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Purging to Cleanse: A Qualitative Study of Ayahuasca Healing at a Drug Treatment Center in Peru.

Svět Lustig Vijay, Magdalena Harris, Fabio Friso, Matteo Politi

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs September 1, 2024 DOI: 10.15288/jsad.22-00429 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size 11
Population Curanderos (healers), plant preparers, and psychotherapists at the Takiwasi Center in Peru
Intervention Ayahuasca
Duration Between August and October 2021
Topics Ayahuasca
Keywords Traditional-medicine Psychedelic-therapy Indigenous-healing Amazon-rainforest
Citations 1
Key findings Practitioners at the Takiwasi Center describe purging during ayahuasca rituals through three explanatory models—spiritual, Amazonian, and clinical—all of which emphasize its pivotal interconnection with healing during treatment for substance dependence.

Abstract

Ayahuasca, an entheogen from the Amazon rainforest, has garnered growing interest for treating substance dependence. To date, there is little research concerning the act of ayahuasca-related purging (mainly vomiting), which is considered to be central to healing during ayahuasca rituals. This study explored practitioner perspectives on purging during ayahuasca rituals at the Takiwasi Center in Peru. We conducted in-depth interviews with curanderos (healers), plant preparers, and psychotherapists (N = 11) at the Takiwasi Center between August and October 2021. Interviews were conducted and transcribed in Spanish. Interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Participants described purging as a fluid concept that went beyond the act of vomiting. Participant narratives around purging were organized into three central themes or accounts: spiritual-oriented, which highlighted the relationship between purging and spiritual development; Amazonian-oriented, which emphasized purging as a cathartic expulsion of embodied cargas (loads) that are perceived to lead to sickness; and clinical-oriented, which stressed that purging generates a range of empirically observable therapeutic benefits. All of these explanatory models emphasized the pivotal interconnection between purging and healing during ayahuasca-assisted treatment for substance dependence at Takiwasi. This study highlights practitioner perspectives on purging at the Takiwasi Center, who offer three main explanatory models for this aspect of healing during ayahuasca-assisted therapy for substance dependence. This research contributes to the limited literature on the role of purging in ayahuasca-related healing, which may inform further investigation into differential understandings of the role of purging for therapeutic benefits.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The antipodes Of the mind Indigenous people, shamans, members of different religious sects using Ayahuasca, and... 2002 Qualitative study
Drug Tourism or Spiritual Healing? Ayahuasca Seekers in Amazonia Westerners participating in an ayahuasca retreat in Amazonia 2005 Qualitative study
Therapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca Use in the Treatment of Substance Dependence—Qualitative Results Therapists, expert researchers, and individuals who underwent ayahuasca-assisted... 2014 Qualitative study n = 29
Nourishing the Spirit: Exploratory Research on Ayahuasca Experiences along the Continuum of Recovery from Eating Disorders Individuals previously diagnosed with an eating disorder 2017 Qualitative study n = 16
Exploring ayahuasca‐assisted therapy for addiction: A qualitative analysis of preliminary findings among an Indigenous community in Canada Indigenous adults in Canada who participated in ayahuasca-assisted ceremonial retreats 2019 Qualitative study n = 11

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Ayahuasca Addiction Shamanism