Group of Shamans connecting with Mother Nature in the sacred place around Cusco.
Portrait of the Shaman giving her gratitude to Pachamama using coca leaves as a daily routine.
In the mid 1960s to mid 1970s it influenced the time of social, musical and artistic change.
After years of governmental prohibition and scientific ostracisation a renewed interest developed in the therapeutic potential of these substances.
Psychedelic propaganda is now widely accepted as a pharmacological model that differentiates humans in relation to other species.
The Shaman connects with Pachamama using sacred tools around Cusco.
Group of Shamans connecting with Mother Nature in the sacred place around Cusco. Peru.
The Shaman sets the fire to burn the offerings buried under the ground that helps to connect with Pachamama.
This punch in of ceremony is practiced once a year at the healing centre.
First night of Ayahuasca ceremony.
Janet gives her offering to Pachamama at the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i festival held once a year where a lot of shamans gather together for their private ceremonies and celebrations. Peru.
The nurse checks my blood pressure for safety reasons at the healing centre.
I took part in a two day Ayahuasca ceremony and other ceremonies related to Pachamama.
Scientist who currently works on psychedelic studies at Imperial College.
Portrait of the Shaman giving her gratitude to Pachamama using coca leaves as a daily routine.
The electrical stimulation cap that is put on a patients head during psychedelic therapy to record the brain function.
Imperial College, London.
The predominant religion of Peru is Roman Catholic as well as a combination of Andean mythology.
Two crosses were held by people who climbed to the top of the mountains for the ceremonies at the Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i festival to give their offerings during the sunrise. Peru.
However, most catholics have been conditioned to believe that Ayahuasca was created by the Devil.
Peruvians are generally sceptical about this controversy especiallyas the plants are protected by its government.
Yenny, who supports the healers and their practitioners before, during and after the Ayahuasca ceremonies.
The Shaman connects with Pachamama using sacred tools around Cusco. Peru.
Essential tools that are being used for the Ayahuasca ceremony for health, safety and spiritual reasons.
As I travelled on my own, my main focus was to document the story with photographs.
We definitely need to dive deeper into the subject from the scientific point of view.
The Shaman sets the fire to burn the offerings buried under the ground that helps to connect with Pachamama. This type of ceremony is practiced once a year at the healing centre. Peru.
The Shaman, who introduced me to Ayahuasca a few hours before the first ceremony.
Medical trolley with the tools needed for a patients health and safety.
Imperial College, London.
First night of Ayahuasca ceremony. The nurse checks my blood pressure for safety reasons at the healing centre. Peru.
Fasting is crucial before the Ayahuasca ceremony.
First breakfast after two days of fasting.
Four weeks before the ceremony, I had to prepare my mind and body for the journey.
Mark. Scientist who currently works on psychedelic studies at Imperial College. London.
I became more conscious of my negative emotions which allowed me to control them and my daily mood improved.
This experience instantly killed my ego and taught me that life is more precious than I thought it was.
The medicine took me to the past and showed me my parents falling in love.
The electrical stimulation cap that is put on a patient’s head during psychedelic therapy to record the brain function. Imperial College, London.
It showed me my inner child.
I saw a lot of geometric figures and heard the voices Face your fears.
The visions continued for five to six hours and it felt like a never ending journey.
Yenny, who supports the healers and their practitioners before, during and after the Ayahuasca ceremonies. She plays an important role in the community as she speaks Spanish and English, she cooks and makes sure the environment is clean and safe for everyone at the healing centre. Peru.
My head was quiet and clear.
I felt like I was reborn and the real world became extremely beautiful.
Offerings given to the Shaman for the ceremony at the sacred place of healing.
Essential tools that are being used for the Ayahuasca ceremony for health, safety and spiritual reasons. Peru.
Janet with her husband during the ceremony, giving their offering to Pachamama and receiving blessing from the Shaman.
Baby alpaca fetus used as an offering during the ceremony.
Music and dance plays a crucial role in the shamanic culture.
Maestro. The Shaman, who introduced me to Ayahuasca a few hours before the first ceremony. Peru.
The Shaman searches for the best quality coca leaves to use for the ceremony.
Well-being room where psychedelic trials are examined on a patient.
Imperial College, London.
Medical trolley with the tools needed for a patient’s health and safety. Imperial College, London.
Until recently, I was very sceptical about this subject.
Since working on this project and after experiencing Ayahuasca myself, I have changed.
The ceremony gave me a stronger belief that this project must be developed further.
Fasting is crucial before the Ayahuasca ceremony. First breakfast after two days of fasting. It includes organic foods from the local farms and the Amazonian jungle itself to clean the body from toxins we consume on an everyday basis. Peru.
Sandra Mickiewicz is a Polish documentary and portrait photographer who lives and works in London.
In 2018, Sandra graduated from Middlesex University in London where she studied photography.
She is drawn into very ordinary and conventional moments in our everyday life.
The Shaman gives his gratitude to Pachamama and asks for his intentions with the help of coca leaves at the healing sacred place. Peru.
Her photographs were exhibited in the UK and internationally.
Sandra is fascinated about analogue photography.
She mainly shoots on medium format cameras and prints her own work in the darkroom.
Offerings given to the Shaman for the ceremony at the sacred place of healing. Peru.
She is influenced by photographers like Alec Soth, Diane Arbus and Marry Ellen Mark.
Janet with her husband during the ceremony, giving their offering to Pachamama and receiving blessing from the Shaman. Peru.
Baby alpaca fetus used as an offering during the ceremony.
Music and dance plays a crucial role in the shamanic culture. The Lord of Qoyllur Rit’i combines elements from Catholicism and worship of pre-Hispanic nature deities where Indigenous communities have blended Catholicism and their traditional beliefs. Peru.
The Shaman searches for the best quality coca leaves to use for the ceremony. Peru.
Well-being room where psychedelic trials are examined on a patient. Imperial College, London.
