What ayahuasca wants
Silvia Mesturini Cappo
February 15, 2018 DOI: 10.4324/9781315227955-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography |
|---|---|
| Population | Contemporary international shamanic networks linking the Peruvian Amazon and European capitals (Brussels, Paris, Rome) |
| Duration | Since 2004 |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Comprehending Ayahuasca as an entangled entity, constituted by diverse relations and interactions, is central to understanding her agency and the distinction between drug tourists and long-term practitioners. |
Abstract
The recognition of Ayahuasca as a being, capable of agency and intention, taking action both as a healing and teaching spirit and as an ethical entity making a stand in the contemporary struggle for ecological survival and for indigenous culture valorisation is the central interrogation of this paper. What makes Ayahuasca an entity? Who is she an entity for? The importance of these questions is due to their centrality throughout multi-sited fieldwork conducted since 2004 among contemporary international shamanic networks linking various South American locations, namely the Peruvian Amazon, and European capitals such as Brussels, Paris, and Rome. Field research has revealed that the comprehension, or acceptance, of Ayahuasca as an entity is what differentiates the drug tourist and the long-term apprentice or practitioner. The more Ayahuasca becomes a "presence" the more the she moves from a space of "exceptional experience" to a space of regular, and yet extraordinary, "praxis." But what does it mean, for a western secularized audience, to interact with her? What did it take for Ayahuasca to become a living entity to them? And what did it take them to become related to her? Attempting an answer to these questions will lead us to arguing what we've named "the hypothesis of an entangled Ayahuasca." Comprehending Ayahuasca as entangled implies the acknowledgment of the numerous beings and diverse relations and interactions that call her into existence in a shared world and therefore are constitutive of her "being alive" and of her "wanting what she wants."
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 |