Personal Report: Significance of Community in an Ayahuasca Jungle Dieta
Bethe Hagens, Steven Lansky
Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2012 DOI: 10.1111/j.1556-3537.2012.01059.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants in a 10-day dieta in the Amazon basin of Peru |
| Duration | 10-day intervention |
| Topics | Ayahuasca Shamanism |
| Keywords | Ceremony Jungle Tranquillity Indigenous Context archaeology Traditional medicine Ethnology Anthropology Ecology |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | Community bonding through shared rituals and support structures is central to the prolonged dieta experience, fostering a spiritual community of love and trust that embraces people, plants, and the earth. |
Abstract
Abstract What is the potential significance of community in a prolonged dieta (10‐day restricted diet with regular ritual consumption of ayahuasca and other medicinal plants) in a remote jungle location in the A mazon basin of P eru? Pre‐dieta experiences including how participants join the community, cleansing routines prior to departure to P eru, sharing with the shaman one's personal intentions and health history, and prior experience with medicinal and entheogenic plants are introduced. Dieta rituals such as tambo housing, meals, hygiene and maintenance, music, ceremony preparations, ceremonial and everyday dieta etiquette, and post‐ceremony ritual and day of rest are considered. Bonding with the local support community and those who harvested and crafted the medicinal plant mixtures are evaluated in the context of both dieta and traditional indigenous goals of creating a spiritual practice community of love and trust that embraces people, plants, and all of earth and beyond.
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 |