Page 7 - Ron Wheelock News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

In the amazon has tapped this jungle pharmacy for all types of cures. but in the past decade, thousands of american tourists have flocked here, seeking help from medicine men, healers like ron. a ten-day retreat at el purguero costs about a thousand dollars and attracts a wide range of seekers from across the globe. a father and daughter from canada, an online entrepreneur, the son of a successful ceo, and a professor from belgium. like stan, these travelers are serious. they want healing for mind, body, and soul. >> so what's the strongest part in the ayahuasca, is it the bark or the whole th...

Still disconcerting. ♪ but this is just the beginning. the gringo shaman steps up the healing, blowing smoke on the 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 you is intoxicated or drunk and you're the only one not under the influence, that's how it feels to be in that room. there are people in there who

Consciousness, raise my level of vibration, raise my self-awareness. 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 is 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...

Go back. i tell them, you can read all there is about this, and there's no way to prepare yourself until 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 will be presiding from his altar. the 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 pro fusely or even have ...

A majority of them in peru. experts believe mixing this jungle medicine with stimulants and antidepressants 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 ayahuasca tourism, and the amount of money people are making, do you think there will be more deaths? >> i hate to say it, yes, there probably will be. it's in the cards. >> but such warnings aren't enough to stop another group of americans who have been to hell and back and are ready to try anything. they're...