World Ayahuasca Forum 2026: Uncomfortable Questions Left Behind the Scenes
Bringing together so many lineage holders, researchers, and practitioners in one space is a monumental effort. We tip our hats to the organizers of the World Ayahuasca Forum in Girona. Yet, it is precisely the scale of the event that obligates us to speak honestly: at the Forum, we critically lacked uncomfortable questions.
The second day of the event was open to paying attendees, but in practice, it turned into a series of monologues. A forum is a space for discussion, and discussion is impossible where one cannot ask a question that lacks a comfortable answer.
What Did Girona Keep Silent About?
Safety
We heard beautiful words about spiritual experiences, but where is the public conversation about screenings, emergency response protocols, protection against psychological abuse, and practitioner accountability?
The Law
What is the actual legal status of medicine in Europe today? What are the risks for participants and organizers? Why weren’t lawyers and government representatives sitting at the same table with practitioners for a rigorous, necessary analysis of the legal field?
Legitimacy
Who has the right to call themselves a facilitator today? This is a problem on both sides: the Westerner who puts on feathers after a month in the jungle, and the Amazonian representative who uses their heritage as a screen for a lack of real qualifications.
When practice becomes global, responsibility becomes global as well. ALUNA believes that the next Forum should not merely be a place for expressions of gratitude, but a working platform where sharp disagreements become the subject of solutions rather than silence.