I would hesitate to say anything about what happens after a first experience, since, for many people, nothing much happens at all.

We Americans like the quick fix, the red pill, the single epiphany, the transformative experience. But I think the sacred plants most often work slowly and subtly, in plant time, not in human time. For many people, the effects of ceremony may not be felt for months, and then the effects may not be visionary, but rather felt in stirrings of intention, new ways of looking at the world, a greater openness to wonder.

I am concerned that telling people that they will change their reality perspective after their first experience may lead to unrealistic expectations, and to self-blame when those expectations are unmet. As I said, I think that, for many people, sacred plant medicines work slowly, over time, and sometimes subtly, so that one day you realize, to your surprise, that the world seems different -- more wonderful, more miraculous, and filled with the spirits. For me, that is the lesson of the ayahuasca vision -- not necessarily the healing of our perhaps irremediably flawed selves, but rather a way to see through the world to the wonders that were there all along, and we could not see.

-- Steve
www.singingtotheplants.com/