At the turn of the twentieth century there is a growing interest in Eastern religions and philosophies among Western intellectuals. Some authors from this period and also contemporary ones point out that Buddhism is not characterized as a religion, nor a philosophy. Zen Buddhism presents itself as a methodology for training the mind in pursuit of personal development. In the middle of the last...
Systemic psychological therapy takes place in a relational context, where the subjectivities of the consultants and the therapists interact. Traditional research has focused more on the characteristics of the consultants than on the subjectivity of the therapist. Hence, "third person" perspectives have been privileged. The few studies that investigate the subjectivity of the therapist resort to...
The present study explored the phenomenological characteristics of anomalous experiences (AEs) reported during Umbanda rituals, a mediumistic Brazilian religion, with the aim of comparing AEs reported during rituals involving the use of Ayahuasca (an entheogen frequently used in some Umbanda contexts) and rituals without the use of this substance. In order to do so, we compared individuals with...
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive drink of Amazonian origin prepared from vine known as jagube and/or mariri (Banisteriopsis caapi) and chacrona bush (Psychotria viridis). Its cultural and ritualistic use have been recognized from millennia by indigenous ethnic groups in the Western Amazon and gained worldwide influence in the 1980s through the expansion of it religious use. In the biomedical field,...