AYAHUASCA E O INEFÁVEL

NEUROCIÊNCIA, ARTE VISIONÁRIA, INCONSCIENTE E ESPIRITUALIDADE AMERÍNDIA

Abstract

The experience with ayahuasca and non-ordinary states of consciousness involves symbolic visions, access to the unconscious, and an altered perception of reality. Its metaphysical nature challenges conventional categories of language and representation, often being described as ineffable. Although art, in any context, possesses a degree of ineffability, visionary art that seeks to express these experiences faces even greater challenges, as it attempts to translate dynamic and subjective content that escapes traditional symbolic structures. Participants in ayahuasca rituals report visions of sacred geometries, cosmic unity, unconditional love, and encounters with divine entities or shadow aspects of the psyche. None of these perceptions can be faithfully represented due to cognitive, conceptual, and technical limitations. Renowned artists such as Pablo Amaringo and Alex Grey have attempted to capture the pictorial aspects of these experiences, developing a visual language that dialogues with the mysteries of the unconscious and the divine. The psychiatrist Nise da Silveira, in parallel, demonstrated how art can serve as a therapeutic tool for accessing deep contents of the psyche, something that resonates with Jungian thought and the work of researchers like Stanislav Grof and Terence McKenna. The relationship between visionary art, the unconscious, and counterculture suggests that these representations function as bridges between human subjectivity and expanded states of consciousness. Emerging technologies, such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, are explored as possible means to deepen the understanding of these experiences and make them more accessible to the general public, though they also face limitations in capturing their complexity and splendor. Despite the continuous efforts of major contemporary artists and scientists, the ayahuasca experience continues to challenge the limits of language and human cognition, consolidating itself as an Amerindian ancestral biotechnology of great medical, spiritual, aesthetic, and philosophical relevance.