Hitting the Reset Button: Ceremonial Use of Peyote and Experiences of Personal Change
Heith Copes, Andrew Hochstetler, Jared Ragland, Peter S. Hendricks
Journal of Drug Issues August 22, 2024 DOI: 10.1177/00220426241274737 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Photo-ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | People who attended peyote ceremonies in rural Northcentral Alabama |
| Intervention | Peyote ceremonies |
| Topics | Mescaline |
| Keywords | Education |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Participants reported four core areas of change from peyote use: reduced drug and alcohol misuse, new perspectives on life, improved mental health, and improved physical health. |
Abstract
Our aim is to understand how those who use peyote in a naturalistic setting discuss it changed their lives and to what they attribute this change. To do this, we draw on data from a photo-ethnography of people who attended peyote ceremonies in rural Northcentral Alabama. Broadly, we found that participants discussed four core areas of change: reduced drug and alcohol misuse, new perspectives on life, improved mental health, and improved physical health. The duration of the experienced change varied for each type of change. Participants attributed change to improved ability to endure challenges, rewiring of the brain, and connecting with spiritual selves. Findings give insights into how people experience and make sense of change from peyote. In addition, the findings suggest specific areas of research for those interested in clinical and therapeutic settings relating to peyote in particular, and psychedelics in general.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mescaline, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peyote as Earth Medicine: Examining How Symbolic Meanings Shape Experiences With Psychedelics People who use peyote in religious ceremonies | 2023 | Photo-ethnography | |
| The Use of Peyote as Treatment for Alcoholism within the NAC Community: Reflections on a Study | 2011 | Interview | |
| Psychedelic trip sitting, dosages and intensities: Supplementing clinical studies with anecdotal reports Posts from online psychedelic forums (The Shroomery and DMT Nexus) on trip sitting | 2024 | Qualitative study with Delphi-style expert panel review | n = 660 |
| The San Pedro Cactus (Equinopsis pachanoi): Ancestral and Modern Therapeutic Uses in Peru Curanderos in the Túcume district of northern Peru | 2025 | Qualitative study | |
| The Trouble With Psychedelic Cacti: Conflicting Meanings of San Pedro and Peyote | 2025 | Autoethnography |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- The Ethnopharmacological Use of Mescaline for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review International Journal of Molecular Sciences March 28, 2026
- “Plants Don’t Have a Culture to Appropriate”: Accounting for Accusations of Cultural Appropriation of Peyote Ceremonies Sociology Compass February 26, 2025
Cites 22
- Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2019
- Set and setting, psychedelics and the placebo response: An extra-pharmacological perspective on psychopharmacology Journal of Psychopharmacology November 16, 2016
- Constructing drug effects: A history of set and setting Drug Science, Policy and Law 2017
- Towards an understanding of psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023
- Psychedelic Communitas: Intersubjective Experience During Psychedelic Group Sessions Predicts Enduring Changes in Psychological Wellbeing and Social Connectedness. Frontiers in Pharmacology March 25, 2021
and 17 more in the library