Indigenous healers in the Peruvian Amazon use tobacco therapeutically, but this practice has been largely ignored by clinical research. A pilot field study assessed 27 patients before and after a weeklong treatment by a traditional healer specialized in tobacco. Validated self-report scales showed significant reductions in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and general symptom indicators. Patients reported initial physical discomfort followed by psychologically or spiritually significant insights. The findings suggest a sophisticated therapeutic approach based on Indigenous knowledge that warrants further investigation, contributing to research on therapeutic uses of psychoactive plants.
A controlled trial compared a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention with no intervention in young adults. The MBSR group (38 participants) received eight sessions, while the control group (40 participants) received none. Measures of psychological well-being, insomnia response to stress, postural awareness, and mindfulness were taken before, after, and at a three-month follow-up. The MBSR group showed significant improvements in sleep quality, psychological distress, physical symptoms, and postural control awareness compared to controls, with some effects maintained at follow-up. Postural awareness correlated with the frequency of self-practice of the MBSR protocol, suggesting the intervention can positively affect stress-related symptoms and psychophysical health in young adults.