The fellowship of the river

Western medicine has not been particularly successful at getting people relief from conditions like depression, chronic pain, migraine headaches, addiction, and PTSD. Dr. Tafur helps us to understand why.

I have watched people spend years in frustration and thousands of dollars consulting an army of specialists, without getting real relief from their problem. Because these and others are diseases deeply connected with the state of our emotional bodies. Too often, the Western medical approach fails to address the emotional dimension of illness. This is where traditional plant medicines, with their ability to alter consciousness and open channels of communication to our emotions, offer so much promise.

The stories shared here demonstrate the astonishing—mystical, colorful, metaphysical—effects of ayahuasca and Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine. Follow Dr. Tafur through the Amazon jungle as he develops a breakthrough understanding of how psychoactive plants interact with the complex network that connects our minds and hearts to our physical anatomy. What Dr. Tafur presents here is nothing short of a paradigm shift for modern medicine, where sacred plants, used properly in ceremony, take their place as important tools in the doctor’s medicine chest, offering the missing elements of emotional and spiritual healing that have eluded us for so long. 

Editorial Reviews

“This is the medicine of the future, the big answer to what ails us in the West. For millennia the doctor and the medicine man were one and the same person. Dr. Tafur takes us into the heart of the Amazon and shows us how spirit can heal the body, how love can repair the soul, and how awakening to our higher purpose and mission in life can open the doors to health and long life. Brilliant!” 

- Alberto Villoldo, PhD, bestselling author of Shaman, Healer, Sage and One Spirit Medicine

“Dr. Tafur's timely book takes us on an enchanted adventure through the emerging world of Amazonian shamanism. All along the way, he engages the reader with personal stories that illuminate his exciting and evolving philosophy of medicine and healing.” 

- Andrew Weil, MD, bestselling author of Spontaneous Healing and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health

“A medical doctor’s fascinating account of his exploration of Amazonian medicine. This book bridges two worlds, science and shamanism, and assesses the healing potential of Amazonian plants and techniques for conditions such as depression, PTSD, psoriasis, emotional trauma, migraine and Crohn’s disease. The writing is clear, and the tone is humble and frank”.

- Jeremy Narby, PhD author of The Cosmic Serpent and Intelligence in Nature 

“This book makes a strong case for the synergetic fusion of modern and traditional medicine to create a newer, more powerful paradigm that recognizes the primacy of the human mind in healing. This partnership of the two, he shows, is especially powerful in the treatment of conditions long considered to be beyond the reach of conventional medicine.” 

- Dennis J. McKenna, PhD Assistant Professor, Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota author of The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna

“Joe Tafur offers a long awaited sensitive and honest demystification of the importance of considering alternative therapies in healing and in particular ayahuasca’s powerful medicine. He does not romanticize its properties or the practice, giving the medicine a solid foundation in its rightful place amongst healing alternatives. Alongside careful scientific research, he offers solutions to real-life issues.” 

- Mbali Marais, traditional healer, and founder of Return to Origin. 

"Much has been written in recent years about ayahuasca, the Amazonian brew that evokes visions and insights. Less has been written about its 
healing potentials, but Joe Tafur, M.D., has filled the void with his remarkable book. Dr. Tafur provides an authoritative explanation for 
ayahuasca's cures by drawing on data from neuroscience, psychology, and what is known about mind/body interactions. He also candidly 
points out the brew's dangers and limitations, noting that ayahuasca is no panacea. The importance of this book cannot be underestimated; 
the suggestions given for medicine, psychotherapy, and spiritual awakening could transform institutions and societies as well as 
individuals and their families." 

- Stanley Krippner, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Saybrook University. Co-author Demystifying Shamans And Their World