Listening to Ayahuasca: New Hope for Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Anxiety [Paperback]

Used for thousands of years by indigenous tribes of the Amazon rain forest, the mystical brew ayahuasca is now becoming increasingly popular in the West. Psychologist Rachel Harris here shares her own healing experiences and draws on her original research (the largest study of ayahuasca use in North America) into the powerful medicines effects on depression, addiction, PTSD, and anxiety. In this wide-ranging and personal exploration, Harris details ayahuascas risks and benefits, helping readers clarify their intentions and giving psychotherapists a template for transformative care and healing.

“An excellent book on the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca; clearly written and well researched, it is an important addition to the literature on the subject.”
— Jeremy Narby, PhD, author ofThe Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge

“Finally, finally, finally — an ayahuasca book I can recommend without reservation. Rachel Harris focuses not on the journey (giant snakes, dismemberment, insights, purging, etc.) but on what eventually matters far more: the ongoing and robust aftereffects in people ’s lives. Harris is a skilled psychotherapist and a serious ayahuasca user, and her credibility in both worlds makes her own story, interwoven with those of the many people she interviewed, informative and discerning.”
— James Fadiman, PhD, microdose researcher and author ofThe Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys

“A fascinating and provocative compilation of riveting testimonies of individuals who experienced miraculous healing by drinking the psychedelic medicine ayahuasca. Inspired by her own amazing transformation, Harris was driven to research ayahuasca and document her findings. Readers will be inspired by the numerous accounts of how ayahuasca succeeded where Western medicine has failed l#”