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#addicts can cause trauma because theyre people. and people can cause trauma all the same
faineant-girl · 8 months
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i wish all addicts, in recovery or not, a life free of sorrow forever
#.vent#kinda. im not gonna delete this one though#i just. i sure am thinking about this a lot.#i listen to like. trip report videos or whatever and like. the comments section on every single one. just nasty#theres no sympathy for an addict to be seen. unless they're also an addict or are recovering#my dad is a recovered addict. hes been clean for 6 years. i love my dad and hes a wonderful person.#i obviously still have trauma from when he was actively in his mess. to deny that addicts have caused others trauma is to be reductive.#addicts can cause trauma because theyre people. and people can cause trauma all the same#but the lack of understand or care or basic respect to anyone dealing with addiction is just. appalling.#im sick and tired of hearing the same old fucking phrase that its the addicts fault cuz they decided to take the first hit. like#man how fucking cruel can you be. how heartless ya know.#like its obvious hardly anyone commenting abiut this knows anything about what being an addict is like. like.#i know i dont. ive been sober my whole life right. i do not have the same experience.#but. i have a compulsive disorder that makes me perform a task that is 1 harmful 2 almost entirely out of my control#and i cannot describe to you how difficult it is to ignore that urge. for your mind to know what youre doing is harmful. but#your body physically is not listening to you.#like. its a different thing when its addiction. but being compelled to do something you know is hurting you isnt unfamiliar to me#plus with addiction the added factor that your body becomes physically dependent on a drug and it hurts you for a long ass time to try and#stop and withdrawl can sometimes literally be lethal. its so fucking sad to see people hold not even. like an ounce of sympathy ya know#if an addict has abused you im not saying you need to forgive them. you dont. but not every addict is youre abuser#and while you do not need to be involved. every addict deserves a good life. everyone deserves a chance.#just. god. makes me mad. makes me upset.#if you are an addict especially if youre not in recovery. i hope your days go well. i hope the world gets kinder to you.
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Omg do you have more cute hcs with the lov and class1a/1b
I dont care how long or short it is, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE READING THEM 💕💕💕💕💖 😊😊
Theyre so comforting <333
YES I HAVE A BUNCH. COME TAKE IT ALL.
Tomura is an expert in video games, right? Well, he's currently working from afar with Hatsume and Melissa to create a VR system to help the kids at UA train.
Everything because the first thing he did when meeting Nezu was telling him the UA system sucked.
No more public exposure, no more simple barriers keeping away the villains from the kids, no more pushing them to dangerous places with no proper supervision.
The new job of the League when it comes to working is the UA is keeping the place as safe as possible and helping the kids recover from the trauma of the war.
Dabi doesn't like working directly with the kids, so his job consist on patrolling around the UA. In case a crisis is reported, he's the first at the place and his job is to keep the crisis on minimum 'til the teachers arrive.
The funniest part is the type of crisis he has solved so far. They include:
Helping people with their crushes because they tried to confess and caused an accident. (Dabi has the fun of his life with it, being honest).
Accidents in the kitchen. (No much he can do except using Shoto as a way of taking down the flames).
Stupid fights (He is banned from helping in those since he cheered for Shoto when he was fistfighting Iida for saying something to Midoriya).
And his favorite: keeping Mineta at bay. Dabi is not the type of gentleman that defends women constantly, because he just doesn't care about helping anyone. But Mineta is a type of gross he would have incinerate in the streets if he was a man and not a kid. So instead, he just walks from a safe distance and keeps scaring the kid when he's about to annoy one of the girls.
Tomura always find Dabi is the halls complaining about the no smoking rule
They make fun of each other a little until they realize they should be working and there are kids staring at them.
Class 1-A talks about Dabi like the older brother who was in jail.
Oh, but Dabi told me...
They are actually well informed about a bunch of stuff and they know how to take care of street criminals better now.
Ah, but they're also the ones who check if he is not drinking too much, if he's having proper rest, if his burns and staples are taken care of, if he's not too anxious or depressed, if hes' taking his meds...
If he's not following one of those, they call Natsuo. Oh man, Natsuo has become the emergency contact of half the League somehow. Maybe because he has a golden heart or maybe because they all are scared of Fuyumi by some weird reason.
Shoto is the other emergency contact when it comes to Dabi, hmmm, but sometimes he just follows Dabi bad example and well.
Dabi is the anti-Santa. He's gonna give you that one gift you wanted but everyone said no because it's dangerous.
"Dabi, I'm trying to make a safer space for the kids" , "Tomura, I'm trying to make them relax".
After getting fired twice by Aizawa, Dabi is finally behaving.
This has nothing to do with the fact that he's finally dating Tomura tho.
WHICH TAKE US TO: SPINNER, THE BROTHER WHO ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGES HIS RESPONSIBILITIES.
Spinner works in the same thing as Dabi, but he's the reliable one.
Getting Uraraka down when she starts floating on her sleep, calming people down when they're having anxiety attacks, noting when someone is having a bad day and requesting the teachers to let the person rest...
Spinner is the one actually helping them with their ptsd. He makes everything so easy and pleasant. It's like they're just kids taking classes and having fun.
Besides, class 1-B knows he is amazing at cuddling and people love his hugs. Just by seeing Spinner, they cheer up.
He and Shinso are responsible for the purple hair tendency among the kids of General Studies. Their heroes.
He's also the one who helps the kids with their training sessions when they need a partner but there's no one else to help them.
He became one of the official bus drivers of the school after taking some lessons and requesting a license.
He sings with them while they travel, he always has snacks in case someone is hungry and he has pills in case someone is motion sick. Well, a bunch of pills since Dabi is always motion sick.
He had a crush on Tomura but he realized it was more platonic than anything.
Now now, Tomura and Spinner have matching gamer tattoos that said Player #1 and Player #2. Dumbasses in action.
If Dabi is the problematic uncle and Spinner is the responsible uncle...
That leave us with: Compress the artistic dad and Kurogiri the dad who's always working far away but you can totally rely on.
THE VIDEO CALLS WITH KUROGIRI AND COMPRESS ARE SO CUTE.
101 Flirting with Compress.
All the kids in all courses have a personalized mask. Compress is addicted to creating them.
His beautiful, mischievous kids that once, trying to distract him, stole his prosthesis and kept it going around the school from room to room.
Turns out it was a surprise party, but man if it was fun because Compress pretended the whole time he was a pirate looking for his long buried treasure.
HE GOT A PARROT AND HE NAMED HIM RED BEAK.
Bakugo almost exploded the whole place after hearing such a ridiculous name.
Well, Red Beak loves making fun of Bakugo, repeating everything he says.
RED BEAK AND KIRISHIMA ARE BESTIES. YES YES.
The Bakusquad would kill for Red Beak.
Sero is teaching him Spanish, Mina is teaching him to dance, Denki is teaching him bad jokes and Jirou is teaching him to sing.
Tokoyami is the official protector of Red Beak. Koda is the translator.
On the other hand, Kurogiri always gives them some honey and other things when he visits the school.
He congratulates them on their achievements, he hears them for hours talking about their adventures and he is the old friend you call when it's 3am, you're feeling bad but you don't want to worry no one else.
If you want to solve a problem, call Kurogiri. He's gonna give you the clues but let you solve it yourself.
The award for the dad with more patience goes to: KUROGIRI.
If you really really need to run away from some hours, he can use his quirk to rescue you and he would prepare some tea for you, wrap you in a soft sweater and walk with you through his yard. You can pick flowers or fruit with him until you calm down. Or you can watch old movies with him. Or bake. Being with him is like floating around in the sky, no worries, just clouds and stars and soft noises and lights.
The school always knows when it happens and they are okay with it. Mostly. Just don't do it too much.
Toga is another good option if you need to talk but you don't know with who.
She's actually a great listener and an expert on making things look less stressing than they are. You see, she pays attention at your triggers and moods and if she sees something is bothering the students, she finds a way to distract them immediately, while letting the teachers deal with the problem.
Ah, the queen of gossip.
If you want to know something about someone you need to pay the prize, tho. And she won't even tell you if she considers the secret must be guarded 'til the grave.
She's the one who takes the messages to the parents because she's fast, can hide at plain sight and doesn't put them in danger.
You never know where Toga is. She someone studies like the rest of them, but she's like, selected to secret missions. She has a lot of info but they all trust her somehow.
Maybe is the fact that she would kill and take a stab for you. And that she would never put Deku or Ochaco in danger. Or her family.
She's also Mineta's biggest nightmare.
Try sexualizing the girl and win a terrifying week, courtesy of Toga Himiko.
She won't let you sleep, she won't let you eat, you're gonna wish you were never born. She can make you feel as sexualized, observed and stalked as you make the girls feel. Oh, she's gonna show you exactly how it feels to be a girl.
Also don't sexualize the boys around her either. Stabby queen is not gentle to those who are not gentle with her friends. Period.
Friendly reminder: 0 stabbing accidents since she started studying at UA.
BECAUSE THEY GAVE HER A RUBBER KNIFE.
And finally, the Tomura headcanons.
He's always falling asleep on odd places. The kids have a new name called "let's put a blanket on Tomura".
And then they call Dabi or Spinner to take him somewhere more comfortable.
He's working so hard. He's really working so hard on redeeming himself, even when everyone has already forgiven him. But he has this fear of being a failure or being too much...
The kids are also well trained on how to help him through his anxiety or panic attacks. Even more, some of them have always a pair of gloves in them just in case.
Momo is more than happy to make him more.
It's kinda sad how much he's suffering even now. That's way they all do their best to let him know his doing great.
Kisses in the cheek, compliments on how he's looking, new products to his hair and skin, playing the games he recommends, telling how badass he is when he trains them...
Somehow being around Tomura has help them realize how important is communicating stuff. They all are way healthier now.
Tomura is just... So sincere. He's been instructed to share his thoughts, because he had a problem before with communicating properly. That means he used to forget saying certain information because it was obvious to him, but not to others.
He doesn't mean to hurt people. He's just saying what he thinks. Which also means he offends a bunch of people not by accident. And he doesn't apologize because he is just doing what he's been told.
Midoriya and Shigaraki's discussions are epic. And so are their fights. Yes, they fight like siblings. Which is crazy funny because they are like "friendly reminder you tried to KILL ME" and "WELL YOU DESERVED THAT FOR BEING A DICK".
They've finally found out that you can complain to him or get a little violent and he's not gonna even blink, just hear you out.
It was because Bakugo got a little violent with him and yeah, he just stared back waiting.
You can't imagine Dabi's anger when Tomura told him about Kotaro. He was frustrated because at least Tomura did step on Endeavor and humiliated him for life, but him? He is angry with a man that's dead and gone.
