Non-Native Ayahuasca Use
May 25, 2011 DOI: 10.13021/mars/6365 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Population | Non-native English-speaking ayahuasca users at a healing center in the Peruvian Amazon |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Key findings | Non-native users take ayahuasca primarily to end alienation and resolve emotional trauma, and nearly all reported positive experiences. |
Abstract
This thesis explores the use of ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic plant concoction from the Amazon, by people from the English speaking world. This thesis argues that there is no “original” or “typical” use of ayahuasca; it is a dynamic practice that has undergone massive change. In order to show this change, this thesis describes the different roles that shamans have had as a result of colonialism and modernization. Fieldwork was carried out at a healing center in the Peruvian Amazon. The motivations of informants and the effects ayahuasca had on them are compared with previous research on non-native ayahuasca use. The motivations of non-natives for taking ayahuasca are different from native motivations. The two main reasons are a desire for an end to alienation and a resolution of emotional trauma. Nearly all participants reported positive experiences from taking ayahuasca. The ayahuasca intoxication produces a liminal period, in which participants are able to reflect upon the issues affecting them.