Calming the tempest, bridging the gorge: healing in couples ruptured by “sex addiction”
October 2, 2017 DOI: 10.4324/9781315731223-11 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 7 |
| Population | North American women who participated in ayahuasca ceremonies and plant diets within the Shipibo vegetalista tradition of Peru |
| Interventions | Ayahuasca plant diets |
| Topics | Addiction |
| Key findings | The author reports that the seven women described healing from sexual trauma through energetic purification and openings on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. Eight core themes were identified, including purification and reproductive health support, increased sensory awareness, a transformed relationship with self, empowered decision-making, enhanced intimacy, increased cognitive awareness, connection with subtle energies, and connection with God. The author argues that vegetalismo holds lessons for women's sexual/spiritual lives and possibly for future plant-facilitated psychotherapy for women who have experienced sexual trauma. |
Abstract
This article explores how women’s sexual/spiritual lives were transformed with sacred Amazonian plant teachers (i.e. plants believed to have spirits that communicate with humans). The research was guided by the belief that the practice of vegetalismo (a South American healing tradition that uses plant teachers for healing) holds important lessons for guiding women’s sexual/spiritual lives and possibly for future plant-facilitated psychotherapy for women who have experienced sexual trauma. A heuristic research methodology was utilized involving interviews with seven North American women who participated in ayahuasca ceremonies and plant diets within the Shipibo vegetalista tradition of Peru. The findings highlighted that sexual trauma was healed through energetic purification and openings on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. The core themes identified from the data analysis were: purification and support for reproductive health, increased sensory awareness, transforming relationship with self, empowered decision-making, enhanced intimacy with others, increased cognitive awareness, connecting with subtle energies, and connecting with God.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelic therapy for smoking cessation: Qualitative analysis of participant accounts Participants who completed a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation pilot study | 2018 | Qualitative follow-up study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis | n = 12 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Self-reported negative outcomes of psilocybin users: A quantitative textual analysis Users who self-reported psilocybin experiences on an online platform | 2020 | Qualitative study | n = 346 |
| Reports of self-compassion and affect regulation in psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder: An interpretive phenomenological analysis. non-Hispanic White cisgender men and women with alcohol use disorder | 2023 | Qualitative study | n = 13 |