"As the current WHO statistics show, half of the world population will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime. This includes depression, anxiety, eating disorders, addictions or PTSD which eventually impacts our physical health, relationships and the world itself. Sadly, the current concerns are bouncing onto the younger generations due to the negative impact of social media, economic pressures and environmental issues in modern lifestyles. How can we speed up the process and spread awareness of the treatment to make it available to the ones who suffer? It is necessary to look deeper into the psychedelics as the modern interventions of drugs and medicines used over the last 50 years have been unsuccessful.
The history of the science of psychedelics was defined after the discovery of LSD by Albert Hofmann in the 1930’s. In the mid 1960’s to mid 1970’s it influenced the time of social, musical and artistic change. After the explosion of the drug war in June 1971, psychedelics were classified as A drugs and became illegal leading to over four decades of research being lost. After years of governmental prohibition and scientific ostracisation a renewed interest developed in the therapeutic potential of these substances. Since the 1990s there has been a steady revival of human psychedelic research including reports of the first modern brain studies with the usage of LSD and several clinical trials of psilocybin. The power and healing properties of psychedelics are now being examined for their therapeutic potential including the prosocial effects of MDMA, LSD and psilocybin. Psychedelic propaganda is now widely accepted as a pharmacological model that differentiates humans in relation to other species. There is potential to find explanations for numerous neurological diseases that impact our behaviour such as altruism, empathy, cooperation and the ability to recognise emotions and intentions. The enthusiasm that these substances arouse in the field of psychiatry is inversely correlated with the sad reality that even the most reactionary guilds within psychiatry struggle to admit. A deeper understanding of these therapeutic interventions used by indigenous peoples for thousands of years cast a shadow of doubt over standard pharmacological treatments which only perpetuate the problems they intend to solve. Today, updated research is being published in medical journals and the media are focusing more and more on their potential to induce healing and transformative spiritual experiences. It has now become clear that mind-altering plants used over 7000 years ago in rituals and ceremonies worldwide were hugely influential in shaping certain beliefs and cultures around the globe.
To gain more knowledge and a better understanding of the subject, I took a trip to Peru where sacred plants like Ayahuasca or San Pedro have been available for spiritual purposes for thousands of years. I worked with the Q’eros and Shipibo Shamans who are deeply engaged with psychedelics and a spiritual way of living. I took part in a two day Ayahuasca ceremony and other ceremonies related to Pachamama. With the help of a translator, I documented the journey taking photographs, shooting video and interviewed the Shamans.
The predominant religion of Peru is Roman Catholic as well as a combination of Andean mythology. However, most catholics have been conditioned to believe that Ayahuasca was created by the Devil. Peruvians are generally sceptical about this controversy especially
as the plants are protected by its government. The intention was to protect the ritual use of the Ayahuasca brew as traditionally practiced for centuries by Amazonian indigenous communities, including its intangible ritual component, the knowledge of the healers and the healers themselves, while also favouring the protection of the environment and the sustainability of the plant resources involved.
As I travelled on my own, my main focus was to document the story with photographs. Looking at the current material I have so far, I feel like the story should be explored more to get a better understanding of the topic. We definitely need to dive deeper into the subject from the scientific point of view. I had the opportunity to visit the lab at Imperial College in London where I took photographs and interviewed one of the scientists. I will be revisiting the lab to photograph and gather information from David Nutt who works in the psychedelic field for 15 years. Due to the importance of the issues mentioned, I feel like this body of work is a good starting point that will lead us to a long term project as there is so much knowledge and mystery we need to learn from the indigenous communities and scientists about psychedelics and mental health.
