Ayahuasca Alchemy
Combining Ayahuasca with Andean Energy Medicine, forming an Unprecedented healing Modality
The Emergence of Ayahuasca Alchemy
Ayahuasca Alchemy is the combination of The Four Winds Society's Andean Energy Medicine protocol and Ayahuasca. That is, we conduct the Andean Energy Medicine sessions (Illuminations & Soul Retrival) during Ayahuasca ceremonies while the participant is still under the influence of Ayahuasca.
The idea of combining the two modalities was inspired by Alberto Villoldo as Bram, during a Q and A with Alberto Villoldo, asked him if there were any contra-indications between the two modalities. His reply was,"No, there are no contra-indications at all. In fact, if you (Bram) are leading the ceremony, it is best to conduct the energy medicine session during the Ayahuasca ceremony."
With that information directly from Alberto Villoldo, Bram's mental gears started humming with ideas and he began experimenting the combination of the two modalities over several years. Bram discovered the following about this amazing combination:
- Ayahuasca is an "amplifier", but it is an amplifier that is more general in nature, while the Andean Energy medicine is extremely "surgical". Combining the two allows Ayahuasca to amplify that which needs to be removed or released, then we use the Andean Energy Medicine to surgically extract that which Ayahuasca brought to the surface.
- The positive outcomes from the Illuminations and Soul Retrievals being combined with Ayahuasca remain the same. However, the somatic and visual experience during the process is very much enhanced.
- If one is unsure about what pattern or imprint to work on during the energy medicine session, one can simply ask Ayahuasca what to work on.
- During the energy medicine session Ayahuasca teaches the participant about their energy body, how to access it and how it functions. This has two benefits. First, the participant learns that they can access their energy body OUTSIDE of an Ayahuasca ceremony. The participant learns that they do not need Ayahuasca to access their energetic body. Secondly, when an energy medicine session is done outside of an Ayahuasca ceremony the participant's experience is greatly enhanced due to the training Ayahuasca provided.
- Integration for both modalities is greatly enhanced. During ceremony Ayahuasca is amplifying that which needs to be released, then through the Andean Energy Medicine session we remove exactly what Ayahuasca is amplifying. This exactly is the point of integration. In addition, by working with Ayahuasca we can reduce the time between energy medicine sessions from weeks to hours.
Given the above discoveries Bram has designed Ayahuasca Alchemy retreats wherein he stacks several Andean Energy Medicine sessions within several Ayahuasca ceremonies. With longer retreats he conducts Andean Energy Medicine sessions both during the Ayahuasca ceremonies and the during the "days off" wherein the participant is not under the influence of Ayahuasca.
Through this new protocol our intentions are as follows:
- Clear and release long standing negative patterns that have impacted your life and relationships.
- Have Ayahuasca teach you about your energetic body such that you can access your energetic body without Ayahuasca. It is through this understanding of the energetic body that one can connect to the Divine/God/Great Spirit in a much more meaningful way and again without the help of Ayahuasca.
- I want you to fire me as your shaman. That is, I want you to heal and discover how to access the unseen realms on your own, without my help and without the help of Ayahuasca.
Bram's Background and Training
Bram was first exposed to Shamanism as a young boy living on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. While living on the Rosebud he was exposed to many Lakota ceremonies as his family was quite involved with the local medicine community. It was during these ceremonies as a young boy that Bram had his first direct experiences with spirits. Then at the age of 14, he moved to the west coast of the USA and lost interest spirituality until his late 30's. He was fully consumed by the material lifestyle during that time.
Bram broke out of his secular funk by drinking Ayahuasca in 2009 . At that time he was working in Finance. While he was successful, he found himself very dissatisfied with life and depressed. He knew that something was "off". After some searching for a solution via other modalities, he finally decided to take a trip to Peru and attend a 9 day Ayahuasca & shamanic dieta retreat.
That Ayahuasca experience was so impactful, Bram quit his job and moved to Jenaro Hererra, Peru in 2010. He stayed in Peru until mid 2014. Upon his arrival to Jenaro Hererra, Bram began drinking Ayahuasca and doing shamanic plant dietas with the Galindo family. Bram’s main teachers were Maestro Gumercindo Galindo and Maestro Don Roldan Galindo (Gumercindo’s father).
In 2011 the Galindo family and Bram opened an Ayahuasca retreat center, La Familia Medicina. La Familia Medicina conducted Ayahuasca and shamanic plant dieta retreats from 2011 to mid 2014. Late 2013, Maestro Gumercindo Galindo gave Bram the title of "Maestro".
Mid 2014 Bram left La Familia Medicina and began his "solo career" in the medicine. This took him on many travels and finally in 2018, he and his family were able to settle in Guatemala on the shores of Lake Atitlan to form La Familia Ayahuasca.
La Familia Ayahuasca paused during COVID. It was during this pause that Bram studied with The Four Winds Society and graduated from their Energy Medicine Course.
While taking the Four Winds course, Bram travelled through the medicine wheel, working on his own healing, beyond the training he received in the Amazon. Bram was shocked at how transformative the Medicine Wheel process was for himself and for those he worked on during the training.
He was also absolutely floored that this Energy Medicine work could be equally as effective at a distance as in person. At the same time it should not have surprised him given his already established background in shamanism. Bram now works 90%+ via Zoom sessions.
It was during this course that he realized that his teachers in Peru may not have travelled through the entire medicine wheel, sticking to the South (Serpent) and the West (Jaguar) as specialties. In fact, his teachers would introduce themselves as "medico" (doctor) or "curandero"(healer), they did not use the word "shaman".
Alberto Villoldo talks about a "shaman" as being one who has travelled through the entire medicine wheel. This is not to discount the amazing work that the curanderos do in the South (Serpent) and the West (Jaguar), these are their specialties and they are extremely skilled at it.
Bram has completely fallen in love with the Energy Medicine work and the Alberto Villoldo lineage that he is now a part of. He was and is continually blown away by the results of this amazing work.