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Subjective time under altered states of consciousness in ayahuasca users in shamanistic rituals involving music

A.p.s. Campagnoli, L.a.s. Pereira, José Lino Oliveira Bueno

Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research June 20, 2020 DOI: 10.1590/1414-431x20209278 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Double-blind study Peer reviewed
Sample size 9
Population Healthy volunteers experienced in shamanistic ayahuasca rituals
Intervention Ayahuasca
Dose 20 to 60 mL
Topics Ayahuasca LSD Altered states of consciousness
Keywords Hallucinogen Perception Context archaeology Consciousness Audiology
Citations 11
Key points Ayahuasca ingestion resulted in less temporal distortion during reproduction of 20-second musical stimuli compared to no ingestion, with mean reproductions closer to the actual stimulus duration.

Abstract

Ayahuasca is described as a hallucinogenic substance whose property is to alter the subjective experience of time and impair the perception of the passage of time during stimuli of more than two to three seconds. The dose-dependent effects of two concentrations of ayahuasca in the ritualistic context were investigated employing temporal reproduction tasks in participants experienced in shamanistic ayahuasca rituals. The study was conducted on nine healthy volunteers who ingested two doses of ayahuasca at two times during a ritual session. The doses of each session, consumed in amounts ranging from 20 to 60 mL, were either of low concentration or of experimental ayahuasca according to a double-blind procedure. Participants performed the task of immediately listening and reproducing, with a laptop, 20-s musical stimuli during the session. The results showed that significant temporal distortion was triggered by the musical stimulus presented without the ingestion of ayahuasca, with means of 16.33 to 16.52 s. There were minor temporal distortions after ingestion of ayahuasca: a mean of 17.91 s for control ayahuasca and of 18.38 s for experimental ayahuasca. These results with less temporal distortion among participants with ayahuasca intake disagree with other studies of hallucinogens involving temporal reproduction.

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on ayahuasca, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial Patients with treatment-resistant depression 2018 Randomized controlled trial n = 29
Human Pharmacology of Ayahuasca: Subjective and Cardiovascular Effects, Monoamine Metabolite Excretion, and Pharmacokinetics Volunteers with prior experience in the use of psychedelics 2003 Double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial n = 18
Subjective effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers Healthy male volunteers with prior experience using ayahuasca 2001 Single-blind crossover placebo-controlled clinical trial n = 6
Increased frontal and paralimbic activation following ayahuasca, the pan-amazonian inebriant Male volunteers with prior experience in the use of psychedelics 2006 Randomized controlled trial n = 15
Human brain effects of DMT assessed via EEG-fMRI. Healthy volunteers 2023 Within-subjects, placebo-controlled design n = 20

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Ayahuasca LSD Altered states of consciousness Addiction Philosophy of mind