This study (n=44) analyzed Uruguayan ayahuasca users in neo-shamanic and Santo Daime groups through chemical tests, ethnography, and psychometrics. Santo Daime participants scored lower in certain personality traits, possibly due to the neo-shamanic group’s treatment or Santo Daime’s religious framework. The neo-shamanic group had higher scores in Somesthesia and Perception, likely due to their high-arousal rituals.

Abstract of Ayahuasca, Personality and Acute Psychological Effects in Neo-Shamanic and Religious Settings in Uruguay

“This study is an interdisciplinary research into Uruguayan ayahuasca users belonging to one neo-shamanic and one Santo Daime group. The study involved the chemical analysis of ayahuasca samples, an ethnographic description of the two traditions and rituals, and the application of psychometric scales to measure personality differences, and the acute psychological effects during an ayahuasca ritual. Personality measurements showed lower scores for Santo Daime in Neuroticism-Anxiety, Dependence, Low Self-Esteem, Anger and Restlessness. These differences may be related to the presence of participants under treatment in the neo-shamanic group and/or to the protective effects of a church religion such as Santo Daime. Regarding acute effects, the neo-shamanic group showed higher scores in Somesthesia and Perception, which can be related to the high-arousal ritual setting. Chemical analysis for the ayahuasca samples showed a typical composition of alkaloids. No adulterants were found. The sample from the neo-shamanic group displayed a higher β-carbolines:DMT ratio compared to the Santo Daime sample, which could be related to the higher effects observed for Somesthesia for the neo-shamanic group. Significant positive correlations between some personality traits and acute effects were found only in the neo-shamanic group, which may be related to the more individualistic approach of this tradition.”

Authors: Ismael Apud, Juan Scuro, Luisina Rodríguez, Gonzalo Hernandez, Ignacio Carrera, Frank Lozano & Juan Ignacio Retta

Summary of Ayahuasca, Personality and Acute Psychological Effects in Neo-Shamanic and Religious Settings in Uruguay

Introduction

Timothy Leary and colleagues introduced the triad of “the drug, the set and the setting” to understand the effects of psychedelics. The setting includes the immediate environment, cultural worldviews and ideas, and social interactions.

Ayahuasca is a mixture of different substances, administered in different ways, in different settings, and with different mind-sets. These elements are essential to understanding the state of consciousness and the subjective experience of participants.

Ayahuasca as a mixture of substances

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Find this paper

Ayahuasca, Personality and Acute Psychological Effects in Neo-Shamanic and Religious Settings in Uruguay

https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2023.2261017

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Cite this paper (APA)

Apud, I., Scuro, J., Rodríguez, L., Hernandez, G., Carrera, I., Lozano, F., & Retta, J. I. (2023). Ayahuasca, Personality and Acute Psychological Effects in Neo-Shamanic and Religious Settings in Uruguay. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1-11.

Study details

Compounds studied
Ayahuasca

Topics studied
Personality

Study characteristics
Observational

Participants
44 Humans