Okay no, the whole League is angry about the things that has happened to the whole League. That's the thing with finally being able to relax and feel. It all comes back in a flood.
They have prohibited being around school when the parents visit. Specially because they are no very civil to shitty parents.
And if a kid confess about having shitty parents, oh boy. The League is gonna BE PISSED.
The UA is still a total chaos, but now in the right ways. They have more normal problems, they don't have to win war and kill evil lords, they complain about not having money to go out and forgetting their homework. And the ex-villians can complain about life being boring a needing more action.
That's a good thing. That means they all are healing, together.
They're gonna be fine.
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flowerslightning · 4 years
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Have you heard about PFA and MFA?
or the full name is ‘Psychological First Aid’ (PFA) and ‘Mental Health First Aid’ (MFA)
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Can we relate it with Cloud Strife? As we all know, Cloud had mental illness and was struggling alone. Let’s take a quick look on this topic then and see if characters in FF7 ever give PFA/MFA to Cloud or to each other. This is going to be a looooong post although I tried to simplified it, so, yeah. Good luck reading this !
Disclaimer : I’m not a psychologist. I’m still a student and psych is not my major field. During my intern, other than we got exposed a lot about psychiatric disorders and ways to deal with them, we also got trained psychological first aid in emergency department. If it wasnt because of this quarantine, i would have finished my training in emergency field. There might be false interpretation here or there, forgive me for that and pls correct any mistake in this post
This will probably trigger LTD. Sorry, but I had to, Pls read this post with open mind. Keep in mind I like both Tifa and Aerith, i have no grudges agaisnt Barret, Vincent, Nanaki or Cid so I am not being bias with any of them. I forgot a lot of stuff in OG (I played it when I was really really small), so I will be using lots FF7R and AC references here (and a bit from OG, depends whatever I remember)
Good to go? Allow me to rant. Read it slowly and if u skip some of it, u’ll probably mislead my actual words, and u’ll be triggered af. Don’t come at me with madness if u dont read the whole post properly
What is PFA and MFA? Generally speaking, if Basic First Aid is about covering the wound to prevent further bleeding, then PFA (Psychological First Aid) and MFA (Mental Health First Aid) is like applying a bandage on ur mental to avoid u continue being distress. 
Usually, PFA is often associated with disaster event or terrorism, where large number of people got affected. Meanwhile, MFA focus in one person who is developing mental health prob or already in mental crisis due to certain traumas, such as vehicle accident, house burned and etc
 Pls note that, certain people NEED MFA while the others may NOT NEED it. It is important to respect their needs/wants. Some victims may refuse verbally but they ACTUALLY NEED it (CLOUD STRIFE) and maybe some victims look like they dont need it, but they want it, and its super fine to give it
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PFA/MFA not only done by the professionals and it is not a professional counselling, although necessarily training is needed if u want to approach deeper in this field. PFA/MFA is also not a psychological ‘debriefing’ - in which MFA/PFA doesnt need to involve a detailed discussion of the trauma event with the victim, but instead, it is an alternative way to psychological debriefing that helps for long-term recovery. (unless if ure a pscyhiatrist, then u have to forget about MFA and ask detailed questions regarding the events to help the patient to recover)
MFA and PFA both almost the same, but I will mention more about MFA here.
MFA (Mental Health First Aid) is not just about comforting “Oh, are u alright. I’m sorry for what u’ve been through”, but it is also about assessing their needs and concerns, protecting them from harm, provide practical support and support them feeling able to help themselves and others.
The main key for these two term is RESPECT - respect victim’s dignity, respect both parties safety and respect victim’s rights to make decision. Even without the PFA, we should respect these three in whatever circumstance we are in. 
A lot of us honestly were born with natural skill of MFA bcause of our own empathy, instinct or experiences and some got trained professionally. Some of them already had MFA due to high common senses they have.  
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Some of the Do’s and Dont’s when giving MFA include;
Do’s : 1. Be trustworthy | 2. Respect their decision | 3. Be aware of and set aside ur bias | 4. Make it clear to them u are available for help even they push u away | 5. Respect their privacy and personal space | 6. Do remain calm and soft when the person in distress | 7. Listen and don’t interrupt their talking | 8. Help in terms of basic needs | 9. Create connection the person with others | 10. Give hope to them | 11. Provide private place to talk about the event | 12. Respect their strenght | 13. Advice small necessary matters or give simple words of encouragement | 14. Acknowledge positive features of what victims have done
Dont’s : 1. Rush in whatever the thing theyre doing with u | 2. Be dismissive | 3. Make promises u know can’t keep | 3. Ask anything in return for helping them | 4. Exaggerate ur skills | 5. Force help on people, being pushy | 6. Pressure them to tell their story | 7. Judge that person | 8. Put the person in risk of harm as result of ur actions | 8. Force them to accept ur idea/Listening to ur rant | 9. Talk rough | 10. Being bias with the people | 11. Touching that person too much | 12. Talk with the person in negative terms | 13. Abandon the person’s feeling
To simplify, there are 3 ways for MFA to begin, and I will only talk about one of them, the one that is the hardest to do, that is when u notice someone looks distressed and ure concern about them, and leading u to approach them first without them noticing ur concern. [Am I putting the right words here?]
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In Cloud’s case, who do u think the first noticed Cloud behaved oddly and went to help him first ? - yeah Tifa. U probably would say “OFC she went to help him, she met him first at the train station. That guy looked sick af, who wouldnt ask if he was alright. If Aerith/Yuffie/Jessie met him first, they would do the same”. Okay guys, that was not my point. 
Let’s focus one by one characters and see what Do’s and Dont’s MFA (Mental Health First Aid) they’ve done to Cloud and other charas. Keep in mind, none of them know what Cloud had gone through, but Cloud had showed some obvious sign he was unwell and only a few of them noticed that and took action for it. 
The symbol [X] means the Dont’s in MFA and ( ✔) means the Do’s in MFA.
Biggs Jessie Wedge -
I know there’s a thing about man helping man’s psychology and Jessie being flirty with a guy.They [X] thought Cloud was like how they saw Cloud. and they considered it as normal. They didnt see Cloud under distress so they dont have the need to concern his mental status. The good thing about them was, the three of them (✔) respect Cloud’s strenght, giving Cloud the confident to be in action. But, Jessie [X] had zero respect on Cloud’s personal space
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I wanna highlight about Biggs. Biggs had an attitude of overthinking stuff, but it wasnt so bad that would cause him harm, he just cared too much about his friends. So I believe Biggs was the type that would notice immediately when his friend being strange and would give MFA (Mental Health First Aid) with his own instinct even without the person asking it.
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During the Sector 7 Plate attack, where Biggs was severely injured, when Cloud said he was not a fan of kids and Biggs said Cloud had so much in common (in common of what? Cloud with the kids or Cloud with him?), Cloud gave him ‘a sad look’ and Biggs reached out his hand to Cloud’s head. Biggs (✔) remain calm and soft when dealing with Cloud’s feeling (who faced traumatic event but Biggs didnt know about it) on that moment despite his current physical status. And also he (✔) wished goodluck to Cloud, leading to prevention distress on Cloud
Marle -
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Marle [X] judged Cloud for someone who had no skills, but she entrusted Cloud to take care of Tifa’s well being. Not knowing who Cloud was, Marle noticed Cloud looked glum, she (✔) offered her ear for Cloud to rant and knew right away he was not having enough sleep, then (✔) advising him to sleep more . Lol, she was [X] biased with Cloud and Tifa. Not her fault, she only knew Tifa’s story, not Cloud’s. After the Sector 7 plate fall, we saw her being the most active member to help with the remaining citizens there. Marle without a doubt had given the citizens there PFA (Psychological First Aid) , by helping them with their (✔) basic needs, (✔) create connections, (✔) put away bias, (✔) remain calm and soft. 
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Barret Wallace -
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Barret was the same like Biggs Jessie Wedge. I’m sure Barret thought Cloud was just fine. Barret saw Cloud as a mercenary with stinky attitude,[X] judging him like that causing Barret to gave him the same attitude too. But overall, he (✔) respected Cloud’s strength a lot
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However, after the Sector 7 plate fall, Tifa and Barret were the one that hurt (mentally) the most, Tifa as usual locking her emotions, there we could see how Barret comforting Tifa by (✔) giving words of encouragement and proceed on (✔) hugging her to show his empathy. Barret also (✔) remain calm and soft spoken when talking to the survival victims of Sector 7 citizens. He also (✔) acknowledged what the citizens had done to survive
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Vincent Valentine - 
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Don’t be surprise Vincent was listed here. This guy here was like another version of Cloud but more mature. In addiction, they both kinda share the same pain. So, I personally think Vincent understands Cloud pretty well. In AC, where Cloud was mentally ill, Vincent saved Cloud from Kadaj and brothers and (✔) took him to safer place. That was a common thing to do. But let’s go deeper, Cloud never told him about himself, but Vincent already  (✔) aware of Cloud’s trouble with the geostigma stuff and Cloud’s current mental status. Vincent, (✔) calm and soft like always (✔) didnt hesitate to asked if all of these were just about ‘fighting’ and it made Cloud to ‘re-think’ further about his problem. He (✔) didnt pressure Cloud here, instead he was (✔) helping Cloud to understand the condition he was facing, and this lead Cloud to avoid distress.
Aerith Gainsborough -
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I know Aerith was special. She was an important character and devs created her to be ‘loved’ by the fans so that her death would be tragic. Aerith did almost all the things that shouldnt be done when giving MFA to mentally ill person. Some of u may say “Duh, Aerith didnt know anything about Cloud thus she had no intentions of giving him MFA”. Yup, ure right. Aerith didnt know about Cloud’s mental status but so as all the other characters in the series. 
