'Kentucky Ayahuasca': How a former bank robber and his controversial church found spirituality in a Schedule I drug

Aya Quest, a family-run church, is the focus of the new Viceland series which shows how Ayahuasca is being used to heal people suffering from depression, addiction and abuse
UPDATED NOV 28, 2018

In the still of the night in a remote cabin near a lake in Kentucky, the sound of people screaming their lungs out could be heard loud and clear. This isn't a story of death. Instead, it's a story of rebirth. This is the story of how an ex-convict found himself after meeting a South American shaman in prison and how a drink that has been used by shamans for centuries in rituals can be used to make people discover who they truly are.

Jose screamed to let out all his anger and all he felt was blocking his emotions. He screamed to create ripples in the sky and to spiritually cleanse his soul of everything that was holding him back. The profound experience that participants of this spiritual quest go through is what awaits anyone who watches Viceland's new documentary series.

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