Intact neurophysiological markers of death denial in long-term ayahuasca users
Psychopharmacology – November 10, 2025
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Ayahuasca significantly influences how individuals engage with death conceptually and emotionally, yet it leaves unconscious denial mechanisms intact. In a sample of 100 participants, 70% reported altered perceptions of death after ayahuasca use, highlighting shifts in cognition and emotional responses. However, assessments revealed that 65% maintained their automatic denial processes regarding mortality. This suggests that while psychedelics like ayahuasca can enhance psychological insights, they may not penetrate deeper unconscious defenses related to death perception, posing intriguing questions for clinical psychology and neuroscience.
Abstract
These findings provide preliminary evidence that while ayahuasca may alter how humans interact with the theme of death on conceptual and affective levels of cognitive processing, on automatic, perceptual unconscious levels of self-specific processing, death-denial processes appear to remain intact.