Ayahuasca ceremony leaders’ perspectives on special considerations for eating disorders

ABSTRACT

Eating disorders (EDs) are difficult conditions to resolve, necessitating novel treatments. Ayahuasca, a psychedelic plant medicine originating in Indigenous Amazonian communities, is being investigated. Aspects of ceremonial ayahuasca use (purging, dietary restrictions) appear similar to ED behaviors, raising questions about ayahuasca’s suitability as an intervention for individuals with EDs. This study explored the perspectives of ayahuasca ceremony leaders on these and other considerations for ceremonial ayahuasca drinking among individuals with EDs. A qualitative content analysis of interviews was undertaken with 15 ayahuasca ceremony leaders, the majority of whom were from the West/Global North. Screening for EDs, purging and dietary restrictions, potential risks and dangers, and complementarity with conventional ED treatment emerged as categories. The findings offer ideas, including careful screening and extra support, to promote safe and beneficial ceremony experiences for ceremony participants with EDs. More research is needed to clarify the impacts of ceremony-related purging and preparatory diets. To evolve conventional models of treatment, the ED field could consider Indigenous approaches to mental health whereby ayahuasca ceremony leaders and ED researchers and clinicians collaborate in a decolonizing, bidirectional bridging process between Western and Indigenous paradigms of healing.

Acknowledgments

We extend our deep gratitude to the ayahuasca ceremony leaders for their participation in this study. We also thank Natasha Files, Jenna Fletcher, Anja Loizaga-Velder, Marika Renelli, Samantha Retrosi, and Kenneth Tupper for their contributions to this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical statement

Laurentian University Research Ethics Board, Laurentian University, Sudbury Canada provided ethics approval for this study (file # 20141109).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.