Yep, you're right about exercising dietary caution with MAOIs and that each person should do research about which compounds are and aren't safe to combine. It seemed a bit outside the scope of this article so I suggest checking out erowid.org if anyone needs more exact information.
Incomplete lists here, but a good start:
- Drugs to avoid: https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/maois/maois_info3.shtml
- Foods to avoid: https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/maois/maois_info2.shtml
From what I've read, the harmala alakloids found in ayahuasca admixture plants (Banisteriopsis caapi and the less traditional Peganum harmala) are reversible MAOIs and don't pose as much of a danger compared to non-reversible, pharmaceutical MAOIs. So, you probably can still eat small amounts of aged cheese and fermented foods prior to a ceremony, but the small risk of a hypertensive crisis is still relevant enough that it's prudent to exercise caution.
As for DMT vs. ketamine, they are very, very different. DMT blasts you to another dimension, seemingly, and ketamine takes you inward to the single point of your own consciousness. "Holing" on ketamine can be just as deep and visual (especially when dosing the S isomer) as DMT. Here's one of my favorite trip reports if you're interested: https://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=11455
Great point about the Beckley Foundation! That ties in really well to the point about psychedelics (potentially) being tools rather than toys. For the sake of harm reduction I don't want to condone using mind-altering drugs when depressed, but in my own case doing so was instrumental in helping me find my way out of the dark, oppressive room that was my own mood disorder. Anecdotally, there are many examples of psychedelics enabling people to understand and work through personal problems, but you're right that we still need much, much more research confirming this empirically.
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment, I really appreciate it!