Therapeutic Effects of Ayahuasca: The Psychological Processes Involved in the Relief of Depression and Grief.

Background: Ayauasca is a psychotropic beverage traditionally used for therapeutic and magical-religious purposes by some indigenous populations of the Amazon. This study aimed to explore and identify the psychological processes that occur during the experience with Ayahuasca and it’s integration, perceived by participants as exhibiting therapeutic potential for alleviating depressive symptoms and symptoms associated with grief.

Method: The sample included 11 participants with ages between 27 and 66, from different nationalities who participated in an Ayahuasca retreat at the Temple of the Way of Light, in Peru. They were divided into two groups – Depression Group (DG n=6) and Grief Group (GG n=5). We used qualitative methodology to understand the psychological dimensions underlying the experience with Ayahuasca. We focused on identifying the meanings that participants associated with the experience in an effort to bring attention to their perception of the phenomenon and to the subjectivity of their experience. We also sought to characterize and understand the experiences that emerged from Ayahuasca intake and explore the emotional expression evolution through which the person reported their experience. The data collection took place on site, immediately after the ceremonies, and was later submitted to a semi inductive thematic analysis.

Results: When coding the participant’s speech we identified several psychological processes established in literature regarding psychoterapeutic intervention in this type of symptomatology. There were close to 20 recognizable processes perceived as positive that emerged from the experience with Ayahuasca. Self-awareness and Acceptance were the main processes identified in both groups. We then sought to identify the most central and specific processes for each group. In DG the most specific and central processes were Connection and Cognitive Restructuring and in GG was Emotional Release (Catharsis). These allow us to conclude that Ayahuasca is perceived as being a valuable experience to decrease depressive symptoms and symptoms related to grief. The benefits reported as a set of psychological processes that were identified and conceptualized, seemed to provide participants with skills to accept and cope with their emotions, actions and reactions, as well as symptoms. This contributes to how the therapeutic effects of Ayahuasca can be understood and explained.

Conclusions: By offering people the opportunity to share how they understand this experience, we access valuable information concerning how they perceive the relation of the experience with relief from their symptoms. It is also possible to conclude that a large number of psychological processes that emerged from our analysis are widely recognizable for their proximity to psychological intervention literature that conceptualizes the therapeutic process in depression and grief.