Therapeutic Effects of Ceremonial Ayahuasca Use for Methamphetamine Use Disorders and Other Mental Health Challenges: Case Studies in an Indigenous Community in Sonora, Mexico.

This paper describes three case studies from an outpatient intercultural therapeutic program founded and run by Yaqui health professionals and traditional healers to serve members of the Yaqui tribe residing in Sonora, Mexico. This pilot therapeutic program has been designed specifically for Indigenous individuals, incorporating the ceremonial use of naturally derived psychedelics in addressing substance use disorders and other mental health issues. The program employs a community-based approach, integrating various traditional Indigenous healing practices like the sweatlodge (temazcal), medicinal plant preparations, and the ritualistic use of selected psychedelics from natural sources (such as ayahuasca, peyote, and secretions from Incilius alvarius). These approaches are complemented by culturally attuned group and individual psychotherapy sessions, as well as group sports, community meals, collaborative construction efforts for a permanent clinical infrastructure, and cultural engagements such as art, crafts, and collective music. To evaluate the program's efficacy, safety, and cultural implications, an ongoing observational study is being conducted by an international team of researchers. The preliminary results demonstrate therapeutic progress and improved psychometric outcomes observed in the three case studies presented, indicating promise for this intercultural therapeutic intervention.

A Proposal to Study the Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybe cubensis in Preclinical and Clinical Studies as a Therapeutic Alternative for Major Depressive Disorder.

The pharmacological treatment of depression consists of taking antidepressant drugs for prolonged periods; its modest therapeutic effect can often be associated with significant adverse effects, while its discontinuation can lead to relapses. Psilocybin is today a novel and breakthrough therapy for major depression. It is a natural alkaloid in Psilocybe mushrooms, which are endemic to Mexico. Research on a larger scale is lacking in various populations, including the Mexican people. This proposal contemplates the experimental design of a preclinical (toxicity and pharmacological evaluation of an extract in mice) and clinical study by including the chemical analysis of a species of Psilocybe cubensis mushroom to characterize its main constituents. The clinical study will consider the safety evaluation by exploring tolerated doses of Psilocybe cubensis by measuring pharmacokinetic parameters after oral administration in healthy adults and an open trial on a sample of patients with major depressive disorder to assess the safety and efficacy of fully characterized Psilocybe cubensis in a two-single doses treatment, (with assisted psychotherapy), compared with the traditional care model at the Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz in Mexico City. This report presents the design of a research project with preclinical and clinical experimental components.

Ayahuasca Treatment Outcome Project (ATOP): One Year Results from Takiwasi Center and Implications for Psychedelic Science

OBJECTIVE: This paper focuses on the outcomes at one-year post-treatment of a naturalistic evaluation of services provided through the Takiwasi Centre, an accredited Peruvian therapeutic community offering an ayahuasca-assisted, integrative treatment program for addiction rehabilitation. METHODS: Participants (n=52) completed structured interviews and a battery of validated instruments. Outcome measures included the Addiction Severity Index (V. 5), the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, the WHOQOL-BREF and the WHOQOL-SRPB. Likert rating scales were used to assess perceived importance and significance of different aspects of the program and overall participant satisfaction. RESULTS: The group change from baseline to the one-year follow up was significant and in the anticipated direction for alcohol and drug use severity, depression and anxiety, and some dimensions of quality of life. There was considerable individual variation in outcomes and treatment duration. The majority of participants rated all aspects of the program as important, including the spiritual and therapeutic significance of the ayahuasca experience which was rated as very significant. CONCLUSION: Based on the positive one-year outcomes, and within the limitations of an uncontrolled observational study design, the findings suggest promise for the effectiveness of the use of ayahuasca in a multifactorial treatment context for individuals with significant treatment histories, high levels of comorbidity and treatment motivation. Results highlight considerable variation in individual experience that merit in-depth qualitative analysis. Implications for ayahuasca-assisted and other psychedelic-assisted treatment alternatives are discussed.

"Getting to the Root": Ayahuasca Ceremony Leaders' Perspectives on Eating Disorders.

