This chapter examines the use of psilocybin mushrooms (known as teonanacatl or “the flesh of gods”) and Mexican tarragon (yauhtli, Tagetes lucida) for therapeutic purposes in Nahua medicine. These entheogenic substances are associated with thunderbolt and rain deities, part of a symbolic complex known as “the healing of the thunderbolt,” reflecting the influence of Tlaloc, the god of rain and...
Esta pesquisa aborda os cantos xamânicos tradicionais da etnia Huni Kuin/Kaxinawá (Acre) entoados nas cerimônias de ayahuasca (nixi pae) e presenciados pelo autor em espaços de vivências multiétnicas. Busca-se compreender a organização, as funções e características de tais cantos, denominados huni meka, nesses rituais indígenas. Concomitantemente, investiga-se de que forma a cosmologia e a...
Abstract Background & aims This conceptual paper explores the intersection of attachment theory, psychedelic research, and enculturation dynamics. We aim to understand how both attachment patterns and psychedelic use may jointly influence worldview transformations and enculturation processes. Methods We synthesize theoretical perspectives and empirical findings from multiple fields, including...
In the Caboclo de Pena and Marac shamanic ritual, when the shaman's performing body superimposes her perspective on that of the Encantado, it is said that she is actuated.Considering the assumption that the encounter between differences involves a positive distance, which is not supposed to be bridged, this article aims to relate certain trends in performing arts and the cabocla/indigenous...
Current antidepressants have shown certain limitations in the treatment of unipolar depression. Their long onset of action, interactions, and side effects are obstacles to achieving lasting remission of this prevalent, often chronic or recurrent, pathology. Faced with this clinical necessity, research efforts have intensified in recent years around psychedelic drugs, with a particular focus on...
Abstract Musico-healing practices play a key role in indigenous and mestizo traditional medicine in the Amazon. The curative songs or icaros used by the curanderos (traditional healers) of the Peruvian Upper Amazon are administered alongside the psychoactive plant decoction ayahuasca in ritual settings. This Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis examines musical experiences of 6 participants...
This article explores potential intersections between the religious-mystical system of Thelema, founded by Aleister Crowley, and archaic shamanic practices. The analysis focuses on altered states of consciousness, techniques of achieving ecstasy, astral travel, spirit communication, and the role of the practitioner as a mediator between worlds. Key theoretical sources from both traditions are...
O psicodélico clássico ayahuasca, e a substância rapé, também utilizadas em rituais xamânicos com o uso da ayahuasca, eliciam estados de consciência podendo alterar a percepção temporal dos seres humanos. Estudos envolvendo tarefas de reprodução do tempo e psicodélicos clássicos mostram que estas substâncias alteram a percepção temporal em estímulos superiores a 1,6 segundos. A literatura...
This chapter explores the key differences between entheogens and synthetic psychedelics, focusing on their origins, cultural contexts, and effects on consciousness. Entheogens are naturally occurring substances, such as psilocybin, ayahuasca, and peyote, traditionally used by Indigenous cultures for spiritual and healing purposes. These substances are often consumed in ceremonial settings with...
Fantasy or reality? Long-term shifts in experience categorization among practicing neo-shamans This study explores neo-shamanism within the contemporary alternative spirituality landscape. Drawing on extensive qualitative research conducted in the Czech Republic, employing methodologies such as participant observation and semi-structured interviews, it delves into the experiential aspect of...