Ayahuasca users often report receiving “messages” or a silent “voice” experienced as coming from an external instance that is neither the self nor other humans present. Building on Diament, Gomes, and Tófoli’s notion of a “plant third party,” we rename this phenomenon the plant third to foreground the field in which alterity is encountered. We first read the plant third through Lacanian...
This study examines psychedelic integration among Brazilian users by validating a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Psychedelic Integration Scales (PIS), developed through translation and cultural adaptation to ensure relevance and applicability within the Brazilian sociocultural context. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1379 participants recruited online. Confirmatory Factor...
Mystical experiences are commonly described in the context of psychedelic use and other forms of expanded states of consciousness. Although the Mystical Orientation Scale Revised (MOSR) has been used in international studies, no Brazilian Portuguese version had been tested to date. This exploratory study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and examine the psychometric properties of the MOSR...
INTRODUCTION: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a prevalent health issue that affects individuals globally. Research is currently being conducted on the potential use of psychedelics as a new approach to treating SUDs. Women have been shown to respond differently than men to SUDs treatments and women-specific approaches have been recommended. This scoping review explores the ways in which...
Psychotria viridis Ruiz & Pav. has gained significant attention due to its role in the preparation of ayahuasca. This study aimed to improve the understanding of the specialized metabolite profile in P. viridis leaves and to evaluate how growing conditions and seasonality impact this composition. The specimens were grown either in the open field or in the shaded environment of rubber tree...
This study aimed to validate and culturally adapt the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (OAV) and Five Dimensional-Altered States of Consciousness Questionnaire (5D-ASC) for Brazilian Portuguese to measure altered states of consciousness in the context of psychedelic research. A parallel back-translation model was employed with expert reviews to ensure linguistic and cultural...
Mindfulness improves mental health and clinical conditions including psychosis and modulates attentional processes including salience-the automatic direction of attention to prominent elements. Aberrant salience-the exaggerated significance attribution to perceived elements-is associated with psychotic experiences, but its interactions with mindfulness remain unexplored. This...
Abstract In this article, we provide a genealogy of the concept of integration and a discussion of the multiplicity of practices it encompasses in the field of psychedelic medicine. Reflecting on our observations of psychedelic integration practices, we make three key observations. The first is that integration services tend to focus on the individual, at the expense of considering how societal...
This study is a survey-type, cross-sectional study conducted in Brazil (n = 517), with online data collection taking place from April to June 2022. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the death anxiety in users and non-users of psychedelics. To this end, we also assessed the validity and reliability of the Death Anxiety Scale in Brazil. The following instruments were used for data...
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) in a Brazilian sample. We analyzed spiritual well-being, defined as existential well-being (EWB) and religious well-being (RWB), among individuals with varying religious and spiritual experiences, both users and non-users of psychedelics. The online cross-sectional survey was conducted in Brazil, from...
Ayahuasca is a decoction native to the Amazon, where it plays a central role in the traditional medicine of many local cultures and has expanded internationally over the last decades. Ayahuasca has also attracted the interest of scientists for its potential benefits on mental health, but its adverse effects are under-researched. We analyzed data from the Global Ayahuasca Survey, including...
Emerging evidence indicates that ayahuasca consumption may have beneficial mental health effects. This study undertakes the largest analysis to date of associations between naturalistic ayahuasca use and current mental health status via an online cross-sectional survey. The sample included 7,576 participants (average age 41, 47% female) who had consumed ayahuasca in religious, traditional, or...
This essay examines the combination of psychoanalytic therapy and psychedelic substances in mid-20th century Argentina. Through document analysis, it examines the intersection of psychedelics and psychoanalysis, drawing from historical texts and writings by local psychoanalysts to develop a comprehensive understanding of the distinctive clinical practices and therapeutic approaches in the...
Ayahuasca is a brew with psychoactive properties that has been used as an entheogen for centuries, with more recent studies suggesting it is a promising treatment for some clinical disorders. Although there is an emerging scientific literature on its effects, to the best of our knowledge no study has explored the self-reported experiences of first-time ayahuasca users with quantitative textual...
Background: In the context of increasing scientific interest in the potential therapeutic use of psychedelic agents and their underlying psychotherapeutic mechanisms, we undertake the first detailed assessment of insights and life and lifestyle changes associated with ayahuasca consumption. Methods: An international cross-sectional study of ayahuasca drinkers in a variety of settings was...
Abstract Ayahuasca is a brew with psychoactive properties that has been used as an entheogen for centuries, with more recent studies suggesting it is a promising treatment for some clinical disorders. Although there is an emerging scientific literature on its effects, to the best of our knowledge no study has explored the self-reported experiences of first-time ayahuasca users with quantitative...
Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychoactive plant medicine being explored for its potential therapeutic uses in Western contexts. Preliminary studies link ayahuasca use with improvements across a range of mental health indicators, but studies have not yet explored qualitative aspects of the post-treatment process known in the psychedelic literature as “integration”. This includes how participants...
For a century, psychedelics have been investigated as models of psychosis for demonstrating phenomenological similarities with psychotic experiences and as therapeutic models for treating depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. This study sought to explore this paradoxical relationship connecting key parameters of the psychotic experience, psychotherapy, and psychedelic experience. In...
Language has been explored as a window into the mind. Psychedelics, known to affect perception and cognition, seem to change language, but a systematic, time-dependent exploration is lacking. Therefore, we aimed at mapping the psychedelic effects on language over the time course of the acute and sub-acute effects in an explorative manner. For this, 24 healthy volunteers (age [mean±SD, range]:...
The therapeutic potential of the psychedelic brew ayahuasca has been investigated in preclinical and clinical studies. Currently, the most consistent evidence refers to depression. However, various studies suggest that ayahuasca may comprise therapeutic benefits in other health conditions. This narrative review provides a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of ayahuasca's therapeutic effects in...
The validated scale showed solid psychometric properties, with potential differences in factor structure in relation to the English version. Considering validation is an ongoing process, it is recommended that studies be conducted comparing ego dissolution scores across distinct substances and different regions of the country.
Recent studies have recognized the importance of non-pharmacological factors such as setting to induce or promote mystical experiences or challenging experiences among ayahuasca users. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the setting in which ayahuasca is consumed and the intensity of mystical and challenging experiences considering three ayahuasca using traditions (União do...
ABSTRACT This research qualitatively investigated four treatments for addiction in Brazil that use ibogaine as the main tool in the process. Ibogaine is a substance derived from an African plant, Tabernanthe iboga, traditionally used in its region of origin and which leads to intense sensations during its acute effects and also different experiences of oneself and the surrounding world in the...
Stream of thought describes the nature of the mind when it is freely roaming, a mental state that is continuous and highly dynamic as in mind-wandering or free association. Classic serotonergic psychedelics are known to profoundly impact perception, cognition and language, yet their influence on the stream of thought remains largely unexplored. To elucidate the effects of LSD on the stream of...