Primitive Group Treatment
Moises Lemlij
Psychopathology 1978 DOI: 10.1159/000283720 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients participating in ayahuasca treatment sessions in the Peruvian jungle |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Harmine Witch Hallucinogen Jungle |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Ayahuasca-based healing sessions in the Peruvian jungle involve group processes with weekly meetings of about 10 to 12 patients, where the healer provides a potion and patients attend until they feel well enough to leave, paying a voluntary fee. |
Abstract
Although it has been known for many years that hallucinogenic drugs are used by witch doctors in the Peruvian jungles for therapeutic purposes, there have been no descriptions of their use. We studied one type of treatment carried out in groups of about 10 to 12 ‘patients’, where the healer makes a magical diagnosis and provides a potion, usually ayahuasca (active hallucinogenic agent: harmine) which is drunk by the witch doctor, his assistant and the patients. The groups meet once a week in the open air in the jungle, at dawn and for an average of 5 h. The patient attends the weekly sessions until he feels well enough to leave, and only then does he pay a voluntary fee. One of our main tasks was to study the group processes.
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 |