Translational reinterpretation of ancestral healing rituals: Structured physiological modulation through adaptive biological responses.
Explore (New York, N.Y.) January 1, 2025 João Francisco Pollo Gaspary, Alfred Lee Edgar, Fernanda Peron Gaspary et al.
Ancestral healing rituals, long viewed as symbolic cultural practices, may function as structured behavioral interventions that trigger adaptive physiological responses. This study reinterprets these rituals through redox biology, systems physiology, and bioenergetic modulation. Using systematic reviews and heuristic triangulation, the authors developed the APEIC model (Adaptive Psychoneuroendocrineimmunometabolic Cascade), which explains how ritual practices—such as meditation, fasting, and celebration—rhythmically modulate proton gradients, redox balance, and metabolic flexibility, synchronizing psychoneuroendocrine, immune, and metabolic systems. Endogenous DMT is proposed as a potential biomarker of integrative coherence. The model offers a conceptual foundation for non-pharmacological health strategies rooted in ancestral behavioral intelligence.