Sex Differences in Religious Beliefs Before and After an Entity Encounter During an Ayahuasca Experience.
Yitong Xin, Roland R. Griffiths, Alan K. Davis
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs February 13, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2025.2462008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 415 |
| Population | Ayahuasca users who reported an entity encounter |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca DMT |
| Keywords | Religious beliefs Sex Spirituality Mystical experiences Spiritual awakening Entity encounters Psychedelics ayahuasca Entheogens Hallucinogens Male-female differences |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Males showed a significant increase in religious identification after an entity encounter during ayahuasca use, while females did not show a significant change. |
Abstract
An interesting aspect of entity encounters during psychedelic experiences is their ability to transform one's religious beliefs. However, little is known about sex differences in these transformations. This study investigates sex differences in changes in religious beliefs before and after an entity encounter among ayahuasca users. Data were collected via an anonymous Internet-based survey (N = 415; Mage = 38.53, SD = 11.39; male = 60.5%). Descriptive analyses, binary logistic regression, and two-proportion z-tests were conducted. Before the entity encounter, males were significantly more likely to identify as atheists (OR = 2.889, p = .001) and less likely to identify as having religious beliefs (OR = 0.453, p 0.05). Comparing changes before and after the experience, both sex groups showed decreases in atheism and agnosticism and increases in religious beliefs, with males exhibiting larger changes. Specifically, the proportion of males identifying as religious significantly increased from before to after the entity encounter (z = 3.49, p < .001), whereas the increase for females was not statistically significant. Findings suggest sex is associated with perceived changes in religious beliefs among ayahuasca users reporting an entity encounter, highlighting the importance of considering sex in psychedelic research and its impact on spirituality and related outcomes.