“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 (www.returntoorigin.org.za)

"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

Dr. Joe Tafur is a Colombian-American family physician raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Throughout his medical career he has been an integrative medicine activist. As part of his exploration into holistic healthcare, he spent two years in academic research at the University of California, San Diego, department of psychiatry in a lab focused on mind-body medicine.

After his research fellowship, over a period of six years, he lived and worked in the Peruvian Amazon at the traditional healing center Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual. There he worked closely with master Shipibo shaman Ricardo Amaringo and trained in Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine. At the center, Dr. Tafur completed traditional apprenticeship in ayahuasca shamanism. During those years at Nihue Rao, he assisted hundreds of individuals from all over the world as they went through traditional healing with Amazonian plant medicines and ayahuasca ceremony. He is both doctor and shaman.

Dr. Tafur is committed to healing work and to education. He is passionate about bridging the worlds of medical science and spiritual healing, and hopes to promote this work through lectures and educational programs. With his brother Mario and friends, he has founded the non-profit organization Modern Spirit, which focuses on demonstrating the value of spiritual healing in modern healthcare through, among other avenues, educational programs for healthcare practitioners. If you are interested in supporting this work or having Dr. Tafur consult with your organization, please visit their website modernspirit.org. Dr. Tafur's independent work is further described at his personal website drjoetafur.com.