has opened up about an experience with ayahuasca which had him fearing his money and career would be taken from him.
The actor, 53, was a guest on David Letterman’s latest series of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, , where Will slapped comedian on stage.
Will told David about a horrific psychological experience he had had while taking ayahuasca on a retreat.
He revealed that he had taken the plant-based psychedelic 14 times over a two-year period, explaining that during the trip, it isn’t like hallucinating as ‘both realities are 100 percent present.’
Will added: ‘Once you drink it you’re going to see yourself in a way you’ve never seen yourself,’ and he ‘literally cried’ when he had to go back for the second day of the journey.
Explaining his worst trip, Will revealed: ‘One of the experiences was the individual most hellish psychological experience of my life.
‘I drank, and it usually takes about 45 minutes to kick in. And I’m sitting there and you always feel like, “Maybe it won’t kick in this time.” So I’m drinking and sitting there and then all of a sudden it’s like I start seeing all of my money flying away, and my house is flying away and my career is going away.
‘I’m like “argh” and I’m trying to like grab for my money and my career. My whole life is getting destroyed.’
The King Richard star was experiencing his greatest real-life fear played out in the vision, adding: ‘This is my fear in real life, and I’m in there and I’m wanting to vomit and all of that, and I hear a voice saying: “This is what the f**k it is. This is what the f**k life is.”
‘And I’m going [panting] “Oh s**t”, and I hear Willow screaming “Daddy, help me! Daddy! How come you won’t help me?” And I’m like “I don’t see you baby”. The shaman is like “relax, relax, relax” and she tells me to sit up.
‘Then slowly I stopped caring about my money, I just wanted to get to Willow. I stopped caring about my house, I stopped caring about my career. And I get to the point where I settled down and the voice is still at 100 percent, I still hear Willow screaming, my money is still flying away but I’m going [breathes deeply], and I’m totally calm even though there’s hell going on in my mind.’
Will revealed that the hellish experience helped him make a profound realisation, despite being torture at the time.
He explained: ‘When I came out of it, I realised that anything that happens in my life, I can handle it.
‘I can handle any person I lose, I can handle anything that goes wrong in my life, I can handle anything in my marriage. I can handle anything that this life has to offer me.’
David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction is available on Netflix now.
