The influence of ceremonial settings on mystical and challenging experiences occasioned by ayahuasca: A survey among ritualistic and religious ayahuasca users
Alexandre Augusto de Deus Pontual, Alexandre Augusto de Deus Pontual, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Clarissa Mendonça Corradi-Webster, Kim van Oorsouw, Alicia Raquel Osuna Delgado, Johannes G. Ramaekers
Frontiers in Psychology July 15, 2022 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.857372 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,751 |
| Population | Adult ayahuasca users from União do Vegetal, Santo Daime, and neo-shamanic groups |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca Mystical experience |
| Keywords | Udv Neo-shamanic Mystical experiences Ayahuasca-ceremony ayahuasca ritual Plant medicine ceremony Ceremonial-setting ritual environment Sacred space Ceremony context Religious-traditions santo daime Neo-shamanism |
| Citations | 27 |
| Key findings | Setting characteristics, particularly social, comfort, infrastructure, and decoration, are strong moderators of challenging experiences under ayahuasca, explaining 41% of the variance in challenging experience ratings. |
Abstract
Recent studies have recognized the importance of non-pharmacological factors such as setting to induce or promote mystical experiences or challenging experiences among ayahuasca users. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the setting in which ayahuasca is consumed and the intensity of mystical and challenging experiences considering three ayahuasca using traditions (União do Vegetal, Santo Daime and neo-shamanic groups). A cross-sectional analysis was performed on survey data collected online from 2,751 participants. The Setting Questionnaire for the Ayahuasca Experience (SQAE) was used to evaluate six dimensions of the setting characteristics. The Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) were used to quantify the psychedelic experience. Ratings on every SQAE setting dimension were negatively correlated with ratings of the CEQ (r values between 0.21 and 0.36) for all ayahuasca using traditions. Regression analysis revealed that ratings on four SQAE dimensions (Social, Comfort, Infrastructure and Decoration) explained 41% of the variance in CEQ ratings. Associations between SQAE and MEQ ratings were relatively weak and confined to the dimensions Leadership and Comfort, explaining 14% of the variance in MEQ ratings. Ratings of Social context were higher among members of União do Vegetal compared to Santo Daime and neo-shamanic members. Ratings of Infrastructure, Comfort and Decoration were more consistently correlated with MEQ in the neoshamanic tradition compared to the other traditions. This study shows that the setting is an important moderator of a challenging experience under ayahuasca. Maximizing the quality of the setting in which ayahuasca is taken will reduce the chance of a challenging experience while contributing positively to a mystical experience. The present findings can be considered when designing rituals and the (social) environment of ayahuasca ceremonies, and indicate that the SQAE questionnaire can be employed to monitor the influence of ceremonial settings on the ayahuasca experience.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey of subjective "God encounter experiences": Comparisons among naturally occurring experiences and those occasioned by the classic psychedelics psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, or DMT Adults reporting a single most memorable God encounter experience, either nondrug or... | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 4,285 |
| Adverse effects of ayahuasca: Results from the Global Ayahuasca Survey. Ayahuasca users from more than 50 countries who completed an online survey | 2022 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 10,836 |
| Ayahuasca in adolescence: a preliminary psychiatric assessment. Adolescents from a Brazilian ayahuasca sect and matched controls | 2005 | Controlled cross-sectional study | n = 80 |
| Psychological and neuropsychological assessment of regular hoasca users. Regular hoasca users from a U.S. branch of União do Vegetal and matched non-user controls | 2016 | Cross-sectional study | n = 57 |
| Indoleamine Hallucinogens in Cluster Headache: Results of the Clusterbusters Medication Use Survey People with cluster headache | 2015 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 496 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 26
- The therapeutic alliance between study participants and intervention facilitators is associated with acute effects and clinical outcomes in a psilocybin-assisted therapy trial for major depressive disorder PLoS One March 14, 2024
- Ayahuasca: A review of historical, pharmacological, and therapeutic aspects. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences Reports December 1, 2023
- Harnessing placebo: Lessons from psychedelic science. Journal of Psychopharmacology June 30, 2023
- The current state of ayahuasca research in animal models: A systematic review. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry July 13, 2023
- Meditating on psychedelics. A randomized placebo-controlled study of DMT and harmine in a mindfulness retreat Journal of Psychopharmacology September 27, 2024
and 21 more in the library
Cites 34
- Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 1, 2008
- Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Frontiers in Pharmacology January 17, 2018
- Psychedelics and the essential importance of context. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 15, 2018
- Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin Journal of Psychopharmacology October 6, 2015
- Survey study of challenging experiences after ingesting psilocybin mushrooms: Acute and enduring positive and negative consequences Journal of Psychopharmacology August 31, 2016
and 29 more in the library