Meetings with Mother Ayahuasca: The effects of the spiritual experience on mental processes and physiological responses

Sammanfattning: Research on using psychedelic substances for treating various psychological problems such as addiction, treatment resistant depression and death agony seem to indicate that under the right circumstances the use of psychedelics could have positive outcomes on mental health. Studies also suggest that the potentially positive outcomes on mental health cannot be reduced to pharmacological effects alone. Subjective spiritual experiences during the time of consumption seem to have an important role in outcome. Much of the research on psychedelic substances uses quantitative methodology to assess the substance’s effectiveness in treating various mental disorders and illnesses. While the spiritual experience is considered significant and the importance of integration is mentioned, little focus is placed on understanding how the spiritual experience is related to changes in the consumer's mental health. The aim of this study is to establish the connection between the spiritual experience and the changes that occur in mental processes and physiological responses. Using semi-structured chat-based interviews and thematic analysis, we examine subjective experiences during Ayahuasca ceremonies in 11 participants, recruited through an anonymous online discussion forum. An Ayahuasca intervention needs to be understood as a drug induced altered state of consciousness and spiritual experience, guided by a shaman, and influenced by context. The spiritual experience is intimately connected to mental processes and physiological responses. Such an understanding is vital for an appropriate integration of the medicine into a culture that may be skeptical of spirituality and the validity of subjective accounts. The expertise of the shaman in ceremonies seems to also carry great significance for the experience and should be paid detailed attention to.