# 4 Sitaramaya Sita: Where It All Began

Host Jon Reiss opens up about his first ayahuasca experience with the ceremonialist who started him on his journey. In this episode of Plantscendence, we sit down with Sitaramaya Sita, the spiritual herbalist, pusangera, and plant wisdom practitioner who guided Jon’s very first entheogenic experience four years ago. Together they recount that initial ceremony, detailing both its ecstatic and challenging moments, and touching upon plant medicine’s role in fostering neuroplasticity and the creation of neural pathways. Sita tells the story of her chance first-encounter with plant medicine on Maui in 1997, and the two and a half decade journey that followed, including Sita’s extensive training with the indigenous Shipibo people of the Peruvian Amazon. The episode also addresses the escalating threats posed by deforestation, clear-cutting, and modern development, emphasizing the urgent need to protect the Amazon rainforest and preserve indigenous knowledge.

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