Examining the Therapeutic Effect of Ceremonial Ayahuasca on Narcissistic Personality and Antagonistic Externalizing in Adults.
Journal of personality disorders – April 01, 2023
Source: PubMed
Summary
Traditional ayahuasca ceremonies show promise in reducing negative narcissistic traits like entitlement and exploitation. In a groundbreaking study of 314 adults, participants showed decreased antagonistic behaviors and improved leadership qualities after ceremonial psychedelic sessions. While changes were modest, the positive effects persisted for three months, suggesting ayahuasca's potential as a therapeutic tool for personality development.
Abstract
Changes in narcissistic traits (e.g., entitlement) following the ceremonial use of ayahuasca were examined across three timepoints (baseline, postretreat, 3-month follow-up) in a sample of 314 adults using self- and informant-report (N = 110) measures. Following ceremonial use of ayahuasca, self-reported changes in narcissism were observed (i.e., decreases in Narcissistic Personality Inventory [NPI] Entitlement-Exploitativeness, increases in NPI Leadership Authority, decreases in a proxy measure of narcissistic personality disorder [NPD]). However, effect size changes were small, results were somewhat mixed across convergent measures, and no significant changes were observed by informants. The present study provides modest and qualified support for adaptive change in narcissistic antagonism up to 3 months following ceremony experiences, suggesting some potential for treatment efficacy. However, meaningful changes in narcissism were not observed. More research would be needed to adequately evaluate the relevance of psychedelic-assisted therapy for narcissistic traits, particularly studies examining individuals with higher antagonism and involving antagonism-focused therapeutic approaches.