by Jan Kounen
Jan Kounen’s book Visionary Ayahuasca comes during a time when more and more people around the world are traveling to the Peruvian Amazon to experience ayahuasca in its native habitat. If you are planning a trip in the near future, you should have this book as a reference guide.
In 1999 Jan Kounen began traveling to the Peruvian Amazon initially as a curious filmmaker. Over multiple trips he transformed from explorer to apprentice to ayahuasquero. It was in his travels, surrounded by foreigners coming to the jungle for their first ceremony that Kounen began sharing his experiences and realized the importance of a reference guide. In this part memoir, mostly practical guide, Kounen provides honest, straightforward advice on how to prepare your mind and body before the ceremony and what to do in the days afterward. He explores how to deal with the nausea and details the special preparatory diets an ayahuasca shaman will provide, often lasting for months but nece ssary for the life-transforming results and teachings from the plant spirits. He also explains how it is far easier to maintain these restrictions in the jungle than in the city.
A veritable what-to-expect guide, this book should be your first step prior to committing to ayahuasca. This book is overflowing with helpful information, facts, and personal accounts of what you can expect from your ayahuasca experience.
—JACKIE CASSIDY