Given the mortality, chronicity, and treatment drop-out rates observed among individuals with eating disorders (EDs), innovative approaches are needed. Ayahuasca, a psychedelic plant medicine from the Amazon, is currently being investigated. This study expands on prior exploratory research by describing the perspectives of ayahuasca ceremony leaders regarding their conceptualizations of EDs and the potential therapeutic mechanisms of action of ayahuasca for individuals with EDs. Qualitative content analysis of interviews with 15 ayahuasca ceremony leaders produced two main categories, with relevant subcategories. The first category encompassed the leaders' theories of EDs from a shamanic perspective, including that EDs are symptomatic of an underlying concern, serve a function and affect health in multiple domains. The second category described leaders' perspectives on the potential mechanisms of action of ayahuasca for EDs, including that ayahuasca facilitates "energetic healing"; helps identify, process, and integrate the "root" of the ED; promotes holistic healing; and enhances and/or reorganizes relationships. From the perspectives of ceremony leaders and consistent with previous exploratory research, ceremonial ayahuasca use may offer a potentially useful, novel and complementary intervention for EDs.

Protocol for Outcome Evaluation of Ayahuasca-Assisted Addiction Treatment: The Case of Takiwasi Center.

The present study describes the protocol for the Ayahuasca Treatment Outcome Project (ATOP) with a special focus on the evaluation of addiction treatment services provided through Takiwasi Center, the first ATOP study site. The goal of the project is to assess treatment outcomes and understand the therapeutic mechanisms of an Ayahuasca-assisted, integrative treatment model for addiction rehabilitation in the Peruvian Amazon. The proposed intervention protocol highlights the significance of treatment setting in the design, delivery, and efficacy of an addiction rehabilitation program that involves the potent psychedelic tea known as Ayahuasca. After describing the context of the study, we put forth details about our mixed-methods approach to data collection and analysis, with which we seek to gain an understanding of why, how, and for whom this specific ayahuasca-assisted treatment program is effective across a range of outcomes. The ATOP protocol employs qualitative research methods as a means to determine which aspects of the setting are meaningful to clients and practitioners, and how this may correlate with outcome measures. This paper delineates the core principles, methods, and measures of the overall ATOP umbrella, then discusses the role of ATOP in the context of the literature on long-term residential programs. To conclude, we discuss the strengths and limitations of the protocol and the intended future of the project.

Nourishing the Spirit: Exploratory Research on Ayahuasca Experiences along the Continuum of Recovery from Eating Disorders.

Eating disorders (EDs) are serious health conditions that are among the most difficult to treat. Innovative treatments are needed and modalities from across cultures must be considered. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant-based tea originally used by Amazonian indigenous groups. A growing body of research points to its promise in the healing of various mental health issues. This study explored the potential therapeutic value of ayahuasca in the context of EDs, including the perceived impact of the preparatory diet and the ayahuasca purge. Sixteen individuals previously diagnosed with an ED participated in a semi-structured interview relating to their experiences with ceremonial ayahuasca drinking. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes presented relate to the reduction or cessation of ED and mental health symptoms, shifts in body perception, and the importance of a ceremonial setting and after-care. For some, the preparatory diet resulted in familiar patterns of concern; however, none felt triggered by the purge in ayahuasca. Ceremonial ayahuasca drinking shows promise in the healing of EDs and warrants further research.

Therapeutic effects of ritual ayahuasca use in the treatment of substance dependence--qualitative results.

This qualitative empirical study explores the ritual use of ayahuasca in the treatment of addictions. Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychedelic plant compound created from an admixture of the vine Banisteriopsis caapi and the bush Psychotria viridis. The study included interviews with 13 therapists who apply ayahuasca professionally in the treatment of addictions (four indigenous healers and nine Western mental health professionals with university degrees), two expert researchers, and 14 individuals who had undergone ayahuasca-assisted therapy for addictions in diverse contexts in South America. The study provides empirically based hypotheses on therapeutic mechanisms of ayahuasca in substance dependence treatment. Findings indicate that ayahuasca can serve as a valuable therapeutic tool that, in carefully structured settings, can catalyze neurobiological and psychological processes that support recovery from substance dependencies and the prevention of relapse. Treatment outcomes, however, can be influenced by a number of variables that are explained in this study. In addition, issues related to ritual transfer and strategies for minimizing undesired side-effects are discussed.