Vine of the Soul: Encounters with Ayahuasca

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

415

YOUR RATING

Vine of the Soul: Encounters with Ayahuasca (2010)

Can a sacred plant from the Amazon heal our minds and spirits? For centuries, indigenous people of South America have used ayahuasca, a psychoactive plant medicine, to cure all manner of psycho-spiritual ills.

Today, thousands of Westerners, seeking healing and spiritual awakening, attend ayahuasca ceremonies around the world to drink the vision-inducing tea and experience dramatic transformations in their lives.

Â“Vine of the SoulÂ” is a documentary that explores this brave new world, offering insights into the nature of faith, mystical experience and self-healing through a heightened state of consciousness. Filmmaker Richard Meech follows key protagonists as they journey to Peru - and back home Â– capturing in veritÃ© style both the life-altering epiphanies and nights of terror encountered after drinking the sacred brew.

Is ayahuasca a doorway to direct knowledge of the divine or a path that leads to psychological trauma? Can it cure modern addictions to drugs and alcohol or is ayahuasca itself a possible substance of abuse? Some people call it a medicine, others a sacrament; the Amazonian shamans say it is simply a Â‘plant teacherÂ’ that tells you what you need to know.

Throughout the film, in-depth interviews with indigenous and Western shamans, ethnobotanist Dennis McKenna, addiction expert Dr. Gabor MatÃ© and scholar Kenneth Tupper speak to the increasing use of ayahuasca outside the Amazon and the potential benefits for modern medicine, personal spiritual growth and a new understanding of Nature.

Play trailer2:54

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Adventure Documentary

On a quest for spiritual awakening and healing, a naturopathic doctor and an accountant join others in the Amazon to drink a hallucinogenic brew called ayahuasca or 'Vine of the Soul'. Their... Read allOn a quest for spiritual awakening and healing, a naturopathic doctor and an accountant join others in the Amazon to drink a hallucinogenic brew called ayahuasca or 'Vine of the Soul'. Their dramatic encounters with the sacred medicine offer new insights into the nature of faith ... Read allOn a quest for spiritual awakening and healing, a naturopathic doctor and an accountant join others in the Amazon to drink a hallucinogenic brew called ayahuasca or 'Vine of the Soul'. Their dramatic encounters with the sacred medicine offer new insights into the nature of faith and self-healing through a heightened state of consciousness.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

415

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins total

Videos1

Trailer 2:54

VINE OF THE SOUL: Encounters with Ayahuasca

Photos3

Top cast4

Edit

Guillermo Arévalo

Self

Gabor Maté

Self
(as Gabor Mate)

Dennis J. McKenna

Self

Kenneth Tupper

Self

Director
- Richard Meech
Writer
- Richard Meech
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews1

6.4415

Featured reviews

10jrigby-472-124250

The most insightful film about ayahuasca

I had heard about this plant, and how it can have long-term beneficial effects on those who take it but I was unwilling to go to any gatherings without first having a sense of what I was getting into. "Vine of the Soul" not only opened the window on an experience which is pretty mysterious, it's also a great film. The film maker doesn't shy away from asking the hard questions nor facing the controversies surrounding ayahuasca. The editing is dynamic and the content compelling. How better to learn about something than to follow someone else as they experience what you are curious about? A must-see for anyone who has ever wondered about existence, plant medicines like ayahuasca or their place in the world. Bravo!