Armando Loizaga Pazzi

Track: Shamanism and Its Potential for Modern Man

Integration of the ceremonial use of sacred plants in modern psychotherapy

In this age of digital information and globalization we can access knowledge and technologies that would otherwise remain culturally bounded. Intercultural Medicine opens a space for dialogue and exchange between health practitioners of different cultures to explore ways to further scientific understanding and effective treatment strategies. As the science of psychology continues to evolve the notion of just how important spirituality is in achieving and maintaining mental health is becoming ever more evident. Participation in sacred plant healing rituals can be conducive to profound psychological experiences that often times have an important healing effect in the individuals who participate in such ceremonies. This lecture will explore how the ritual use of ayahuasca and the ceremonial use of peyote can be integrated into a modern psychotherapeutic treatment protocol. How do ayahuasca and peyote differ in the psycho-integration of their effects? What are the risks and benefits of this modality of treatment? How can these ancient technologies be adapted culturally into a western medical model? And what are the challenges for such intercultural treatments?

Armando Loizaga Pazzi - B.S. CCDCR University of Minnesota-Hazelden Foundation Certified Chemical Dependency Specialist. He has worked in the substance abuse treatment and prevention field in Mexico since 1991. Armando was director and coordinator of diverse clinical addiction treatment programs and has also collaborated with traditional medicine associations in the study of transcultural treatments. He is currently the president of the Nierika Intercultural Medicine Institute A.C.  focusing his work on advancing multidisciplinary clinical research protocols to evaluate therapeutic potential of psychedelic plants used in ritual contexts, preservation of indigenous psychedelic culture and drug policy reform.