Ayahuasca Users in Estonia: Ceremonial Practices, Subjective Long-Term Effects, Mental Health, and Quality of Life

ABSTRACT

The study aims to describe ayahuasca users in Estonia and compare their mental health and quality of life to those of nonusers. Ceremonial practices, motivation for ayahuasca use, use-related experiences, and subjective consequences of use are described. We conducted a cross-sectional case-controlled study of thirty ayahuasca users and thirty nonusers matched by gender, age, and education. The participants completed questionnaires, standardized psychometric tests, and neuropsychiatric interviews. Ayahuasca use in Estonia occurred mainly in (neo)shamanic group ceremonies. The main motives for ayahuasca use were spiritual development, self-knowledge, and spiritual experiences. The users reported mostly positive subjective consequences of ayahuasca use for their health and life. However, some difficult experiences and adverse effects were reported. No abuse of ayahuasca or addiction to it was found. Screening test indicators of depression and anxiety were lower in the ayahuasca-using group. No deterioration of the mental health of ayahuasca users in comparison to nonusers was found. The participants perceive their use of ayahuasca as a spiritual practice with mostly favorable outcomes for their health and life. They also perceive ayahuasca use in Estonia as a reasonably safe and self-limiting form of spiritual practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Ayahuasca
• ceremony
• mental health
• neoshamanism
• psychedelics
• quality of life

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by institutional research funding IUT02-13 of the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research; European Regional Development Fund (Dora Plus sub-activities 1.1 and 1.2); Estonian national scholarship program Kristjan Jaak, which is funded and managed by Archimedes Foundation in collaboration with the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, and Helle Kaasik.

Authors thank Signe Ainson and Maris Hinn for conducting the M.I.N.I. and MoCA. H.K. thanks Helena Landes for her help in finding the participants for the control group, Jace Callaway for information about chemical composition of ayahuasca, and the Santo Daime community for sharing their experience and spiritual wisdom. Big thanks to all the participants of the study who trusted the researchers with their unique experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.