Brazilian Ayahuasca religions in perspective
Sérgio Brissac, Lyzette Goes Telles Brissac
April 8, 2016 DOI: 10.4324/9781315538501-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography |
|---|---|
| Population | Urban Brazilian participants of the União do Vegetal (UDV) in Campinas, Brazil |
| Duration | 15 years of observation up to the present, with specific field research in 1998 |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Perspective graphical Anthropology Visual arts |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | The author interprets the symbolic experience of urban Brazilian UDV participants who consume ayahuasca (Hoasca) as a central religious practice. |
Abstract
The author focuses on the anthropological observation of Unio do Vegetal (UDV), which he started 15 years ago and continues up to the present, as well as on field research that he carried out in 1998 in the UDV unit called Nucleus Alto das Cordilheiras, in Campinas. It was the basis of author's Master's thesis in social anthropology the city of Campinas is situated in the State of Sao Paulo, southeast of Brazil, in one of the country's most economically developed and industrialized regions. The author seeks to reach an interpretation of the symbolic experience of the urban Brazilian participants of the UDV. Hoasca is the name given by the participants of UDV to ayahuasca, simply named 'the Vegetal', a tea with psychoactive properties made from the concoction of the leaves of Psychotria viridis, which they call chacrona, with the vine Banisteriopsis caapi, known as mariri.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The antipodes Of the mind Indigenous people, shamans, members of different religious sects using Ayahuasca, and... | 2002 | Qualitative study | |
| Drug Tourism or Spiritual Healing? Ayahuasca Seekers in Amazonia Westerners participating in an ayahuasca retreat in Amazonia | 2005 | Qualitative study | |
| Therapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca Use in the Treatment of Substance Dependence—Qualitative Results Therapists, expert researchers, and individuals who underwent ayahuasca-assisted... | 2014 | Qualitative study | n = 29 |
| Nourishing the Spirit: Exploratory Research on Ayahuasca Experiences along the Continuum of Recovery from Eating Disorders Individuals previously diagnosed with an eating disorder | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 16 |
| Exploring ayahuasca‐assisted therapy for addiction: A qualitative analysis of preliminary findings among an Indigenous community in Canada Indigenous adults in Canada who participated in ayahuasca-assisted ceremonial retreats | 2019 | Qualitative study | n = 11 |