Ayahuasca Treatment Outcome Project (ATOP): One-Year Results from Takiwasi Center and Implications for Psychedelic Science.
Brian Rush, Olivia Marcus, Sara García, Anja Loizaga-Velder, Ariane Spitalier, Fernando Mendive
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs September 1, 2024 DOI: 10.15288/jsad.23-00005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 52 |
| Population | Individuals in addiction rehabilitation at the Takiwasi Centre |
| Interventions | Ayahuasca-assisted integrative treatment program |
| Duration | 1-year follow-up |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Addiction-treatment Psychedelic-therapy Ayahuasca-healing Alternative-medicine Mental-health |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key findings | Participants showed significant reductions in alcohol and drug use severity, depression, and anxiety, and improvements in some quality-of-life dimensions one year after an ayahuasca-assisted integrative treatment program. |
Abstract
This article focuses on the outcomes at 1 year post-treatment of a naturalistic evaluation of services provided through the Takiwasi Centre, an accredited Peruvian therapeutic community offering an ayahuasca-assisted, integrative treatment program for addiction rehabilitation. Participants (n = 52) completed structured interviews and a battery of validated instruments. Outcome measures included the Addiction Severity Index (Version 5), the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Spiritual Religious and Personal Belief (WHOQOL-SRPB) scale. Likert rating scales were used to assess perceived importance and significance of different aspects of the program and overall participant satisfaction. The group change from baseline to the 1-year follow-up was significant and in the anticipated direction for alcohol and drug use severity, depression and anxiety, and some dimensions of quality of life. There was considerable individual variation in outcomes and treatment duration. The majority of participants rated all aspects of the program as important, including the spiritual and therapeutic significance of the ayahuasca experience, which was rated as very significant. Based on the positive 1-year outcomes, and within the limitations of an uncontrolled observational study design, the findings suggest promise for the effectiveness of the use of ayahuasca in a multifactorial treatment context for individuals with significant treatment histories, high levels of comorbidity, and treatment motivation. Results highlight considerable variation in individual experience that merit in-depth qualitative analysis. Implications for ayahuasca-assisted and other psychedelic-assisted treatment alternatives are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| The Psychedelic State Induced by Ayahuasca Modulates the Activity and Connectivity of the Default Mode Network Experienced subjects | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 10 |
| Human Psychopharmacology of Hoasca, A Plant Hallucinogen Used in Ritual Context in Brazil Long-term members of a syncretic church that uses hoasca as a psychoactive sacrament... | 1996 | Observational cohort with matched controls | n = 30 |
| Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Rural aboriginal population | 2013 | Observational study | |
| Personality, Psychopathology, Life Attitudes and Neuropsychological Performance among Ritual Users of Ayahuasca: A Longitudinal Study Regular ayahuasca users and active controls in non-ayahuasca religions | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 242 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Long-Term Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes Associated with Naturalistic Ayahuasca Consumption. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs February 20, 2025
- Preliminary results from a community-based ayahuasca-assisted mental health program among a Yaqui Indigenous population in Sonora, Mexico Journal of Psychedelic Studies January 24, 2025
- Psychedelics for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Narrative Review with Candidate Mechanisms of Action. CNS Drugs July 10, 2025
- Ancient medicine for a modern disease: traditional Amazonian medicine to treat substance use disorders. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse November 2, 2023
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems & Psychedelic Science: Towards Ethical and Reciprocal Collaboration. Journal of Psychopharmacology January 30, 2026
and 8 more in the library
Cites 19
- Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: A proof-of-concept study Journal of Psychopharmacology January 13, 2015
- Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial Psychological Medicine June 15, 2018
- Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse July 21, 2016
- Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder JAMA Psychiatry August 24, 2022
- Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for alcoholism: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Journal of Psychopharmacology March 8, 2012
and 14 more in the library