Ancient medicine for a modern disease: traditional Amazonian medicine to treat substance use disorders.
Fernando Mendive, Cecile Giovannetti, Sara García Arce
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse November 2, 2023 DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2023.2264466 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Descriptive case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | People with substance use disorders receiving residential treatment at Takiwasi Center |
| Interventions | Traditional Amazonian medicine techniques modern psychotherapy |
| Topics | Addiction Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Adicción Espiritualidad Experiencias místicas Medicina psicodélica Mental health Mystical experiences Nature therapy Psychedelic medicine Salud mental Spirituality Terapia de naturaleza Transcultural Natural medicine Holistic healing Drug rehabilitation Integ |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | The Takiwasi Center's intercultural treatment model, integrating traditional Amazonian medicine with modern psychotherapy, shows significant improvements in mental health indicators for people with substance use disorders. |
Abstract
Background: There exists an underexploited opportunity to develop innovative therapeutic approaches to SUDs based upon the complementarity between modern and traditional health systems.Objectives: Illustrate the feasibility and potentiality of such an approach through the comprehensive description of Takiwasi Center's treatment model and program, where health concepts and practices from traditional Amazonian medicine work synergistically with modern psychotherapy and medicine in an intercultural dialog to assist in the rehabilitation of people suffering from SUDs.Methods: The description was built from a review of the literature, institutional data, participatory observation and unstructured interviews with staff, researchers and patients during treatment.Results: Since the foundation of the Takiwasi Center in 1992 in the peruvian Amazon, more than a thousand patients with different socio-cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds have received residential treatment. We present how traditional Amazonian medicine techniques and health concepts cooperate to complement modern psychology in a therapeutic community setting and propose some hypotheses about the neurobiological, psycho-emotional and spiritual healing mechanisms triggered by the program to help people identify and heal the roots of their substance misuse and addictive behavior. We also summarize quantitative outcomes during treatment showing significant improvements in a wide variety of mental health indicators.Conclusion: Takiwasi Center's program is an option for people seeking non-conventional treatment who are sensitive to traditional Amazonian medicine practices and ready to explore the roots of their addiction. From this intercultural approach, some lessons could emerge toward a broader understanding of SUDs that may result in better patient care.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on ayahuasca for addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychosis induced by abuse of ayahuasca: a case report. A patient who had a psychotic episode after taking ayahuasca | 2021 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Therapeutic Effects of Ceremonial Ayahuasca Use for Methamphetamine Use Disorders and Other Mental Health Challenges: Case Studies in an Indigenous Community in Sonora, Mexico. Members of the Yaqui tribe residing in Sonora, Mexico | 2023 | Case series (part of an ongoing observational study) | n = 3 |
| Ayahuasca rituals for the treatment of substance use disorders: Three narratives of former patients of a neo‐shamanic center from Uruguay Former patients with substance use disorders at a neo-shamanic center in Uruguay | 2024 | Case study | n = 3 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Ayahuasca Treatment Outcome Project (ATOP): One-Year Results from Takiwasi Center and Implications for Psychedelic Science. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs September 1, 2024
- Insights from the psychedelic experience integration session: Verbatims differentiate 3-month abstinence in alcohol use disorder with depressive symptoms Journal of Affective Disorders January 19, 2026
- Sombras, introspección y rescate interior: un estudio de caso sobre el uso de psilocibina en contexto doméstico JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH August 6, 2024
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