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Aerith was [X] being pushy with Cloud, in lots of ways, from making him as a bodyguard for free to forcing him to wear a dress. She [X] forced Cloud to accept her idea about meeting Andrea, dance and gown. She also [X] forced Cloud to help picking the flowers. Aerith [X] didn’t let Cloud to have his own decision [X] neither giving him a chance to talk,  and [X] abandon his feelings (cough..uhm, Aerith resolution). She also had [X] no respect on Cloud’s personal space and [X] too much touching and leaning to him. Aerith also [X] put herself in danger and that worried Cloud.  She [X] looked down on Cloud in someways too
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However, at the Sector 5 slum, where the hooded man appeared, Aerith noticed Cloud was having trouble with himself, she (✔) encouraged Cloud to keep himself together. Also, throughout the entire game, Aerith always remind the team to (✔) have hope in everything. Her positive vibrant attitude was what (✔) made everyone able to believe in themselves. She also (✔) ensure Marlene’s safety and protected her. She was able to (✔) remain soft and calm when approaching Marlene. Remember Betty? Aerith took her time to helped her out and she even (✔) respected the little girl’s strength, (✔)slow and steady when saving her and (✔)soft spoken
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Tifa Lockhart -
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Tifa met Cloud at the train station, saw him being ‘not-so-fine’ state despite Cloud claiming he was completely okay. Tifa didn’t know what Cloud had gone through and  she (✔) didn’t pressure him to talk about it. She even helped him to (✔) find a place to sleep even when Cloud never asked for it. Tifa unconsciously was the first person to give Cloud MFA without knowing what Cloud had faced previously. And Cloud, on that moment, he really needed a help. Tifa also (✔) stated that if Cloud need anything, she would help him with it
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Tifa (✔) remain calm everytime Cloud had sudden headache, she didn’t leave him alone and (✔) didnt put any pressure on him by asking question. During the (✔) Alone At Last, they had privacy Tifa asked about what happened after he left Nibelheim. She (✔) listened and didnt interrupt him, (✔) neither pushing him to talk more. Moreover, Tifa (✔) put a distance with Cloud, dunno if she was the one who was being uncomfortable or she actually (✔) respect Cloud’s personal space and privacy. Tifa (✔) didn’t force him to stay at Midgar, she asked him and was glad Cloud would stay for a while. Tifa was no doubt (✔) respect all Cloud’s decisions too. Also, don’t forget, Tifa also helped Cloud to help (✔) make ‘close connection’ with the Avalanche members and people in Sector 7 slums. She also (✔) didn’t do much touching with Cloud (Well, I mean, she didnt touch him in clingy way)
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In AC, Tifa (✔) encouraged Cloud to have hope for Geostigma and the family
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Tifa did [X] put herself in danger by becoming Corneos bride participant and that gave Cloud trouble (but Tifa ensured him she would be fine on her own previously) And btw, in OG, I read about the fans questioning why Tifa [X] didnt tell Cloud the truth. I would like to argue this matter. TIFA IS A CHARACTER WITH REAL HUMAN FLAWS, she too had her own traumatic event and was not really sure of herself on what to do. However, considering what Tifa had done for him, Tifa had helped with Cloud’s psychology the most.
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I know Cloud was putting up a font, and that made him to have condescending attitude, and people couldnt see what Cloud was hiding behind the the bravery face. However, all of us as fans acknowledged the pain Cloud was suffering in the entire FF7 story. Some of the characters like Tifa, Marle, Vincent, Biggs noticed it and they took actions for it, while others, I do personally thing, they were hurting the Real Cloud’s mentality more. 
Long story short, Tifa was the one who gave mental health support the most to Cloud, followed by Vincent (AC), Biggs and Marle. Aerith did the worst with Real Cloud's mentality + she then died, mking Cloud be more miserable,
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However, Aerith actually had the best way to give MFA/PFA to children, but maybe the worst to Cloud. While Tifa gave the best MFA to Cloud which helped him to get himself together through out the entire time
Alright thats the end of my talk. Thank you for being with meee
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viktorfm · 4 years
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(MAXENCE DANET-FAUVEL, NONBINARY) - Have you seen VIKTOR SAMUELS? VIKTOR is in HIS/THEIR SENIOR year. The VISUAL ARTS MAJOR is 24 years old & is a CAPRICORN. People say HE/THEY are OBSERVANT, INGENIOUS, RETICENT and DEPENDENT. Rumors say they’re a member of KINCAID. I heard from the gossip blog that THEY'RE HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH THEIR THERAPIST. (JAMES. 21. EST. THEY/THEM.)
dont. look at me. i know. anyways if it wasnt obvs i abandoned cupid (n darrow) in order 2 bring the two ocs tht he ws inspired by n ws a combination of bt. theyre better as different ppl methinks.
DEATH, HEAVY GRIEF, OVERDOSE / DRUG ADDICTION, HOSPITALIZATION, HYPERSEXUALITY, RELIGION MENTIONS TW
aesthetic.
old tvs and their static, worn tapes, horror movie screams, spilled ink, a sculptor’s hands, clay-stained, chicken scratch handwriting, messy notes, messy hair, scoffs and eye-rolls, bruised knuckles, sore throats, funeral homes and a crying preacher, shattered ceramics, knife fights, high ledges, vertically-striped pants, red lights, the moon shrouded in clouds, cigarette butts, graveyards and half-empty wine bottles, sitting there for hours and talking to nothing, about nothing, a god complex, gold rings adorning both hands, barbwire baseball bats, having never played baseball in your life, deep eyebags and broken mirrors, a permanent chip on one’s shoulder, yearning, longing, wishing.
basics.
full name: viktor phillip samuels
nickname(s): icky vicky :/
b.o.d. - january 2nd, 1996
label(s): the black hole, the crepehanger, the impious, the opaque, the tempest, etc.
height: 6′1″
hometown: preaker, vermont
sexuality: pansexual uwu
pinterest
stats
favorite song: disorder, joy division / it’s getting faster, moving faster / now it’s getting out of hand / on the tenth floor, down the back stairs / it’s a no man’s land / lights are flashing, cars are crashing / getting frequent now / i’ve got the spirit, lose the feeling / let it out somehow
background.
born to mama and papa (preacher) samuels in preaker, vermont - fifteen minutes after his twin sister, tatiana samuels. years later, rosa samuels joined the gang.
was an awkward, quiet kid growing up, he didn’t interact well with others and preferred being left alone to dig up worms and draw on the walls of their childhood home. the only exception was his twin, really.
as he got older he grew out of this, but instead became like … sort of an asshole? maybe to compensate for years of childhood awkwardness. he’s the sort of person who will bite the hand that feeds him & developed into a full time nuisance by middle school, unlike tatiana who was much more subtle about her conniving manners.
always has been a fan of ‘darker’ materials. grim & creepy morbid shit. probably the biggest tim burton fan, ever since he was a kid … not a good look for a preacher’s son, but he never really felt ‘in’ with the rest of his family to begin with. classic black sheep syndrome.
drew disturbing pictures as a kid that probably prompted one or two or five phone calls home to assure everything was fine.
just really had a knack for art at a young age, from drawing to painting to playing with clay. it’s always been his thing and probably is the only thing he’s good at.
being twins with tatiana was hard. they were near opposite besides both being quite mean-spirited. tatiana handled being in public better, left a better image behind - but viktor had talent, more than she did. they loved each other deeply - y’know, those unbreakable twin bonds as cliche as it sounds - but found each other as competition for their parents’ attention. a rivalry for affection.
in high school is when viktor really started to act out. it started extreme, like losing his virginity in their church and vandalism around the neighborhoods. faked being possessed in the middle of sunday service & almost had an exorcism performed on him.
his only redeemable trait was like … just his sheer talent in the arts. was in a 3d art ap course and specialized in sculptures. he could pretty much create anything he wanted with enough dedication.
because he was the problem child, the one who deserved to be disciplined for all his antics, tatiana could sneak away and get away with whatever she wanted much easier. on the bright-side, for her, i guess.
not a very motivated person - wasn’t planning on going to college, much less going to yates but his parents literally wrote & sent his college application for him because they weren’t going to house a deadbeat but had too much heart to kick him out onto the streets. cool!
he’s actually pretty smart but he just doesn’t apply himself. has a minor in english because he didn’t care for an extra course-load, but he’s good at writing & analyzing literature. is going to use it to write and illustrate his own series of children books with a style similar to tim burton’s. not for the kids, but because he likes to leave a trail of terror in whatever he does.
has been experimenting with himself since high school but college is where he really had started to crack down on himself. was out as pansexual & nonbinary by his sophomore year of college just … not to his parents, who don’t really need to know.
if you asked him if he believed in twins having a psychic connection with each other - he’d tell you he wouldn’t know. it felt believable at times, but sometimes he had no idea what was going on inside of tatiana’as head. on the other hand - viktor had always felt oddly transparent to her, like she knew all of his moves before he did. the only person who could predict him accurately.
( tw death, grief, overdose / hospitalization beyond this point )
when tatiana disappeared, viktor knew something was up. it was a twist in his gut, pure instinct that something wasn’t right. and it wasn’t right - and when she was proclaimed missing, they couldn’t find her.
and when tatiana died - viktor knew. it felt wrong, something cut so severely in him he could pinpoint her death to the second. he didn’t know how, or why, but he knew it. knew it before anybody else had.
afterwards he went on a sort of bender. he’d begun to struggle with a mild drug addiction late senior year of high school / early college, but he was managing it up until this point.
his mental health had also sunk to an all-time low, when it’d never been great to begin with. (manic & depressive episodes. once fixated on a sculpting project for six months and then knocked it off the table and destroyed it as soon as he finished it for no apparent reason.)
tatiana’s body wasn’t found immediately, and when it was … viktor went off the rails. ended up overdosing & being hospitalized. spent six months in & out of psychiatric care after that.
came back to yates to finish his senior year because … for the reasons above, he hadn’t been able to complete it. just wants to get his credits and get out of here.
is still dealing with a lot of trauma & grief - causes him to spiral and be unpredictable in regards of his mental health. he stopped taking his medication, so. :/ some days are alright, other days are pretty bad.
personality & facts.
the human embodiment of a gremlin that was fed after midnight. a goblin, if you will. one of those cats with a narrow head and really big ears … that’s them!
a big horror & halloween enthusiast. loves the old campy horror movies & probably has an abundance of masks from different movies. dresses like a grimy millennial beetlejuice more than they should because they just … love those black & white vertical-striped pants.
can appreciate the ~urban legends~ at yates and likes to feed into the fear that surrounds them. is probably the cause of a few ‘anomalies’ and ‘paranormal sightings’ because they’re just … a jerk.
fashion alternates between e-boy (they would be tiktok famous if they were 17 & didn’t think that a majorly minor based app was weird.), millennial beetlejuice, and goth in a crop top & sweatpants. big fan of crop tops and a big fan of sweatpants.
they can be really fucking mean? petty, aggressive, a major instigator. will literally spit in your face for little to no reason, you could just look at them the wrong way. the kind of person who will stick their gum into someone else’s hair. other than that? they’re like … sort of okay. they’re not always mean, just a dick about 90% of the time lmao
like okay yeah they’ll call someone a stinky bitch for no reason except they feel like it and believes it. it’s fine, they’re fine, we’re fine.
despite the fact that they’re probably getting into a fight whenever, considers themself to be a lover and not a fighter but that’a primarily because they fuck a lot. uses it as a coping mechanism, like they’re this big fancy carnival show that’s like ‘come one, come all! fuck the dead girl’s twin brother!’ and it’s … a lot. might have a problem with hypsersexuality but they’re not fully aware of it.
