Influence of Context and Setting on the Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes of Ayahuasca Drinkers: Results of a Large International Survey.
Daniel Perkins, Violeta Schubert, Hana Šimonová, Luís Fernando Tófoli, José Carlos Bouso, Miroslav Horák, Nicole Leite Galvão‐coelho, Jerome Sarris
Frontiers in Pharmacology April 21, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.623979 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6,877 |
| Population | Ayahuasca drinkers in more than 40 countries who had used ayahuasca in various contexts, including traditional, neo-shamanic, and Christian syncretic settings |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Measures | Kessler 10 psychological distress scale, mental health component score of the SF-12 Health Questionnaire, Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), spirituality dimension of the Persisting Effects Questionnaire (PEQ), Short Index of Mystical Orientation |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Ayahuasca context Ayahuasca setting Ayahuasca environment Ayahuasca preparation Ayahuasca integration Ayahuasca guidance Ayahuasca support Mental health benefits Wellbeing outcomes Psychological shifts Mood improvement Anxiety reduction Mental wellbeing Ayahuasca mental health Guided psychedelic experience Professional guidance Traditional guidance Therapeutic psychedelics Supported psychedelic use Ayahuasca therapy |
| Citations | 73 |
| Key findings | Regression models and a generalized structural equation model identified significant associations between set-and-setting variables (ceremony and ritual characteristics, additional support practices, and motivations for drinking) and intermediate outcomes such as perceived psychological wellbeing change, number of self-insights, and spiritual experience, as well as final mental health and wellbeing outcomes. The authors contend these findings shed light on how ceremonial practices and supports influence ayahuasca's therapeutic effects and how such factors might be optimized in naturalistic settings and clinical studies. |
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a traditional plant decoction containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and various β-carbolines including harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine, which has been used ceremonially by Amazonian Indigenous groups for healing and spiritual purposes. Use of the brew has now spread far beyond its original context of consumption to North America, Europe, and Australia in neo-shamanic settings as well as Christian syncretic churches. While these groups have established their own rituals and protocols to guide use, it remains unknown the extent to which the use of traditional or non-traditional practices may affect drinkers' acute experiences, and longer term wellbeing and mental health outcomes. Hence, this study aimed to provide the first detailed assessment of associations between ceremony/ritual characteristics, additional support practices, motivations for drinking, and mental health and wellbeing outcomes. The paper uses data from a large cross-sectional study of ayahuasca drinkers in more than 40 countries who had used ayahuasca in various contexts (n = 6,877). It captured detailed information about participant demographics, patterns and history of ayahuasca drinking, the setting of consumption, and ritualistic practices employed. Current mental health status was captured via the Kessler 10 psychological distress scale and the mental health component score of the SF-12 Health Questionnaire, while reported change in prior clinically diagnosed anxiety or depression (n = 1276) was evaluated using a (PGIC) Patient Global Impression of Change tool. Various intermediate outcomes were also assessed including perceived change in psychological wellbeing, number of personal self-insights attained, and subjective spiritual experience measured via the spirituality dimension of the Persisting Effects Questionnaire (PEQ) and Short Index of Mystical Orientation. Regression models identified a range of significant associations between set and setting variables, and intermediate and final mental health and wellbeing outcomes. A generalized structural equation model (GSEM) was then used to verify relationships and associations between endogenous, mediating and final outcome variables concurrently. The present study sheds new light on the influence of ceremonial practices, additional supports and motivations on the therapeutic effects of ayahuasca for mental health and wellbeing, and ways in which such factors can be optimized in naturalistic settings and clinical studies.
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 64
- Adverse effects of ayahuasca: Results from the Global Ayahuasca Survey. PLOS global public health 2022
- Psilocybin-Induced Mystical-Type Experiences are Related to Persisting Positive Effects: A Quantitative and Qualitative Report Frontiers in Pharmacology March 9, 2022
- Effects of Setting on Psychedelic Experiences, Therapies, and Outcomes: A Rapid Scoping Review of the Literature Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences 2022
- The Psychedelic Future of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Current Neuropharmacology January 5, 2024
- Changes in mental health, wellbeing and personality following ayahuasca consumption: Results of a naturalistic longitudinal study. Frontiers in Pharmacology 2022
and 59 more in the library
Cites 30
- Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance Psychopharmacology July 7, 2006
- 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
- Predicting Responses to Psychedelics: A Prospective Study Frontiers in Pharmacology November 2, 2018
- Personality, Psychopathology, Life Attitudes and Neuropsychological Performance among Ritual Users of Ayahuasca: A Longitudinal Study PLoS One August 8, 2012
and 25 more in the library