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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)

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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.

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

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