Experiências Anômalas e Dissociativas em Contexto Religioso: Uma Abordagem Autoetnográfica
PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDIES - Revista da Abordagem Gestáltica 2020 DOI: 10.18065/2020v26n2.3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Auto-ethnographic study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Individuals participating in Umbanda rituals, with and without ayahuasca use |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Consciousness Perspective graphical Ethnography Perception Anthropology Visual arts |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Anomalous experiences reported during Umbanda rituals with and without ayahuasca show significant phenomenological similarities. |
Abstract
The present study explored the phenomenological characteristics of anomalous experiences (AEs) reported during Umbanda rituals, a mediumistic Brazilian religion, with the aim of comparing AEs reported during rituals involving the use of Ayahuasca (an entheogen frequently used in some Umbanda contexts) and rituals without the use of this substance. In order to do so, we compared individuals with different levels of involvement with the mediumistic practices. The study was based on an auto-ethnographic approach. This methodological perspective allowed us to confront subjective data with the available knowledge in the scientific literature about AEs, dissociative phenomena and altered states of consciousness and was of fundamental importance for a more sensitive understanding of the nuances and characteristics of these experiences. The results attest to a significant similarity between the experiences reported with and without the use of Ayahuasca in mediumistic contexts. In both groups, the experiencers were able to identify certain similarities in their experiences regarding a reduction of voluntary motor control, changes in memory and perception, communicability and accessibility of experiences, anomalous information reception and increases in interpersonal sensitivity. The results support the methodological feasibility of autoethnography as a research tool and point to its relevance to a deeper understanding of AEs and other subjective experiences usually of difficult investigation by other research methods.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- Altered States of Consciousness Archives of General Psychiatry September 1, 1966
- Hallucinogenic Drugs and Plants in Psychotherapy and Shamanism Journal of Psychoactive Drugs December 1, 1998
- The Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2003
- Chasing the Rainbow: The Non-conscious Nature of Being. Frontiers in Psychology November 14, 2017