Mexican Indigenous Psychologies, Cosmovisons, and Altered States of Consciousness
Journal of Consciousness Studies June 1, 2023 Nuria Ciofalo
Indigenous psychologies of the Nahua and Maya peoples of Mexico are grounded in their cosmogonies, philosophies, and spiritual traditions, offering distinct conceptions of consciousness, psyche, spirit, and health that encompass relations with all Earth beings, ancestors, and nature. Colonization imposed foreign cosmologies that threatened these systems, yet these communities continue to use plants, mushrooms, and animals to induce altered states of consciousness in sacred rituals and healing. The paper recommends learning from these knowledge and praxis systems to foster a decolonial psychology that may provide alternatives for addressing contemporary challenges.