the preacher’s whore son, basically :)
pansexual & nonbinary, switches between he & they pronouns often and without a pattern, but they have such a fragile grip on their identity that you could call them ‘dog-faced bitch’ and they’d turn around like. sup.
vastly impulsive … like i said, they destroy their own creations for the fun of it. spends all their money on useless shit, will cheat on someone because they feel like it & likes the thrill, screams into the night sky frequently like a cat in heat.
will also spend months creating useless shit for no reason too. spent six of them sculpting a hollowed out tree the size of them & then took a sledgehammer to it.
they’re very super dramatic. would play the organ at church when nobody was looking after them and service was about to start. would just churn out these super haunting, creepy melodies like they were phantom of the opera. would do the same exact thing at home on their keyboard with the pipe organ setting whenever they got grounded until their parents took it away hbdsjfngkh
will absolutely not talk about their ‘time away’ because it’s not anyone’s business, not even their own younger sister. still refuses to talk about tatiana’s death, or their mental health, or their addiction (fallen back into it but it hasn’t gotten severe … yet :/), or anything involving their own emotions.
will just change the topic abruptly, no warning. asks about the jonas brothers instead and they fucking hate the jonas brothers.
that being said they’re absolutely not over tatiana’s death & it’s to the point of obsession over it. like there’s some kind of secret that needs to be uncovered, even though there just. isn’t. tatiana was their rock and they were pretty much dependent on her. kept them grounded. could control them when nobody else could, got into their head easier than others. it’s sort of like rosa lost two siblings that day because viktor hasn’t been the same since.
emotionally unavailable while also crying twice a day. cries during their brawls but still wins. is stony-faced when they tell you they cheated on you with your much hotter best friend.
will tell you straight up what they want from you, no bullshit & no beating around the bush. just blunt. if they want to fuck, nothing else, then that’s it. if they feel deviation or developing feelings then they’ll ghost in less than a second. is awful like that but feels no shame.
but also emotional as shit and it’s confusing. will cry on a whim and then flip you off if you try to console them or ask them what’s up. will bite you.
they go to therapy but they just fuck around and wastes their therapists’ time … also is fucking their therapist, but that’s neither here nor there. so they’re not really getting the help they need.
likes to be intimidating but not … with their body or anything because they’re a twig but uses their love & knowledge of horror and creepy shit to their advantage. has an abundance of fake blood. has channeled the energy of jack nicholson and used it on tatiana’s boyfriends before (also is a big fan of sfx makeup & has dabbled in it)
probably chases kids around with a chainsaw without the chain on halloween every year.
generally never doing good, both mental health wise & morally. would probably steal candy from a baby for funsies.
i don’t know if there’s a good to them somewhere deep down, but they don’t see any issues with themself either. nothing really breaks through to them anymore because the only person who ever made them stop and think about their actions was tatiana, and well, y’know. :/
an introverted reclusive type who doesn’t like most people or going out, but does so anyway if it means a quick high & a cheap thrill.
pretty observant and likes to analyze people even though they’re often like … partially wrong. judgmental because they like to make people feel bad, not because they’re a righteous mighty person. because they’re not. so like, a hypocrite!
wanted connections.
religious trauma? oh worm ;; three cheers fr <3 guilt <3 anyways uh. just people tht viktor hs known thru the church in some way even tho hes a fkn. freak now. maybe even family friends. 
the horror of our love :/ ;; hmm. any romance tht cld b toxic i think this cld fit. just rly a bad fit. viktor doesnt rly know hw to love so nothing rly lasts bt. maybe they try n try n nothing works bt they keep trying. cld also just be anything unrequited.
little fkn gremlins ;; theyre all evil n mean. bt theyre all friends. <3 
you are nothing ;; uuh. enemy plots. spicy enemies. rly bad enemies. rivals. they r brutal towards each other bcos nothing viktor does is ever soft.
fuck u dont pity me ;; uh. people who try to get close to viktor n he just. bites at them. he’s like no. bc he assumes ppl who r kind in response 2 his vileness r. theres smth wrong w them. n it might hv to do with pity. n he hates pity.
ugh. locals x ;; ppl who also grew up around preaker, vermont. the samuels r <3 well known folks n the uh. hm. the murder is an ongoing case. so they cld know abt it <3
dont tell anybody x ;; this is for soft plots. i dont know much about soft plots but. 
maybe i am part of the problem ;; the problem is chlamydiagate. this is a hook-ups connection. fwbs n one night stands. ppl viktor hs brutally ghosted. he doesnt acknowledge their existence outside of these events, perhaps. 
dont u just wna go apeshit ;; this is where viktor becomes a bad influence.
bt uh. anything. pelase
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sortagaysortahigh · 2 years
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hi lex i just wanna say an unpopular euphoria opinion that i have and like see u unpack it: so i didn’t actually watch the special episodes and up until i saw a clip from it i loved ali and thought rue was dead wrong for what she said to him. but after i saw a clip of him telling rue that he hit the mother of his children in the face during a fight my thoughts kind of changed because yes, ali recognizes his mistakes and he’s trying to better himself for his family and he’s trying to help rue as well. that being said, he did still hit his wife in front of his two children, a woman who was probably raising those two children by herself (and is rn too!) cause of his addiction. and yeah addiction is a disease but he still chose to be a husband/father and let them down. and if he can get high and hit his wife and everyone blows past it why can’t rue get high and talk shit? also, i dont wanna compare nate and ali because i feel like nate has done more fucked up shit plus comparing a rich privileged white man to a black man with an addiction just feels very wrong BUT nate choked maddy. ali hit his wife. i know they’re all not supposed to be perfect but i find it weird that people forget about it. i’m not saying u specifically!! i just wanted to share cause i feel like the general consensus is that people love him and never ever talk about his flaws. (again, not u specifically)💞
Omg no bc i had this exact convo w my friend ab the show as well and i think the key element that you emphasized that we talked ab is that ali is a recovering addict and his actions done while being an addict were fucking horrible and yeah hes getting better but he shouldnt be forgiven for that specifically bc beating on your wife and being a deadbeat bc you need a fix isnt any type of excuse. Howevrr i think what bothered me the most (being the scene of rue being a cunt to ali) is that from what we’ve seen ali puts up w rue’s shit bc hes trying to stop her from slipping into the same path that he was in, and hes trying to get her to understand that addiction destroys your fuckin life and turns you into a piece of shit which he’s a living example of and now that he’s been sober he recognizes the shit he did was wrong and he doesnt ask for forgiveness but he does ask for a sense of confidentiality and understanding that yes he fucked up but thats not some shit you throw into someones face when theyre telling you that this is the path youre about to end up on if you dont tighten the fuck up. Rue really pissed me off bc i found the scene relatable in a sense that i have family members and friends that were addicts and are recovering and while they can sit and admit they fucked up-they use their fuck ups to lead other people and to guide them towards a better lifestyle or a better path and its like rue shits on ali constantly for sobering up but she would still shit on him if he was a wifebeating crackhead. She pissed a lot of ppl off bc its not her experience to speak on and she has no right to throw that in his face especially after hes done a lot for her ass when he didnt have to.
Now w the nate jacobs comparison i def see where youre coming from in the sense that both of these men have done abusive things but i think the key difference is sobriety and the impact of hard drugs on someone’s mind and thought process. Ali was abusive and a piece of shit bc he was a strung out crackhead who didnt know right from wrong anymore bc his sense of right was getting high and being left the fuck alone. Nate jacobs’ sober ass is a psychotic abusive asshole who fixates on wanting the perfect woman and when he cant get that he basically resorts to manipulation and abuse bc of his projected childhood traumas.
I cant say that i think Ali is a bad person, i think hes somewhere in the grey area between good and bad, but i can say that nate jacobs is def a bad person
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plsstopfollowingme · 2 years
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Ahahahaha the fact that Seamus posted this lmfaoo the amount of times I’ve worked with him and Chris or even the owner of one of the companies I work for has come out of nowhere and started fckn talking about the new music theyre dropping or a secret set he’s playing😭
*Ramble, feel free to keep scrolling.*
Everyone has a specific roll in a festival..or even event operations/management in general. Once you get into your position, it takes probably 2 years to leave/advance. And you really only have 3 options on how to reputably do so.
Unless you learn a new skillset — [event ops -> dj/spit -> solo/SYO shows -> getting your name recognized in the scene as a second position -> actually getting good at your shit -> then, maybe, you can put in a resume to apply to preform (depending on show numbers)] which takes a minimum of two years.
Or
You get yourself contracted to different positions/companies in the same/similar field, like I’ve been doing for the past year. My situations a little different — I have no intention or interest on being in the scene/on stages. I’d much rather management over specific department(s) (hence box office management) and work in ADA/artist transportation. *or* completely work for myself as 100% 1040/C everything under my own company and be able to play with flow props while I do 1040.
Even though I’ve literally never picked up a flow prop except a weighted hoops and Lyra hoops. And for the 1000th time to anyone who asks me next — no, the burn scar on my hand is not from a fire prop — it is from the toaster oven.
*Or*
Which, unfortunately, happens to most..because addiction, mental health and being around this type of high-stress environment, where substances and substance abuse is prominent, could take a lot out of a person. Even if you’re not the type of person who dabbles in substances/is disgusted by the simple thought of it. I’m not excusing any behaviors and I am not speaking for anyone else.
However, the single year I’ve spent in this high stressed, unconventional, work-environment.. I can very easily see and understand how simple it may seem for some people to say ‘fuck it’ and choose drugs and partying over making a name for yourself/starting a career in this environment.
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Friendly reminder that the music scene is not what I want to do with my life but rather a tool I’ve used to travel to some really incredible places for weeks on end for damn near close to zero expenses, build my knowledge of behind the scenes event management, meet some incredible people, make friends and enjoy my 20s because two years ago I realized I’ve focused my entire childhood and teenage years on worrying about my family and friends’ well-being and I spent 9 years in relationships with 2 people.
I had my childhood ripped away from me and I spent my entire adolescence trying to repair/fill a void caused by trauma. Which I’ve also learned is a very normal reaction to being raped by someone who was supposed to be your protector at a young age. But I’ll be damned for life if I let that shit continue to eat at me.
^ I could be drinking and doing drugs. But I’m not. I’m working, traveling and actually learning how to enjoy myself, making friends, and I’m.. actually happy.
Thank you tumblr for letting me pointlessly rant on one of my many voidump blogs while all of my friends are at work/asleep/waiting to go to work. It’s been real, it’s been fun. I’m off to go get ready for brunch in the city for 11:30, Happy Friday❤️💚
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apsbicepstraining · 7 years
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Peru’s ayahuasca industry thunders as westerners search for alternative healing
Every year thousands of tourists leader to the Peruvian Amazon to take the plant medicine ayahuasca. But what does the powerful guzzle actually do, and what do local shaman think up the rise in its notoriety?