When I started to work on this project, I knew I had to be very serious about it and be part of it to understand it more. Working on this project required me not only to work on the research, getting access, gathering ideas and funding it myself but also took a lot of self discipline and commitment. Four weeks before the ceremony, I had to prepare my mind and body for the journey. It is crucial and recommended for better healing to follow a specific diet and sacrifice pleasure from having sex, masturbation, drinking alcohol, smoking or taking drugs, including fasting at least one day before and during the days of ceremony. From a personal point of view, I can admit that after two Ayahuasca sessions, it has truly opened my mind. I became more conscious of my negative emotions which allowed me to control them and my daily mood improved. One of the mind opener visions was seeing myself at the ceremony laying down on the mattress and facing my dead body right in front of me. It was almost like my soul would have left my body, stood above me and looked at my ceremony and my death. This experience instantly killed my ego and taught me that life is more precious than I thought it was. The medicine took me to the past and showed me my parents falling in love. The journey showed me a white rose and at this moment I felt the presence of my niece without seeing her face. It showed me my inner child. I was able to connect with the Amazonian creatures like black jaguar that gazed deeply into my eyes, snakes or frogs even though I have never been to the Amazon. I saw a lot of geometric figures and heard the voices “Face your fears”. I felt the vibrations of the music played by the Shaman in my whole body like I never felt it before. Despite the fact that I am not religious, my visions showed me Jesus Christ looking up and pointing his hand into the sky- it looked like a painting. The visions continued for five to six hours and it felt like a never ending journey. At one point, I just wanted to stay in this unknown world to me but at the same time, I felt a lot of fear and I was uncomfortable about purging after the ceremony which I thought would kill me. The next morning, I felt a strong and positive connection with nature and all living species including animals and humans. My head was quiet and clear. I felt like I was reborn and the real world became extremely beautiful. The experience I went through is unfortunately difficult to describe but it allowed me to see things from a different perspective.
I feel like the story needs to be told and shown by the Amazonian community and Shamans in the Peruvian Amazon. Knowledge of hallucinogenic technology is known in depth only by the shamans and the shaman is legitimised by their community, not by a title or an academy. The community I met has access to the small nation who lives in the Amazonian jungle that I could potentially visit. However, I was told that I would need a translator (perhaps a Peruvian journalist) that would be willing to travel deep into the jungle and live in uncomfortable conditions without electricity, limited food options etc. The photographs that are missing in this story are the environment itself, the actual plants and how the Shamans are preparing the brews in a spiritual way that involves prayers, ceremonies and special tools. I also would like to photograph the scientists working on the studies, therapists and drugs itself in the lab, possibly at Imperial College in London where psychedelics are being tested as this is the only place I currently have access to.
Until recently, I was very sceptical about this subject. Since working on this project and after experiencing Ayahuasca myself, I have changed. The ceremony gave me a stronger belief that this project must be developed further. In these difficult times, it is so important to create awareness and highlight the beneficial qualities of these traditional therapeutic interventions to improve mental health and to support the indigenous communities that hold this valuable knowledge. Despite the slowly disappearing culture of the Q’eros and Shipibo Shamans due to the factors of evolving technologies, climate change, political system or religion, our future generations could witness the disaster and loss of the Shamans knowledge and wisdom that could speed up the process of research on psychedelics for mental disorders. There is still hope to solve those issues, but we need to spread the awareness of psychedelic treatment to heal those who suffer and to protect the younger generations who will create a future in this modern and chaotic world."
Sandra Mickiewicz is a Polish documentary and portrait photographer who lives and works in London. In 2007, her family immigrated to the United Kingdom, where she started to develop her skills in painting and drawing. She discovered photography at the age of 15 where she stepped into the black and white darkroom for the first time. In 2018, Sandra graduated from Middlesex University in London where she studied photography. She is drawn into very ordinary and conventional moments in our everyday life. Sandra is really inspired by story telling and travelling where she explores unknown places and people that she documents on her journeys. Her photographs were exhibited in the UK and internationally. Sandra s work has been published by the British Journal of Photography, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Financial Times, New Statesman and The Telegraph. Sandra is fascinated about analogue photography. She mainly shoots on medium format cameras and prints her own work in the darkroom. She is influenced by photographers like Alec Soth, Diane Arbus and Marry Ellen Mark.
