Ayahuasca Assisted Psychotherapy for Grief

This open-label trial (n=84) will evaluate the efficacy of ayahuasca-assisted constructivist therapy in reducing the severity of grief.

Conducted by the Beckley Med Foundation in Barcelona, Spain, the study aims to compare the effectiveness of ayahuasca-assisted constructivist therapy with constructivist therapy and no treatment in reducing grief severity.

The primary outcome measure is the change in grief symptoms measured by the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG). Secondary outcomes include the prevalence of Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD) and prolonged grief symptoms, quality of life, posttraumatic growth, avoidance, meaning-making, and consistency of self-beliefs.

Participants, aged 18 to 65, who have experienced the loss of a first-degree relative within the past 12 months, will be recruited. The trial involves three arms: an experimental group receiving ayahuasca-assisted constructivist therapy, a control group receiving constructivist psychotherapy, and a no-treatment control group. The study will include pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up assessments. The trial commenced on October 15, 2021, with an estimated primary completion date of April 15, 2024, and a study completion date of June 15, 2024.

The trial protocol is described in this paper.

Topic Depression
Compound Ayahuasca
Country Spain
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Trial Details



Trial Number

Sponsors & Collaborators

Fundación Beckley Med
Fundación Beckley Med is a non-profit organization, dedicated to the development of innovative mental health research and treatments, the study of consciousness and the training of specialists in psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Papers

Ayahuasca-assisted meaning reconstruction therapy as an early resource for bereavement: a non-randomized clinical trial
This three-arm open-label study (n=84) found that ayahuasca-assisted meaning reconstruction therapy (A-MR) produced significantly greater reductions in severe grief compared to meaning reconstruction therapy alone (d=0.86) or no treatment (d=1.07), with the A-MR group showing the largest effect size (d=2.44) and additional improvements in prolonged grief symptoms, post-traumatic growth, and quality of life.

Data attribution

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