Imagine youre in a simple wooden house in the outskirts of Iquitos, the largest municipality in the Peruvian Amazon, and drinking a bitter, dark dark-brown liquid. The lightings go over. Half an hour later the most extraordinary eyesights begin.
Fast forward four hours and its all over. Youve received Christ and Buddha, and youve nearly been moved to snaps by the charms of curandero ( healer) Juan Tangoa Paima and all the deep-throat upchuck youve been doing in his garden.
Ayahuasca is made from an Amazonian vine known as Banisteriopsis caapi( and usually at the least one other bush ). Photograph: Emilie Lescale
That was my first experience, in 2005, of what has come to be known internationally as ayahuasca. Made from a mix of an Amazonian vine known as Banisteriopsis caapi and usually at least one other flora( in Peru chiefly chacruna ), ayahuasca is a plant drug that has been used in the Amazon for centuries for mending and spiritual purposes.
Its about connecting to the natural environment, says Romulo Sinuiri Ochavano, a Shipibo curandero who sucks ayahuasca to communicate with the character world and understand his patients illnesses. Its one technique for us. Its the same as a medical doctor in a clinic with gear that permits him to see if someones ill. Wheres the illness? The curandero checks which bushes are good for antidote that person.
Ayahuasca being brewed over a grove flaming. Photograph: Emilie Lescale
Traditional use involves merely the curanderos booze, according to Luis Eduardo Luna, a Colombian anthropologist and ayahuasca researcher. He says it has mainly been used for divination, such as diagnosing psychosomatic or ethno-specific illnesses with no western equivalent, or for acquiring contact with the flavour world.
The manifestation[ of the psychosomatic illness] may be you lose your articulation or have a physical trouble, or in children through diarrhoea and vomiting, says Luna. Or somebody who has very bad luck in love or business they would go to a curandero who will take the ayahuasca, give the patient ritual tubs and vitality, and protect them.
A area is prepared for a group to drink ayahuasca at the Temple of the Way of Light
Over the last 25 years ayahuasca has exited world, with thousands of beings understand better it, and boozing it too. Curanderos are travelling abroad and ayahuasca is being exported very. In Peru, major centres include the Cusco region and the cities of Pucallpa and Tarapoto, but it is Iquitos that captivates most sake. Every year thousands descend on the city, where centres offering ayahuasca have bounced up in the enclose forest, while hostels offering jungle tours or quality tours include ayahuasca as well. The majority of guests are foreigners.
Estimates of the number of centres in the Iquitos region offering ayahuasca diversify from 30 to 100. Then “theres” jungle hostels and the curanderos living in the city, like Juan Tangoa Paima, and encircling villages. The latter gratify chiefly for neighbourhoods, though tourists can seek them out too.
Temple of the Way of Light ayahuasca centre, two hours from Iquitos. Local Shipibo welcome guests
Why are so many immigrants, especially westerners, coming to Iquitos to suck ayahuasca? Some are striving healing: for sadnes, alcohol-related issues, tobacco and drug addictions, arthritis, diabetes, disease of the skin, cancer and more.
Most of the therapy were carrying out is for trauma, says Matthew Watherston, founder of the Temple of the Way of Light, a centre two hours from Iquitos. The drive is often the crises that beings appear in day-to-day life, certified on a psychological, psychological or physical height. Ultimately, these are all symptoms; the origin, normally, comes from an energetic imbalance or disorder.
Temple of the Way of Light
Others drink ayahuasca because theyre curious and want to learn about it, or theyre looking for a brand-new tendency in life. Then “theres” those who, captivated by the often extraordinary visions, think its another tourist activity or recreational medicine. Thats an idea many experienced with ayahuasca vehemently dismiss.
If anyone thinks its in the same category as a sail, well, the first beverage would promptly change their heads, says Peter Gorman, a correspondent offering expeditions into the forest that include swimming with dolphins, foraging for wild food, hiking and ayahuasca. Its very serious remedy; very profound, very quick.
Unlike western medication, ayahuascas makes no distinction between thinker and person Photograph: PR
Those after only a high arent welcome at some cores. Omar Gomez, from the Rainforest Healing Center, told me that he swerves away 60% of potential visitors: either because they have difficulties that ayahuasca doesnt mix with( such as schizophrenia) or because theyre not sufficiently serious about it.
We do an intense screening process to make sure we dont have any psychedelic tourists, says Gomez. Right now the ayahuasca industry is booming. But we want to made to ensure that the people who come are parties that have a strong purpose and are looking forward to heal.
Indigenous Shipibo at the Temple of the Way of Light
Fundamental to ayahuascas plea is that, unlike western remedy, it is believed to address the true causes of illness and makes no distinction between psyche and person. Ayahuasca practitioners recognize the physical manifestation of some mental, psychological, mental or energetic disorder.
Reports of success are common, particularly with depression, trauma and addictions. Brendan, a former US marine, was overweight and suffered by radiation poisoning, hypothyroidism, and nerve damage caused to his left leg after a education coincidence, and massive remorse after not serving in Iraq. But 12 days at the Temple transformed their own lives; it get him off the oxycontin and other prescription he had been taking daily for years. He says he lost more than 45 kg, his thyroid gland now serves commonly, and he is fully mended from the radiation.
When I left the Temple I went to a Veterans Affairs hospital in the US and had blood tests; everything was running normally, something they said is not feasible, says Brendan, who now lives in Iquitos and has opened his own centre, The Sanctuary of Renana, offering free care to other veterans. My doctor almost scorned me when I told him I was coming out here but when he saw the results of the tests he grew fascinated.
In 2013, the International Centre for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service( ICEERS) issued a report on ayahuasca went on to say that clinical tribulations evidenced it to be physiologically very safe. One of research reports signatories was Jordi Riba, a Spanish pharmacologist who has researched ayahuasca for years.
Theres preliminary evidence that it has the potential to change life positions for the better in situations of drug addiction, depression and damage, says Riba, currently involved with a landmark study by ICEERS analyse the impacts of medication on visitors to the Temple.
The an opportunity for drinking ayahuasca in and around Iquitos( in terms of rates and bundles) diversify profoundly. The Temple furnishes nine-day, 12 -day, three-week and month-long recedes, mainly for big groups, with costs ranging from $2,000 to $3,300 per person, while the Rainforest Healing Center, approximately two hours from Iquitos, offers seven- and 10 -day withdraws for small groups expensing $995 and $1,495 per person respectively.
The admission to the Sachamama Botanical Garden, run by Francisco Montes Shuna. Picture: David Hill
Then there are options such as the Sachamama Botanical Garden, 90 minutes from Iquitos, where one weeks stay and three ceremonies costs $650, or they are able to drop in for a ritual and thrash out world prices when you arrive. In additive, there are currently curanderos such as Paima, who I paid 40 Peruvian soles ($ 12) for one ceremony in 2005 and $60 for another ceremony last year.
Despite numerous positive know-hows, there are numerous things to watch out for, and anyone very interested in drinking ayahuasca should do as much study as is practicable. In Iquitos, there are reports of increasing numbers of beings announcing themselves curanderos, or offering ayahuasca while knowing anything about it, as well as sex crime on dames. Some beings have had terrifying ordeals and violent actions, and over the past decades there have been ayahuasca-associated deaths.
One tragedy, in December 2015, was reported or rather, misreported by the mainstream media. A Canadian gentleman, Joshua Andrew Freeman Stevens, killed Briton Unais Gomes after apparently being attacked by him during an ayahuasca ritual at Phoenix Ayahuasca near Iquitos. Despite initial reports that both men had drunk ayahuasca, one of “the centres activities” founders told me Stevens had not done so, and one precede media report claimed the toxicology decisions confirmed that.
As the ayahuasca event can be intense and even psychologically destabilising, one should be careful when choosing a proper ceremonial navigate, wrote Joe Tafur, a western-trained Colombian-American doctor and marriage in the Nihue Rao Centro near Iquitos, in a recent article in the Iquitos Times.
Other concerns include claims the ayahuasca thunder is moving the Banisteriopsis caapi vine more difficult to beginning; that it isnt regulated by the government; that the emphasis on business fails to respect the sanctity of the weed; and that it is employing indigenous peoples knowledge.
Francisco Montes Shuna, a curandero running the Sachamama Botanical Garden, says most centres are owned by non-Peruvians and therefore should be closed. Its our culture; the Amazons culture, says Shuna, whose parents were indigenous Capanahuas.[ These foreigners] are coming here and plagiarizing our knowledge.
In the last couple of months more than 40 centres in Peru have committed to joining the newly formed Ayahuasca Safety Council to establish common standards of safety and moralities, as William Menech from the Qhispikay Kawsay Ayahuasca Retreat makes it. Laws on ayahuasca differ and are sometimes fuzzy. According to the Ayahuasca Defense Fund, hosted by ICEERS, it is legal in Peru, illegal in Canada, illegal for everyone in the US apart from two religious organisations, and appears to be caught by prohibitive legislation in England and Wales due to a combination of factors. These are instances set by case law, the brand-new Psychoactive Substances Act which came into force on 26 May, and the facts of the case it contains N, N-Dimethyltryptamine( DMT ), which is listed as a Class A medication in the UK. The International Narcotics Control Board schedules DMT, one of the alkaloids present in ayahuasca, as a controlled substance, but to expressly stated that ayahuasca itself is not prohibited.
Luna calls the boom in ayahuasca a sword with two margins. Some without proper training see it as a method to shape easy money and seduce gullible sightseers, he says, but the positives include reigniting respect for it among indigenous peoples and others and was helping to a certain renaissance in Shipibo art.
Ayahuasca may find its neighbourhood in future civilizations, says Luna. Its ritual usage is expanding, as well as its therapeutic applications, and its further consideration of its effects may reveal aspects of the workings of the psyche.
