Stepping Into the Fire

I found the documentary interesting, but it really bored me. I think whoever came up with how the video was going to be edited and put together wasn't someone with prior experience (or thinking) of trying to make something useful out of it. It was more of just an infomercial for this place in Peru that the guy built.

I don't think enough was emphasized on the actual experience of Ayahuasca. I've gotten more from fiction movie references about what it's about/like and honestly I really didn't feel sold in this documentary. The people really only went into describing their problems and saying how they feel more whole and at peace - but nobody really elaborated on that to express what life felt like or what they saw, heard, etc from the whole experience - they ended up speaking more about what went through their head (briefly) than anything interesting.

But Rob and the individuals interviewed seemed to talk hype about how Ayahuasca was going to make their lives perfect, etc.... more of their personal motives rather than a bigger picture of expanding our awareness. There is also much much more to spirituality/growth than just an enlightening hallucinogenic experience. I seemed to gather more of the vibe that these people were using Ayahuasca to deal with their demons/problems rather than gain some sort of bigger picture of reality, humanity, etc that could maybe save us from ourselves. Not just healing ourselves individually and helping others heal - but shifting our perception of how we treat each other - and getting away from our obsession with money and things. The spiritual journey is really supposed to be about community/connectedness and love more than just healing wounds.

I felt the most useful information was from the shaman, discussing how our modern way of life is grossly insufficient. But I didn't feel sold from what Rob was saying. What he was saying sounded more like an infomercial about his temple project in Peru. Perhaps it just felt that way because this documentary seemed filmed off-and-on over several months, while his project was underway rather than after it was well established.

It felt like the video was recorded arbitrarily without any real vision beforehand. The people interviewed really didn't say anything too interesting other than who they were, what their problems were, and how they felt afterward - and even then, it was not very convincing.

The clips were also shot without much context as to when they were filmed, as it seemed to span at least a 6 month period. It started with the wife really unhappy, miserable, strained from their relationship - and didn't really put that in context of the 'past', so it really made the whole thing seem like a hypocrisy. She was very bluntly unhappy with Rob and this project he was getting involved in - and after she came down and had some time there, we didn't hear much about how their relationship improved, at least not from the wife. I'd have preferred hearing how her marriage has improved directly from her than from Rob.

Also it felt that there really wasn't much of a selling point since the center/temple was really only being built as the documentary was being filmed. I think if they would have waited a few more years and got more people to experience it, it could have been edited to offer a stronger point and been more compelling of a film. The proof to their claims was not very extensive other than about 5-6 people's experiences. There just weren't enough people sharing their experiences. I would have preferred at least 1 or 2 dozen people. Maybe then there would have been at least a few people with some really powerful insights worth highlighting. It also would have helped to focus on their time there and after (how things have improved) - rather than spending half the film recording these people before they even got down to Peru. I think it also would help to have the people elaborate more on how their lives have shifted afterward. The documentary seemed to have only covered these people the days they were down there rather than the weeks/months after they got back home.

In the credits I got the impression that Rob and his wife mainly live in NYC, and I'm guessing he still works on the stock exchange. But I'd like to point out that it's that opportunism - that capitalization - of competition, pursuit of money, etc that drives people to lives of volatility. Crime, poverty, drugs, etc are all side effects of a society that has abandoned tradition and stability/well-being for opportunity, for money making. In a sense, Rob trying to earn money for this project is probably affecting the lives of people who-knows-where, for the worse. I hope that he can focus on this project F/T and let go of feeding poison into the system he seems to want to heal.

Finally, the website doesn't work for most of the pages from what I can tell.

Every single human being on planet earth should know the truth, because only the truth will set you free, and when you know truth you know love.

Great documentary, real people, real story, real feelings, you see the passion and the sadness and the happiness, you feel the connection all of us have in common.

you need to ask yourselves why DMT is illegal in the first place.. our brains produce DMT..

why is alcohol, a drug that is known to be very harmful and have very bad side effects legal?

I think every person should decide for himself what he wants to consume and what he does not want. The only thing we need from our authorities is to know what the drug does and how it affects us, they should not decide for us what we can or can't do, it's retarded! I can stab myself with a knife or a fork so we need to outlaw knives and forks now?

Why is rat poison legal? But you can eat it and die.. But you don't eat it and die because you KNOW IT'S BAD FOR YOU.

This documentary is highly recommended for people who is searching for answers in this world. The documentary is a great introduction to Ayahuasca specially for westerners who are planing to participate in the ceremony or for somebody that wants more information about the plant and the transformation that can cause in your live.

In western culture, most of the people live in cities where routine, consuming habits, stress, publicity, etc etc, lead us to live fake lives... and Ayahuasca, as is explained in the documentary, can cause a huge positive change in your live if you have the right approach to it.

I recommend to watch this documentary with an open heart... you'll find here very emotional stories and as it happened to me I felt very related to some of the stories shown on the film.

I loved it!

This documentary is dull, very repetitive. It simply tells the story of one man, the broker from NYC who is so messed up even after drinking ayahuasca. He decides to make a business with it. The center he built is where Kyle Nolan died! the shaman who is clearly a charlatan is now in jail. Don't watch this if you are seeking to do Ayahuasca. There are better documentaries. The practices performed by this so called shaman are not adequate. He was sending the people alone after taking ayahuasca. It is meant to be a ceremony! The shaman has to protect you and guide you. This was clearly a scammer! so if you are seeking Ayahuasca, do some good research and don't be just watching documentaries because you might find wrong information. This documentary does not place emphasis on the healing properties and sacredness of Ayahuasca, everything goes to the stupid broker and his new discovered business