This cross-sectional research on ayahuasca-induced Personal Death (APD) experiences involves two studies. Study 1 (n=54) reveals that over half of participants in ayahuasca ceremonies report APDs, which are intense and transformative, leading to an increased sense of transcending death and certainty in consciousness continuation. Study 2 (n=306) supports these findings, showing no demographic or psychopathology associations with APDs but linking them to heightened environmental concern, improved coping abilities, and a greater sense of fulfilment in life. Overall, the studies suggest that APDs during ayahuasca ceremonies may contribute to long-term positive effects in non-clinical populations.
Abstract of Ayahuasca-induced personal death experiences: prevalence, characteristics, and impact on attitudes toward death, life, and the environment
“Introduction: Despite an emerging understanding regarding the pivotal mechanistic role of subjective experiences that unfold during acute psychedelic states, very little has been done in the direction of better characterizing such experiences and determining their long-term impact. The present paper utilizes two cross-sectional studies for spotlighting – for the first time in the literature – the characteristics and outcomes of self-reported past experiences related to one’s subjective sense of death during ayahuasca ceremonies, termed here Ayahuasca-induced Personal Death (APD) experiences.
Methods: Study 1 (n = 54) reports the prevalence, demographics, intensity, and impact of APDs on attitudes toward death, explores whether APDs are related with psychopathology, and reveals their impact on environmental concerns. Study 2 is a larger study (n = 306) aiming at generalizing the basic study 1 results regarding APD experience, and in addition, examining whether APDs is associated with self-reported coping strategies and values in life.
Results: Our results indicate that APDs occur to more than half of those participating in ayahuasca ceremonies, typically manifest as strong and transformative experiences, and are associated with an increased sense of transcending death (study 1), as well as the certainty in the continuation of consciousness after death (study 2). No associations were found between having undergone APD experiences and participants’ demographics, personality type, and psychopathology. However, APDs were associated with increased self-reported environmental concern (study 1). These experiences also impact life in profound ways. APDs were found to be associated with increases in one’s self-reported ability to cope with distress-causing life problems and the sense of fulfillment in life (study 2).
Discussion: The study’s findings highlight the prevalence, safety and potency of death experiences that occur during ayahuasca ceremonies, marking them as possible mechanisms for psychedelics’ long-term salutatory effects in non-clinical populations. Thus, the present results join other efforts of tracking and characterizing the profound subjective experiences that occur during acute psychedelic states.”
Authors: Jonathan David, José C. Bouso, Maja Kohek, Genís Ona, Nir Tadmor, Tal Arnon, Yair Dor-Ziderman & Aviva Berkovich-Ohana.
Summary of Ayahuasca-induced personal death experiences: prevalence, characteristics, and impact on attitudes toward death, life, and the environment
Introduction
Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca have gained considerable popular and scientific attention in recent years, with the FDA even granting them breakthrough therapy designations. They induce profound experiences such as ego dissolution, which is marked by a profound sense of unity and the dissolution of boundaries between the self and the external world.
Research shows that profound experiences during psychedelic use are associated with long-term changes in human beliefs, emotions, and behavior, including increased long-term interpersonal closeness, a heightened sense of life meaning and purpose, shifts in coping strategies, enhanced connection with nature, and decreased symptoms of depression and addiction behavior.
Find this paper
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1287961
Open Access | Google Scholar | Backup | 🕊
Cite this paper (APA)
David, J., Bouso, J. C., Kohek, M., Ona, G., Tadmor, N., Arnon, T., ... & Berkovich-Ohana, A. (2023). Ayahuasca-induced personal death experiences: prevalence, characteristics, and impact on attitudes toward death, life, and the environment. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14.