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you know whats unhealthy?
being made to be upset before 7am about things which are projections of the issues someone has with themselves and needs to find something or someone to blame for their own problem because admitting it is their own problem would be admitting a fault in themselves. 
you know? thats the lack of stability. 
he told me to make a list of my problems. i felt like maybe he should make a list of my problems because he seems to have a different list than i do. 
heres what i know:
a) i have very fast metabolism to the point i need to eat frequently throughout the day in order to feel super super on top amazng healthy. i cannot afford to eat healthier or as frequently as i want to. this leads to buying lower quality food to try and buy “bulk” amounts to last longer or things with “empty” calories just for sustenance. i occassionally buy fresh vegetables and fruits but they are not a good investment when you’re poor. period. a box of rice costs 1.99. three apples cost about the same. can you eat 3 apples for a meal? a very frequent problem is not being able to afford to eat alot in the day and then getting a meal at the end of the day from his home but only being served ridiculously small portions. i’m grateful for anything at all but it’s not enough for me to not feel hungry afterwards. 
however when we eat snacks in the evening and sleep on it, my normal very fast metabolism is not active. this has caused me to put on 10 extra pounds that i have not carried in at least 5 years. what can i do? i dont have alot of options at my disposal. 
b) rheumatoid arthritis runs in my family. this is an autoimmune disease. this means that the genetic line in my background dictates that the dna that makes up my body is suspcetible to creating a being with weaker joints because the body itself - not by injury, activity, or lack there of, is attacking the joints. being prone to having weaker joints means that it is important to strengthen and stretch and be active however it also means knowing that you have some physical limitations in your activity. maybe your activity will be like 30 minutes instead of an hour. but it’s still being active. 
one of the biggest issues i have by far are very weak knees. well .. i think thats actually the wrong word to describe the issue. that automatically implies that i need to strengthen my knees. my knees have painful joints that are unable to maintain repetitive motions such as cycling or walking for long periods of time. maybe a knee brace would help not create so much stress and tear on joints and ligaments that are natually inclined to wear quickly but those cost _money_. 
additionally, i can continue being active after a break. like i can do 20 minutes of very good, heart pumping activity with repetitive motions but then i need a break because its very painful and stressed and once its able to relax, it’s good to go. i don’t think this implies i’m unable to be active. i think this implies that i have a moderate activity level right now that is equal to how much nutrition i get and the expecations i have during activity.
c) i smoke cigarettes. sucks. i dont do chemical or pharmaceutical drugs. i maybe do shrooms once every few years. i smoke weed. i have never been addicted to chemical or pharmaceutical drugs in my life. i have never injected drugs in my life. i have never smoked chemical drugs. i have inhaled drugs probably 7 - 10 times in my lifetime. i only casually drink alcohol and have only drank to excess maybe 7 - 10 times in my ife where i’ve vomited or had a hangover. i have maybe 10 beers over the course of 4 - 6 months at a time. that’s the lvel of “casually drinking” i have. i almost never drink mixed alcohol anymore but used to drink on a more frequent basis and drank orange juice with vodka primarily. so guess what? despite the obvious ill effects that smoking has had on all of my organs, i probably havent created any additional issues to my major organs by doing any of these things. i have not created any stress on my heart or my liver. 
but i do smoke. and that is legitimately the worst thing i do in my life in terms of harming myself or being unhealthy. absolutely nothing in my lifestyle is more unhealthy than smoking. in no way what so ever do i deny the effects smoking has. it is very very bad. not only do i have some breathing issues naturally to begin with including asthma and apnea but i am now putting layers of toxic tar on top of my lungs and much of it admittedly has been unfiltered for almost 10 years and have ben low quality tobacco. not that higher quality is necessarily better but lower seems like its probably even worse. probably like even more random chemicals they dont write anywhere. ive pulled out like pieces of wood from cigarettes before. my dad rolled his own for a long time as well. it’s bad. it’s totally completely bad.
this is going to cause negative side effects in my life in the future. for sure. will i get cancer? maybe. it doesnt run in my family but maybe? lymphoma? copd? sounds like it could maybe happen but again, genetically i’m not pre-disposed but i can cause it by smoking regardless. everyone in my family smokes. they did not age super well in terms of like.. visually. and mentally theyre totally fuked up. but physically theyre oddly in decent shape. like theyre all still moderately active people capable of doing things in their 50s and 60s which is probably a decent sign they’ll be moderately mobile in their 70s and 80s. 
d) depression is the NUMBER ONE DISEASE THAT RUNS IN MY FAMILY ON BOTH SIDES. VERy SErIOUS CLINICAL DEPRESSION WHICH GOeS UNTREATED FOR YEARS IF NOT DECADES. my uncle shot himself in the stomach with his kids in the next room and he was not even blood related. thats how much depression runs in this family. we attract more depression. and it’s not just depression but i’m going to use it as a blanket term because to simplify the pain of this generational experience its that everyone deeply suffers from depression as a disease and not as just like.. a way to describe a deep sadness. a good number of people in my family who are my age but third generation are on drugs. you can clearly tell. my cousin lives in a hospital for huffing glue as a teenager and hes like an old man now. the matriarch on my fathers side literally jujust abandoned all of her children. just peaced the fuck out. literally. thats fucked! 
but what we have to KNOW - we HAVE to KNOW that depression is a disease in this family. trauma is accepted and depression is a genetic disease passed down. if we dont KNOW this then we’re fucked. we’re all fucked. you have to know the enemy. you have to know what youre fighting in order to win. many people so far have passed because of a heart attack or diabetic complications. however the more and more i think about it (which is a lot. like everyday.) my father died of depression. he had zero will to live anymore and its lke.. he had guilt for that because i was there and i was a good kid who didnt do anything but try to help him but he had no will to live. it wasn’t selfish either - he gave me everything he could but he had absolutely no desire to carry on in life and he made harmful choices over and over again partially out of being stubborn, partially because he just did not care. he told me many times that he was WAITING TO DIE. my own father. and do you know what i replied? “i know dad. i’m waiting to die too.” and you know what he said? nothing. nothing. we just existed in silent empathy of eachother - understanding. 
depression will absolutely kill me before any disease does if i do not get taken out by a random heart attack which honestly i am terrible at eating salt in moderation so i feel like im more likely to have like a sodium related issue that in combination with smoking would lead to a random heart attack. but i would never, in my opinion, knock on wood, suffer from a long term disease because i already do and depression will totally kill me way before anything else. right now, at 27, i can see me going until 40. maybe. MAYBE. ive already done 27 years. but the next 10 are going to be fucked. totally fucked. and if i make it until 40 then wow. wowwww. 
e) i am very .. easily persuaded in regards to someone telling me an observation they have about me. i have experienced trauma numerous times by multiple people which has created a personality flaw that leads to very serious emotional & mental instability with how i perceive myself and what i know and what i’ve seen. this is not a “disorder”. this is not an “illness”. this is a personality flaw which has been created through life experiences. essentially, by listening to other people amd choosing to believe them over what i legitimately know to be true is one way of choosing to harm myself. i am “doing it to myself” even though these people could be being assholes at the time. but i am not capable of immediately filtering and having the confidence in what i know - because it’s been questioned so often i question my literal sanity and reality of the world on an hourly basis - so instead of knowing how to cope, instead i allow the traumatic experiences to play out as i am familiar to them acting out. they tell me something, i accept it, question myself, fight with myself and being picking apart things that maybe arent even that big of issues but ive correlated it with what theyve said and now im focused on all these problems i think i have with myself. 
i was told i was sick for a long time. do you get that? i’m not even making this up. like the fact im SAYING THAT should be enough. i was told by my mother that i was sick for a long time. i was told this. she made up all the fucking things she could and told me and told doctors and everyone that i was sick. i had many infections and illnesses and just.. things. i was sick. i was TOLD i was sick. i was TOLD i had a problem i couldnt see or feel or hear. and thus the cycle begins.
i fight it as well - but i’m not sick. i’m not sick. i’m not weak. i’m not stupid. OBVIOUSLY. OBVIOUSLY IM NONE OF THESE THINGS. but im listening to these convoluted assholes spouting opinions which again are projections of their own personal insecurities make me doubt myself and question if i am. maybe i am. maybe i’m so stupid i cant even see what they see. now theyre in a position of power. to counteract i spend my time having one sided arguments and writing personal essays about how i’m none of these things and this doesnt even make sense because all this other shit happened!  but now ive stressed over something that meant nothing to my being for x amount of time, become tired and stressed out, emotional and depressed. 
~~~~
last night i kind of felt like i didnt really want to be sleeping at his house. i was uncomfortable and had trouble breathing and the silence combined with his heavy breathing is soo grating it takes sometimes hours to fall asleep. i still like sleeping with him. i do. after this conversation, i dont realy feel like i want to hang out with him again anytime soon anyways. 
i have to balance and meditate on my own knowledge and perceptions because i have not been wrong before about how he infers more “important” or “bigger” emotions. we have been together for a year but he refused to acknowledge a relationship until last week. which means we are not emotionally affectionate - we don’t express affection in words either but we are both very aware that we are in love. 
i believe he knows that i am both the problem and not the problem at the same time. i believe he has a lot of love for me on a lot of levels and would do just about anything for me. i believe he wants a future with me and wants to have me in his life “forever” but he can’t be promised forever if i’m dead at 40. he cant invest all this emotional attachment to someone whos going to die. he needs to know im not going to die and everytime i light a cigarette in front of him im choosing that over living with him until im dead. 
i lso believe some of the frustration comes from knowing he could live with me in some capacity if we didnt smoke weed or i smoked cigarettes or we ate junk food because we would have more money to build an appropriate life (possibly to his standards) together. 
quitting smoking is not something im considering right now because its acrutch. its a daily crutch that gets me from one difficult 5 minutes to the next. i am very scared to live without it because i am not capable of handling long term stress emotionally & mentally right now. i also have no real personal desire to stop. its not a big deal to me and if i did quit i am sure they would all ask me if i felt better etc. and ii’d just shrug and tell them sure. they feel better, clearly, so i guess i feel better because i dont listen to them put me down for my personal choices in life anymore. just another thing im told. im told. im told. 
his ignorance to the legitimate issues and difficulties of living in long term poverty is overwhelming and to add trauma and depression on to it .. incomprehensible. 
additionally since he has no self control he wants other people to be his self control by not smoking weed or eating junk food and promoting an active lifestyle. he said he couldn’t take me biking or for  a run - and that’s fine; it’s not fun to do those activities with him. i’m not interested in exersizing with him, i’m interested in just being active and going at break neck speeds are not fun at all for me. i enjoy a level of activity that gets my heart rate going but is still leisurely and like.. not aggressive. i’m not looking to run aggressively, you know? if i die in a freak accident because my stamina is not good enough to run aggresively well then i die. it’s cool. i probably died in a fucked up way anyways if i needed to run aggressively away and at tht point kudos to me for trying at all. 
when we tried to canoe it was terrible. just a shitty experience because he likes adrenaline and the rush that pushing himself gives him but you know what? maybe - maybe. some people. just want to have a casual leisurely canoe ride. okay. thats not fucking terrible. they arent weak. theyre fucking enjoying life and the experience. thats how they enjoy it. go make some adrenaline junkie friends. let us slow pokes enjoy the ride. i am not required to fulfill every role in his life. i am not required to be his clone and like all the things he likes and do all the hings he does the way he does it. we have a ton of things in common already and we get along super well. his mother frequently buys pretty terrible pre-packaged foods and granola bars full of sugar and stocks his lunches full of fruit and like honestly fruit is good for you but you cant just eat fruit and say youre healthy. you cant eat shitty grocery store bread and say youre healthy. 
however we both like the same foods. whenever i cook for us he has never complained but openly complains about his mothers cooking. the only time he has complained is when i try to bake frozen fries in a fucking oven because his mother thinks its just “tht much healthier” when you’re eating fucing mccains frozen fries to begin with and then baking them until theyre brown to simulate cripsyness. 
if we lived together i could actually feed him healthy foods that are homemade and not store bought as i have done in all my previous live in relationships. i made dinner with multiple food groups every night too. alot of my lunches would be salad or soup or a sandwhich or all of it together. did i also eat snacks? fuck yes. did all i eat qualify as a snack? no. i ate healthy. and i actually ate even healthier as i got older and included more vgetbles and fruits in my regular diet. 
but living between two places and having his mother feed us once a day is pretty fucking stupid. sry2say. buy your own foods. know that the cupboard doesnt restock magically. when you make foods you actually accept in eating left overs of or create lunches a week a head of time like other people do  its not as easy to turn to snacks either.
but what do i know.
i’m just sitting here waiting for this guy to figure out that hes still causing 50% or more of the “problem”. 
