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

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