(Disclaimer- worked at an ayahuasca retreat and have drank 150+ times)
Ayahuasca with proper support is very beneficial for a lot of people. Some other therapies (someone mentioned EMDR which is excellent, also somatic experiencing) are incredibly synergetic with it. They are very good at showing you the root of the issue, but they are absolutely not magic. It takes quite a bit of courage to go in and face yourself and to do the necessary work. Often the work doesn't start until after the ceremony finishes and you're back in "real life".
I've seen a lot of positive change from plant medicine. I've also seen a lot of people rebound back in to darkness after failing to do something with the message they got (after an initially positive experience)
Is it really a good setting to be surrounded by people we don't know who're all looking for a solution to their (often stubborn) problems and collectively embark on such an experience?
I've done psychedelics plenty of times over 25+ years and can see the potential they have but I'd never in my life do so in one of these retreats.
I think the group setting is really helpful. Being surrounded by a bunch of people who are also doing deep work on themselves can be really supportive. The place I worked did minimum 10-day stays (6 ceremonies), but usually longer (1 month or more). You get to know your group and the staff very well and find yourself being very open and vulnerable. The day-after-ceremony meetings are full of common experiences and people will often get inspiration from each other's stories. Working at the center was incredible, the people are one of the best parts. I made more friends in that short period than any other in my life.
There's a chance you have found the miracle drug, but everything I know and have read about seems to suggest that anything which impairs your judgment is not the solution.
Drugs aren't, alcohol isn't, etc.
What seems to work is... work. Working on yourself, trying to confront past traumas, talking to others about it, opening up. You know, the sucky parts that everyone hates to do.
Such a simplistic view of it. Psychedelics, when used properly, have a way of making your judgment very unimpaired. They can help one do everything you listed in your closing paragraph.
Ayahuasca with proper support is very beneficial for a lot of people. Some other therapies (someone mentioned EMDR which is excellent, also somatic experiencing) are incredibly synergetic with it. They are very good at showing you the root of the issue, but they are absolutely not magic. It takes quite a bit of courage to go in and face yourself and to do the necessary work. Often the work doesn't start until after the ceremony finishes and you're back in "real life".
I've seen a lot of positive change from plant medicine. I've also seen a lot of people rebound back in to darkness after failing to do something with the message they got (after an initially positive experience)