Medicine, religion and ayahuasca in Catalonia. Considering ayahuasca networks from a medical anthropology perspective
International Journal of Drug Policy October 18, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.07.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Medicalization Perspective graphical Medical anthropology Pluralism philosophy Indigenous Amazon rainforest Epistemology |
| Citations | 40 |
| Key points | Argues that ayahuasca use networks function as health care systems, and that the connection between religion and medicine in these contexts is difficult to separate. |
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage from the Amazon, traditionally used by indigenous and mestizo populations in the region. Widespread international use of the beverage began in the 1990s in both secular contexts and religious/spiritual networks. This article offers an analysis of these networks as health care systems in general and for the case of Spain and specifically Catalonia, describing the emergence and characteristics of their groups, and the therapeutic itineraries of some participants. The medical anthropology perspective we take enables us to reflect on the relationship between medicine and religion, and problematize the tensions between medicalization and medical pluralism. Closely linked to the process of medicalization, we also analyze prohibitionist drug policies and their tensions and conflicts with the use of ayahuasca in ritual and 'health care' contexts. The paper ends with a reflection on the problem of ayahuasca as 'medicine', since the connection between religion and medicine is a very difficult one to separate.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The globalization of ayahuasca: Harm reduction or benefit maximization? | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Towards psychedelic apprenticeship: Developing a gentle touch for the mediation and validation of psychedelic-induced insights and revelations. | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ayahuasca healing beyond the Amazon: the globalization of a traditional indigenous entheogenic practice | 2008 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 30
- Effects of ayahuasca on mental health and quality of life in naïve users: A longitudinal and cross-sectional study combination Scientific Reports March 5, 2020
- Ayahuasca and Public Health: Health Status, Psychosocial Well-Being, Lifestyle, and Coping Strategies in a Large Sample of Ritual Ayahuasca Users Journal of Psychoactive Drugs February 7, 2019
- Psychological variables implied in the therapeutic effect of ayahuasca: A contextual approach Psychiatry Research April 4, 2018
- Effects of ayahuasca and its alkaloids on substance use disorders: an updated (2016-2020) systematic review of preclinical and human studies. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience June 1, 2022
- 'Everybody's creating it along the way': ethical tensions among globalized ayahuasca shamanisms and therapeutic integration practices. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 2023
and 25 more in the library
Cites 19
- Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry March 1, 2015
- Human Psychopharmacology of Hoasca, A Plant Hallucinogen Used in Ritual Context in Brazil The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease February 1, 1996
- Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Current Drug Abuse Reviews June 1, 2013
- Personality, Psychopathology, Life Attitudes and Neuropsychological Performance among Ritual Users of Ayahuasca: A Longitudinal Study PLoS One August 8, 2012
- Risk assessment of ritual use of oral dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmala alkaloids Addiction December 20, 2006
and 14 more in the library