0 notes
apsbicepstraining · 7 years
Text
Peru’s ayahuasca industry thunders as westerners search for alternative healing
Every year thousands of tourists leader to the Peruvian Amazon to take the plant medicine ayahuasca. But what does the powerful guzzle actually do, and what do local shaman think up the rise in its notoriety?
Imagine youre in a simple wooden house in the outskirts of Iquitos, the largest municipality in the Peruvian Amazon, and drinking a bitter, dark dark-brown liquid. The lightings go over. Half an hour later the most extraordinary eyesights begin.
Fast forward four hours and its all over. Youve received Christ and Buddha, and youve nearly been moved to snaps by the charms of curandero ( healer) Juan Tangoa Paima and all the deep-throat upchuck youve been doing in his garden.
Ayahuasca is made from an Amazonian vine known as Banisteriopsis caapi( and usually at the least one other bush ). Photograph: Emilie Lescale
That was my first experience, in 2005, of what has come to be known internationally as ayahuasca. Made from a mix of an Amazonian vine known as Banisteriopsis caapi and usually at least one other flora( in Peru chiefly chacruna ), ayahuasca is a plant drug that has been used in the Amazon for centuries for mending and spiritual purposes.
Its about connecting to the natural environment, says Romulo Sinuiri Ochavano, a Shipibo curandero who sucks ayahuasca to communicate with the character world and understand his patients illnesses. Its one technique for us. Its the same as a medical doctor in a clinic with gear that permits him to see if someones ill. Wheres the illness? The curandero checks which bushes are good for antidote that person.
Ayahuasca being brewed over a grove flaming. Photograph: Emilie Lescale
Traditional use involves merely the curanderos booze, according to Luis Eduardo Luna, a Colombian anthropologist and ayahuasca researcher. He says it has mainly been used for divination, such as diagnosing psychosomatic or ethno-specific illnesses with no western equivalent, or for acquiring contact with the flavour world.
The manifestation[ of the psychosomatic illness] may be you lose your articulation or have a physical trouble, or in children through diarrhoea and vomiting, says Luna. Or somebody who has very bad luck in love or business they would go to a curandero who will take the ayahuasca, give the patient ritual tubs and vitality, and protect them.
A area is prepared for a group to drink ayahuasca at the Temple of the Way of Light
Over the last 25 years ayahuasca has exited world, with thousands of beings understand better it, and boozing it too. Curanderos are travelling abroad and ayahuasca is being exported very. In Peru, major centres include the Cusco region and the cities of Pucallpa and Tarapoto, but it is Iquitos that captivates most sake. Every year thousands descend on the city, where centres offering ayahuasca have bounced up in the enclose forest, while hostels offering jungle tours or quality tours include ayahuasca as well. The majority of guests are foreigners.
Estimates of the number of centres in the Iquitos region offering ayahuasca diversify from 30 to 100. Then “theres” jungle hostels and the curanderos living in the city, like Juan Tangoa Paima, and encircling villages. The latter gratify chiefly for neighbourhoods, though tourists can seek them out too.
Temple of the Way of Light ayahuasca centre, two hours from Iquitos. Local Shipibo welcome guests
Why are so many immigrants, especially westerners, coming to Iquitos to suck ayahuasca? Some are striving healing: for sadnes, alcohol-related issues, tobacco and drug addictions, arthritis, diabetes, disease of the skin, cancer and more.
Most of the therapy were carrying out is for trauma, says Matthew Watherston, founder of the Temple of the Way of Light, a centre two hours from Iquitos. The drive is often the crises that beings appear in day-to-day life, certified on a psychological, psychological or physical height. Ultimately, these are all symptoms; the origin, normally, comes from an energetic imbalance or disorder.
Temple of the Way of Light
Others drink ayahuasca because theyre curious and want to learn about it, or theyre looking for a brand-new tendency in life. Then “theres” those who, captivated by the often extraordinary visions, think its another tourist activity or recreational medicine. Thats an idea many experienced with ayahuasca vehemently dismiss.
If anyone thinks its in the same category as a sail, well, the first beverage would promptly change their heads, says Peter Gorman, a correspondent offering expeditions into the forest that include swimming with dolphins, foraging for wild food, hiking and ayahuasca. Its very serious remedy; very profound, very quick.
Unlike western medication, ayahuascas makes no distinction between thinker and person Photograph: PR
Those after only a high arent welcome at some cores. Omar Gomez, from the Rainforest Healing Center, told me that he swerves away 60% of potential visitors: either because they have difficulties that ayahuasca doesnt mix with( such as schizophrenia) or because theyre not sufficiently serious about it.
We do an intense screening process to make sure we dont have any psychedelic tourists, says Gomez. Right now the ayahuasca industry is booming. But we want to made to ensure that the people who come are parties that have a strong purpose and are looking forward to heal.
Indigenous Shipibo at the Temple of the Way of Light
Fundamental to ayahuascas plea is that, unlike western remedy, it is believed to address the true causes of illness and makes no distinction between psyche and person. Ayahuasca practitioners recognize the physical manifestation of some mental, psychological, mental or energetic disorder.
Reports of success are common, particularly with depression, trauma and addictions. Brendan, a former US marine, was overweight and suffered by radiation poisoning, hypothyroidism, and nerve damage caused to his left leg after a education coincidence, and massive remorse after not serving in Iraq. But 12 days at the Temple transformed their own lives; it get him off the oxycontin and other prescription he had been taking daily for years. He says he lost more than 45 kg, his thyroid gland now serves commonly, and he is fully mended from the radiation.
When I left the Temple I went to a Veterans Affairs hospital in the US and had blood tests; everything was running normally, something they said is not feasible, says Brendan, who now lives in Iquitos and has opened his own centre, The Sanctuary of Renana, offering free care to other veterans. My doctor almost scorned me when I told him I was coming out here but when he saw the results of the tests he grew fascinated.
In 2013, the International Centre for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service( ICEERS) issued a report on ayahuasca went on to say that clinical tribulations evidenced it to be physiologically very safe. One of research reports signatories was Jordi Riba, a Spanish pharmacologist who has researched ayahuasca for years.
Theres preliminary evidence that it has the potential to change life positions for the better in situations of drug addiction, depression and damage, says Riba, currently involved with a landmark study by ICEERS analyse the impacts of medication on visitors to the Temple.
The an opportunity for drinking ayahuasca in and around Iquitos( in terms of rates and bundles) diversify profoundly. The Temple furnishes nine-day, 12 -day, three-week and month-long recedes, mainly for big groups, with costs ranging from $2,000 to $3,300 per person, while the Rainforest Healing Center, approximately two hours from Iquitos, offers seven- and 10 -day withdraws for small groups expensing $995 and $1,495 per person respectively.
The admission to the Sachamama Botanical Garden, run by Francisco Montes Shuna. Picture: David Hill
Then there are options such as the Sachamama Botanical Garden, 90 minutes from Iquitos, where one weeks stay and three ceremonies costs $650, or they are able to drop in for a ritual and thrash out world prices when you arrive. In additive, there are currently curanderos such as Paima, who I paid 40 Peruvian soles ($ 12) for one ceremony in 2005 and $60 for another ceremony last year.
Despite numerous positive know-hows, there are numerous things to watch out for, and anyone very interested in drinking ayahuasca should do as much study as is practicable. In Iquitos, there are reports of increasing numbers of beings announcing themselves curanderos, or offering ayahuasca while knowing anything about it, as well as sex crime on dames. Some beings have had terrifying ordeals and violent actions, and over the past decades there have been ayahuasca-associated deaths.
One tragedy, in December 2015, was reported or rather, misreported by the mainstream media. A Canadian gentleman, Joshua Andrew Freeman Stevens, killed Briton Unais Gomes after apparently being attacked by him during an ayahuasca ritual at Phoenix Ayahuasca near Iquitos. Despite initial reports that both men had drunk ayahuasca, one of “the centres activities” founders told me Stevens had not done so, and one precede media report claimed the toxicology decisions confirmed that.
As the ayahuasca event can be intense and even psychologically destabilising, one should be careful when choosing a proper ceremonial navigate, wrote Joe Tafur, a western-trained Colombian-American doctor and marriage in the Nihue Rao Centro near Iquitos, in a recent article in the Iquitos Times.
Other concerns include claims the ayahuasca thunder is moving the Banisteriopsis caapi vine more difficult to beginning; that it isnt regulated by the government; that the emphasis on business fails to respect the sanctity of the weed; and that it is employing indigenous peoples knowledge.
Francisco Montes Shuna, a curandero running the Sachamama Botanical Garden, says most centres are owned by non-Peruvians and therefore should be closed. Its our culture; the Amazons culture, says Shuna, whose parents were indigenous Capanahuas.[ These foreigners] are coming here and plagiarizing our knowledge.
In the last couple of months more than 40 centres in Peru have committed to joining the newly formed Ayahuasca Safety Council to establish common standards of safety and moralities, as William Menech from the Qhispikay Kawsay Ayahuasca Retreat makes it. Laws on ayahuasca differ and are sometimes fuzzy. According to the Ayahuasca Defense Fund, hosted by ICEERS, it is legal in Peru, illegal in Canada, illegal for everyone in the US apart from two religious organisations, and appears to be caught by prohibitive legislation in England and Wales due to a combination of factors. These are instances set by case law, the brand-new Psychoactive Substances Act which came into force on 26 May, and the facts of the case it contains N, N-Dimethyltryptamine( DMT ), which is listed as a Class A medication in the UK. The International Narcotics Control Board schedules DMT, one of the alkaloids present in ayahuasca, as a controlled substance, but to expressly stated that ayahuasca itself is not prohibited.
