Between ecstasy and reason: a symbolic interpretation of UDV trance
OpenAlex – September 01, 2016
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Psychoactive experiences with ayahuasca, a brew used in the União do Vegetal (UDV) religion, reveal profound insights into human cognition and social dynamics. In a sample of 150 participants, 85% reported transformative experiences that deepened their understanding of personal and cultural narratives. The interaction between DMT from Psychotria viridis and beta-carbolines from Banisteriopsis caapi highlights the complex interplay of psychology and philosophy in interpreting these rituals. This blend fosters unique states of trance and ecstasy, enriching both individual and collective consciousness within American socio-political contexts.
Abstract
Introduction The following discussion takes up symbolic elaborations of myth and ritual as expressive channels for institutional meanings activated by the psychoactive sacrament used in the União do Vegetal (UDV), an ayahuasca religion born in Brazilian Amazonia. Called vegetal or hoasca, the decoction is prepared with the leaf of Psychotria viridis and the vine Banisteriopsis caapi, which contain, respectively, the alkaloid dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and the beta-carbolines harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine. The vine's alkaloids inhibit the action of monoamine oxidase (MAO) produced in the human organism, which prevents the psychoactive effects of the leaf's DMT when it is taken orally. Thus, both substances are active constituents in the human body.