Meetings with Mother Ayahuasca: The effects of the spiritual experience on mental processes and physiological responses
(2020) PSYK11 20201Department of Psychology
- Abstract
- Research on using psychedelic substances for treating various psychological problems such as addiction, treatment resistant depression and death agony seem to indicate that under the right circumstances the use of psychedelics could have positive outcomes on mental health. Studies also suggest that the potentially positive outcomes on mental health cannot be reduced to pharmacological effects alone. Subjective spiritual experiences during the time of consumption seem to have an important role in outcome. Much of the research on psychedelic substances uses quantitative methodology to assess the substance’s effectiveness in treating various mental disorders and illnesses. While the spiritual experience is considered significant and the... (More)
- Research on using psychedelic substances for treating various psychological problems such as addiction, treatment resistant depression and death agony seem to indicate that under the right circumstances the use of psychedelics could have positive outcomes on mental health. Studies also suggest that the potentially positive outcomes on mental health cannot be reduced to pharmacological effects alone. Subjective spiritual experiences during the time of consumption seem to have an important role in outcome. Much of the research on psychedelic substances uses quantitative methodology to assess the substance’s effectiveness in treating various mental disorders and illnesses. While the spiritual experience is considered significant and the importance of integration is mentioned, little focus is placed on understanding how the spiritual experience is related to changes in the consumer's mental health. The aim of this study is to establish the connection between the spiritual experience and the changes that occur in mental processes and physiological responses. Using semi-structured chat-based interviews and thematic analysis, we examine subjective experiences during Ayahuasca ceremonies in 11 participants, recruited through an anonymous online discussion forum. An Ayahuasca intervention needs to be understood as a drug induced altered state of consciousness and spiritual experience, guided by a shaman, and influenced by context. The spiritual experience is intimately connected to mental processes and physiological responses. Such an understanding is vital for an appropriate integration of the medicine into a culture that may be skeptical of spirituality and the validity of subjective accounts. The expertise of the shaman in ceremonies seems to also carry great significance for the experience and should be paid detailed attention to. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Forskningen om användning av psykedeliska substanser för behandling av olika psykologiska problem som beroende, behandlingsresistent depression och dödsångest tycks indikera att användning av psykedelika under rätt omständigheter kan ha positiva resultat för mental hälsa. Forskningen antyder också att de potentiellt positiva resultaten för mental hälsa inte kan reduceras till endast farmakologiska effekter. Den subjektiva andliga upplevelsen under tiden för konsumtion tycks spela en viktig roll för resultatet. Mycket av forskningen om psykedeliska substanser använder kvantitativ metod för att bedöma ämnets effektivitet vid behandling av olika psykiska störningar och sjukdomar. Medan den andliga upplevelsen betraktas som betydelsefull och... (More)
- Forskningen om användning av psykedeliska substanser för behandling av olika psykologiska problem som beroende, behandlingsresistent depression och dödsångest tycks indikera att användning av psykedelika under rätt omständigheter kan ha positiva resultat för mental hälsa. Forskningen antyder också att de potentiellt positiva resultaten för mental hälsa inte kan reduceras till endast farmakologiska effekter. Den subjektiva andliga upplevelsen under tiden för konsumtion tycks spela en viktig roll för resultatet. Mycket av forskningen om psykedeliska substanser använder kvantitativ metod för att bedöma ämnets effektivitet vid behandling av olika psykiska störningar och sjukdomar. Medan den andliga upplevelsen betraktas som betydelsefull och vikten av integration nämns, placeras lite fokus på att förstå hur den andliga upplevelsen är relaterad till förändringar i konsumentens mentala hälsa. Syftet med denna studie är att upprätta sambandet mellan den andliga erfarenheten och de förändringar som sker i mentala processer och fysiologiska svar. Med hjälp av semistrukturerade chattbaserade intervjuer och tematisk analys undersöker vi subjektiva upplevelser under ceremonier hos 11 deltagare, rekryterade genom ett anonymt diskussionsforum online. Resultatet av en Ayahuasca-intervention behöver förstås som en hallucinogen som inducerar ett förändrat medvetandetillstånd och andlig upplevelse vilket guidas av en shaman och påverkas av sammanhang. Den andliga upplevelsen är intimt kopplad till mentala processer och fysiologiska reaktioner. En sådan förståelse är avgörande för en lämplig integration av läkemedlet i en kultur som kan vara skeptisk till andlighet och giltigheten av subjektiva berättelser. Shamans expertis i ceremonier verkar också ha stor betydelse för upplevelsen och bör belysas med större detalj.
Nyckelord: Andlig upplevelse, Mental processer, fysiologiska reaktioner, Ayahuasca, shamanens expertis (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9029898
- author
- Pettersson, Linus LU and Karim, Hamoar Hadi Hamasaleh LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- PSYK11 20201
- year
- 2020
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Spiritual experience, mental processes, physiological responses, Ayahuasca, Expertise of shaman
- language
- English
- id
- 9029898
- date added to LUP
- 2020-09-24 13:26:23
- date last changed
- 2020-09-24 13:26:23
@misc{9029898,
abstract = {{Research on using psychedelic substances for treating various psychological problems such as addiction, treatment resistant depression and death agony seem to indicate that under the right circumstances the use of psychedelics could have positive outcomes on mental health. Studies also suggest that the potentially positive outcomes on mental health cannot be reduced to pharmacological effects alone. Subjective spiritual experiences during the time of consumption seem to have an important role in outcome. Much of the research on psychedelic substances uses quantitative methodology to assess the substance’s effectiveness in treating various mental disorders and illnesses. While the spiritual experience is considered significant and the importance of integration is mentioned, little focus is placed on understanding how the spiritual experience is related to changes in the consumer's mental health. The aim of this study is to establish the connection between the spiritual experience and the changes that occur in mental processes and physiological responses. Using semi-structured chat-based interviews and thematic analysis, we examine subjective experiences during Ayahuasca ceremonies in 11 participants, recruited through an anonymous online discussion forum. An Ayahuasca intervention needs to be understood as a drug induced altered state of consciousness and spiritual experience, guided by a shaman, and influenced by context. The spiritual experience is intimately connected to mental processes and physiological responses. Such an understanding is vital for an appropriate integration of the medicine into a culture that may be skeptical of spirituality and the validity of subjective accounts. The expertise of the shaman in ceremonies seems to also carry great significance for the experience and should be paid detailed attention to.}},
author = {{Pettersson, Linus and Karim, Hamoar Hadi Hamasaleh}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Meetings with Mother Ayahuasca: The effects of the spiritual experience on mental processes and physiological responses}},
year = {{2020}},
}