Psychedelic Research and Ontologies

26:00 The Amazon's Influence on Worldview

27:40 Integration of Psychedelics in Different Cultures

29:51 Human Connection with Nature and Altered Realities

31:10 Multinatural Perspectivism and Animal Consciousness

33:29 Personal Transformations Through Psychedelics

37:06 Gender Perspectives and Self-Love in Psychedelic Experiences

41:03 Future Directions in Psychedelic Research