The ritual use of ayahuasca during treatment of severe physical illnesses: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT

Diseases that threaten life raise existential questions that can be a source of psychological distress. Studies with psychedelics demonstrate therapeutic effects for anxiety and depression associated with life-threatening illnesses. Ayahuasca has been proposed as a possible therapeutic agent in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Preliminary studies suggest that ayahuasca could promote therapeutic effects for people with physical illnesses. The aim of this study was to explore how the ritual use of ayahuasca during the treatment of severe physical illnesses (SPI) may influence the way people understand and relate to their illness, using qualitative methods to assess the participants’ perspectives. Participants who consumed ayahuasca ritualistically during the period of treatment for SPI were purposely chosen. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis was performed with 14 individuals. The ritual experience with ayahuasca acted on the participants’ illness understanding through multiple psychological mechanisms, including introspection, self-analysis, emotional processing and catharsis, recall of autobiographical memories subjectively related to illness origin, illness resignification, and perspective changes. This study suggests that the experience with ayahuasca may facilitate illness acceptance through an influence on the meanings of the illness, life, and death. These changes may favor a more balanced relationship with illness and treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• chronic disease
• catastrophic illness
• ayahuasca
• psychedelics
• spiritual therapies
• qualitative research

Acknowledgments

We thank all participants for their participation in this study. We also thank Prof. Dráulio Barros de Araújo from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte for providing intellectual and financial support during the conception of this work; and Bruno R. Gomes, Ana Cristhina S. Maluf, and Janaina Tatim for reviewing the interview guide.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID iDs

LOM: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9931-1938

DDB: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9352-2873

LFT: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2262-8272

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) - Finance Code 001; and by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) under Grant #466760/2014.