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It's pitch-dark, but our night-vision cameras capture every moment, and one hour into the ceremony the physical effects of ayahuasca start to kick in. some people vomit. others teeter on the brink of collapse. though i'd been forewarned, these intense reactions are still disconcerting. [ chanting ] but this is just the beginning. the gringo shaman steps up the healing, blowing smoke onto seekers like stan to drive off negative spirits. these are native traditions repackaged by ron to give his guests an authentic ayahuasca experience. you know when everyone around

>> 18-year-old sebastopol resident kyle nolan died at a spiritual retreat in peru three weeks ago. >> the death of a british teen in colombia has police shrouded in mystery. >> the boom in ayahuasca tourism has come with a price. in the last decade, several people have died after drinking ayahuasca, the majority of them in peru. experts believe mixing this jungle medicine with stimulants and anti-depressants can have lethal consequences. but in most cases the cause of death remains unconfirmed. for old pros like ron, these tragedies forecast a troubling trend. >> given the explosion of ayahuas...

Foreigners, and most of them don't have electricity or even running water, but yet people are coming. they're coming and staying in little huts like this one because they say they're not finding what they need back home. here, stan hopes to find solace. and he's seeking it from this man. ron wheelock. aka the gringo shaman. he's a former mechanic and pot dealer from kansas who spent two decades in peru cooking up psychedelic teas in his role as shaman, or traditional healer. i meet up with stan and ron at el pugero as the gringo shaman breaks down the plant mix used in his ayahuasca brew, accl...

You actually go there. >> night falls. stan's psychedelic journey begins. ron blesses the hut using rituals he's learned from local indigenous healers. this is where the ceremony is going to take place. in a little while it's going to be pitch black in here, and ron is going to be presiding from his altar. this first part of the ceremony is called the purge. so you'll see a lot of basins in front of the chairs. that's because it's inevitable that people will start to vomit profusely or even have to defecate. but many people have said that this one experience can be life-changing. as i watch ro...

It becomes a part of you. it speaks to you. i always allow it to flow through me, and together we kind of do this healing dance in a way, this trance. and we're both in that trance. >> ron says he's worked with thousands of seekers like roman, who's recovering from an accident that's left him with headaches, depression, and insomnia. people come here with real serious issues and deeply rooted. >> very deeply rooted. >> how does ayahuasca help heal those wounds? >> by showing people where they came from. maybe a childhood trauma, and even deeper. it is a healing process. i've had several times ...