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Altered States of Consciousness and Short-Term Psychological After-Effects Induced by the First Time Ritual Use of Ayahuasca in an Urban Context in Brazil

Paulo César Ribeiro Barbosa, Joel Sales Giglio, Paulo Dalgalarrondo

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs June 1, 2005 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2005.10399801 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort Peer reviewed
Sample size 28
Population First-time ayahuasca users in Santo Daime and União do Vegetal rituals
Intervention Ayahuasca
Duration One to four days before first ayahuasca experience and one to two weeks after
Topics Ayahuasca Altered states of consciousness
Keywords Consciousness Hallucinogen Mental health Context archaeology Suggestibility Clinical psychology Psychotherapist
Citations 121
Key findings First-time ritual ayahuasca use was associated with predominantly positive expectancies, salient altered states of consciousness, reduced minor psychiatric symptoms in the Santo Daime group, and self-reported behavioral changes toward assertiveness, serenity, and joy.

Abstract

This report describes psychological assessments of the first time ritual use of ayahuasca in the religious groups União do Vegetal and Santo Daime. Nineteen subjects who tried the beverage in Santo Daime rituals and nine subjects who tried it in União do Vegetal rituals were evaluated one to four days before their first ayahuasca experience in life and one to two weeks after this experience. Semistructured interviews and a structured psychiatric scale were used in the first evaluation to elicit set variables concerning attitudes towards the ayahuasca experience and to elicit mental health status. Mental health status was reassessed in the second evaluation, which also included a semistructured interview concerning the phenomenology of altered states of consciousness (ASCs). Predominantly positive expectancies concerning the ayahuasca experience were the most prominent findings concerning set variables. Visual phenomena, numinousness, peacefulness, insights and a distressing reaction were the most salient ASC experiences. A significant reduction of the intensity of minor psychiatric symptoms occurred in the Santo Daime group after the hallucinogen experience. Subjects in both groups reported behavioral changes towards assertiveness, serenity and vivacity/joy. The set and setting hypothesis, suggestibility processes, as well as the supposed unique effects of ayahuasca are used in discussing these findings.

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

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Ayahuasca Altered states of consciousness Philosophy of mind