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Psilocybin and the Meaning Response: Exploring the Healing Process in a Retreat Setting in Jamaica

María de Ángeles Equihua Orozco, Shana Harris

Anthropology of Consciousness August 14, 2022 DOI: 10.1111/anoc.12162 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Ethnography Peer reviewed
Population Guests at a psilocybin retreat center in Jamaica
Intervention Psilocybin
Topics Psilocybin
Keywords Consciousness Meaning existential Liminality Mental health Hallucinogen Psychotherapist Ethnography Aesthetics Psychoanalysis
Citations 10
Key findings Guests at a psilocybin retreat center undergo a symbolic healing process that involves constructing a meaning response based on internal and collective experiences of altered consciousness, with the retreat and psychedelic experience acting as a liminal state that leads to different modes of relation.

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the past decade, the consumption of psilocybin mushrooms has become a popular therapeutic tool for people looking to deal with mental and emotional health issues. The emerging interest in psilocybin therapy in the global north has led to the development of retreat centers in locations where psilocybin is legal or unregulated. Drawing on ethnographic research at a psilocybin retreat center in Jamaica, this article examines the emotional and somatic reactions attributed to psilocybin that influence the social interactions and the mental and emotional state of the guests at this retreat center. We argue that guests go through a symbolic healing process that involves the construction of a meaning response based on internal and collective experiences of altered consciousness via psilocybin. Additionally, we emphasize how both attending the retreat and the psychedelic experience there can be considered a liminal state that leads to different modes of relation while in Jamaica.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on psilocybin, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Patients with treatment-resistant depression enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin 2017 Qualitative study n = 20
Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Adults aged 22 to 69 with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis 2017 Qualitative study n = 13
Psychedelic therapy for smoking cessation: Qualitative analysis of participant accounts Participants who completed a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation pilot study 2018 Qualitative follow-up study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis n = 12
Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD Cluster headache patients who used psilocybin or LSD 2006 Qualitative study n = 53
Cancer at the Dinner Table: Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer-Related Distress Adult participants with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis 2017 Qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis n = 13

Citations in the library

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Psilocybin Altered states of consciousness Psychedelic-assisted therapy