Luna calls the boom in ayahuasca a sword with two margins. Some without proper training see it as a method to shape easy money and seduce gullible sightseers, he says, but the positives include reigniting respect for it among indigenous peoples and others and was helping to a certain renaissance in Shipibo art.
Ayahuasca may find its neighbourhood in future civilizations, says Luna. Its ritual usage is expanding, as well as its therapeutic applications, and its further consideration of its effects may reveal aspects of the workings of the psyche.
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apsbicepstraining · 7 years
Text
Peru’s ayahuasca industry thunders as westerners search for alternative healing
Every year thousands of tourists leader to the Peruvian Amazon to take the plant medicine ayahuasca. But what does the powerful guzzle actually do, and what do local shaman think up the rise in its notoriety?
Imagine youre in a simple wooden house in the outskirts of Iquitos, the largest municipality in the Peruvian Amazon, and drinking a bitter, dark dark-brown liquid. The lightings go over. Half an hour later the most extraordinary eyesights begin.
Fast forward four hours and its all over. Youve received Christ and Buddha, and youve nearly been moved to snaps by the charms of curandero ( healer) Juan Tangoa Paima and all the deep-throat upchuck youve been doing in his garden.
Ayahuasca is made from an Amazonian vine known as Banisteriopsis caapi( and usually at the least one other bush ). Photograph: Emilie Lescale
That was my first experience, in 2005, of what has come to be known internationally as ayahuasca. Made from a mix of an Amazonian vine known as Banisteriopsis caapi and usually at least one other flora( in Peru chiefly chacruna ), ayahuasca is a plant drug that has been used in the Amazon for centuries for mending and spiritual purposes.
Its about connecting to the natural environment, says Romulo Sinuiri Ochavano, a Shipibo curandero who sucks ayahuasca to communicate with the character world and understand his patients illnesses. Its one technique for us. Its the same as a medical doctor in a clinic with gear that permits him to see if someones ill. Wheres the illness? The curandero checks which bushes are good for antidote that person.
Ayahuasca being brewed over a grove flaming. Photograph: Emilie Lescale
Traditional use involves merely the curanderos booze, according to Luis Eduardo Luna, a Colombian anthropologist and ayahuasca researcher. He says it has mainly been used for divination, such as diagnosing psychosomatic or ethno-specific illnesses with no western equivalent, or for acquiring contact with the flavour world.
The manifestation[ of the psychosomatic illness] may be you lose your articulation or have a physical trouble, or in children through diarrhoea and vomiting, says Luna. Or somebody who has very bad luck in love or business they would go to a curandero who will take the ayahuasca, give the patient ritual tubs and vitality, and protect them.
A area is prepared for a group to drink ayahuasca at the Temple of the Way of Light
Over the last 25 years ayahuasca has exited world, with thousands of beings understand better it, and boozing it too. Curanderos are travelling abroad and ayahuasca is being exported very. In Peru, major centres include the Cusco region and the cities of Pucallpa and Tarapoto, but it is Iquitos that captivates most sake. Every year thousands descend on the city, where centres offering ayahuasca have bounced up in the enclose forest, while hostels offering jungle tours or quality tours include ayahuasca as well. The majority of guests are foreigners.
Estimates of the number of centres in the Iquitos region offering ayahuasca diversify from 30 to 100. Then “theres” jungle hostels and the curanderos living in the city, like Juan Tangoa Paima, and encircling villages. The latter gratify chiefly for neighbourhoods, though tourists can seek them out too.
Temple of the Way of Light ayahuasca centre, two hours from Iquitos. Local Shipibo welcome guests
Why are so many immigrants, especially westerners, coming to Iquitos to suck ayahuasca? Some are striving healing: for sadnes, alcohol-related issues, tobacco and drug addictions, arthritis, diabetes, disease of the skin, cancer and more.
Most of the therapy were carrying out is for trauma, says Matthew Watherston, founder of the Temple of the Way of Light, a centre two hours from Iquitos. The drive is often the crises that beings appear in day-to-day life, certified on a psychological, psychological or physical height. Ultimately, these are all symptoms; the origin, normally, comes from an energetic imbalance or disorder.
Temple of the Way of Light
Others drink ayahuasca because theyre curious and want to learn about it, or theyre looking for a brand-new tendency in life. Then “theres” those who, captivated by the often extraordinary visions, think its another tourist activity or recreational medicine. Thats an idea many experienced with ayahuasca vehemently dismiss.
If anyone thinks its in the same category as a sail, well, the first beverage would promptly change their heads, says Peter Gorman, a correspondent offering expeditions into the forest that include swimming with dolphins, foraging for wild food, hiking and ayahuasca. Its very serious remedy; very profound, very quick.
Unlike western medication, ayahuascas makes no distinction between thinker and person Photograph: PR
Those after only a high arent welcome at some cores. Omar Gomez, from the Rainforest Healing Center, told me that he swerves away 60% of potential visitors: either because they have difficulties that ayahuasca doesnt mix with( such as schizophrenia) or because theyre not sufficiently serious about it.
We do an intense screening process to make sure we dont have any psychedelic tourists, says Gomez. Right now the ayahuasca industry is booming. But we want to made to ensure that the people who come are parties that have a strong purpose and are looking forward to heal.
Indigenous Shipibo at the Temple of the Way of Light
Fundamental to ayahuascas plea is that, unlike western remedy, it is believed to address the true causes of illness and makes no distinction between psyche and person. Ayahuasca practitioners recognize the physical manifestation of some mental, psychological, mental or energetic disorder.
Reports of success are common, particularly with depression, trauma and addictions. Brendan, a former US marine, was overweight and suffered by radiation poisoning, hypothyroidism, and nerve damage caused to his left leg after a education coincidence, and massive remorse after not serving in Iraq. But 12 days at the Temple transformed their own lives; it get him off the oxycontin and other prescription he had been taking daily for years. He says he lost more than 45 kg, his thyroid gland now serves commonly, and he is fully mended from the radiation.
When I left the Temple I went to a Veterans Affairs hospital in the US and had blood tests; everything was running normally, something they said is not feasible, says Brendan, who now lives in Iquitos and has opened his own centre, The Sanctuary of Renana, offering free care to other veterans. My doctor almost scorned me when I told him I was coming out here but when he saw the results of the tests he grew fascinated.
In 2013, the International Centre for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service( ICEERS) issued a report on ayahuasca went on to say that clinical tribulations evidenced it to be physiologically very safe. One of research reports signatories was Jordi Riba, a Spanish pharmacologist who has researched ayahuasca for years.
Theres preliminary evidence that it has the potential to change life positions for the better in situations of drug addiction, depression and damage, says Riba, currently involved with a landmark study by ICEERS analyse the impacts of medication on visitors to the Temple.
The an opportunity for drinking ayahuasca in and around Iquitos( in terms of rates and bundles) diversify profoundly. The Temple furnishes nine-day, 12 -day, three-week and month-long recedes, mainly for big groups, with costs ranging from $2,000 to $3,300 per person, while the Rainforest Healing Center, approximately two hours from Iquitos, offers seven- and 10 -day withdraws for small groups expensing $995 and $1,495 per person respectively.
The admission to the Sachamama Botanical Garden, run by Francisco Montes Shuna. Picture: David Hill
Then there are options such as the Sachamama Botanical Garden, 90 minutes from Iquitos, where one weeks stay and three ceremonies costs $650, or they are able to drop in for a ritual and thrash out world prices when you arrive. In additive, there are currently curanderos such as Paima, who I paid 40 Peruvian soles ($ 12) for one ceremony in 2005 and $60 for another ceremony last year.
Despite numerous positive know-hows, there are numerous things to watch out for, and anyone very interested in drinking ayahuasca should do as much study as is practicable. In Iquitos, there are reports of increasing numbers of beings announcing themselves curanderos, or offering ayahuasca while knowing anything about it, as well as sex crime on dames. Some beings have had terrifying ordeals and violent actions, and over the past decades there have been ayahuasca-associated deaths.
One tragedy, in December 2015, was reported or rather, misreported by the mainstream media. A Canadian gentleman, Joshua Andrew Freeman Stevens, killed Briton Unais Gomes after apparently being attacked by him during an ayahuasca ritual at Phoenix Ayahuasca near Iquitos. Despite initial reports that both men had drunk ayahuasca, one of “the centres activities” founders told me Stevens had not done so, and one precede media report claimed the toxicology decisions confirmed that.
As the ayahuasca event can be intense and even psychologically destabilising, one should be careful when choosing a proper ceremonial navigate, wrote Joe Tafur, a western-trained Colombian-American doctor and marriage in the Nihue Rao Centro near Iquitos, in a recent article in the Iquitos Times.
Other concerns include claims the ayahuasca thunder is moving the Banisteriopsis caapi vine more difficult to beginning; that it isnt regulated by the government; that the emphasis on business fails to respect the sanctity of the weed; and that it is employing indigenous peoples knowledge.
Francisco Montes Shuna, a curandero running the Sachamama Botanical Garden, says most centres are owned by non-Peruvians and therefore should be closed. Its our culture; the Amazons culture, says Shuna, whose parents were indigenous Capanahuas.[ These foreigners] are coming here and plagiarizing our knowledge.
In the last couple of months more than 40 centres in Peru have committed to joining the newly formed Ayahuasca Safety Council to establish common standards of safety and moralities, as William Menech from the Qhispikay Kawsay Ayahuasca Retreat makes it. Laws on ayahuasca differ and are sometimes fuzzy. According to the Ayahuasca Defense Fund, hosted by ICEERS, it is legal in Peru, illegal in Canada, illegal for everyone in the US apart from two religious organisations, and appears to be caught by prohibitive legislation in England and Wales due to a combination of factors. These are instances set by case law, the brand-new Psychoactive Substances Act which came into force on 26 May, and the facts of the case it contains N, N-Dimethyltryptamine( DMT ), which is listed as a Class A medication in the UK. The International Narcotics Control Board schedules DMT, one of the alkaloids present in ayahuasca, as a controlled substance, but to expressly stated that ayahuasca itself is not prohibited.
Luna calls the boom in ayahuasca a sword with two margins. Some without proper training see it as a method to shape easy money and seduce gullible sightseers, he says, but the positives include reigniting respect for it among indigenous peoples and others and was helping to a certain renaissance in Shipibo art.
Ayahuasca may find its neighbourhood in future civilizations, says Luna. Its ritual usage is expanding, as well as its therapeutic applications, and its further consideration of its effects may reveal aspects of the workings of the psyche.
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