The Use, Role, and Function of Music During Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) with Ayahuasca: A Scoping Review Protocol
Psychoactives – June 25, 2025
Source: DOAJ
Summary
Music is crucial in traditional ayahuasca use, yet its role in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) remains underexplored. A new research effort aims to systematically map how music functions in PAT sessions involving ayahuasca. Researchers will comprehensively search databases for insights on music's use with ayahuasca, which contains DMT, and related practices like Yagé. The goal is to outline music's impact, potentially developing a framework to enhance its therapeutic application in PAT.
Abstract
Objective: To provide a state of the art on the use, role, and function of music during psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) with ayahuasca. Introduction: Ayahuasca is a medicinal brew with psychoactive qualities used by indigenous communities throughout the Amazon region, and music is deemed crucial during ayahuasca experiences. In PAT, music forms part of the set and setting, but it lacks systematization and is poorly explored in the scientific literature. Inclusion criteria: Published literature in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, focusing on conceptualizing, defining, or describing the use, role, and/or function of music in PAT sessions with ayahuasca. Methods: This review follows the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. We will search Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases without year restrictions, and a hand search of articles will be performed. Two reviewers will assess titles/abstracts, followed by independent reviews of included full texts. An Excel data extraction sheet will be used to tabulate the information. The findings will be presented narratively, including respective tables or figures. If feasible, a potential theoretical framework for the use, role, and function of music during PAT with ayahuasca will be outlined, including implications for future research and clinical practice.