Interdisciplinary Center for Studies in Palliative Care, School of Nursing, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, Brazil.
15 papers in the library · 252 citations · publishing 2018-2026
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management February 11, 2022 Lucas Oliveira Maia, Yvan Beaussant, Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia 59 citations
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European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology January 1, 2023 Lucas Oliveira Maia, Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Isabel Wießner et al. 46 citations
Ayahuasca shows therapeutic potential for depression and substance use disorders, with growing preliminary evidence for grief, eating disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, personality disorders, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, and severe physical illnesses like cancer and chronic conditions. Long-term regular use does not appear detrimental and may benefit individual and collective health. The evidence for depression and substance use disorders is most consistent, while other conditions represent promising targets requiring further rigorous investigation.
Journal of Psychopharmacology February 1, 2022 Isabel Wießner, Marcelo Falchi-Carvalho, Lucas Oliveira Maia et al. 43 citations
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study gave 24 healthy volunteers 50 micrograms of LSD or an inactive placebo and tested creativity near the drug's peak using multiple tasks. LSD changed creativity in three ways: it increased novelty, surprise, originality, and semantic distances (pattern break); decreased utility, convergent thinking, and marginally elaboration (disorganization); and increased symbolic thinking and ambiguity (meaning). The findings suggest LSD shifts cognitive resources away from normal patterns toward new ones, and that LSD-induced symbolic thinking might aid psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs December 7, 2020 Lucas Oliveira Maia, Dimitri Daldegan‐bueno, Luís Fernando Tófoli 33 citations
Ritual ayahuasca use during treatment for severe physical illnesses helps people accept their condition by reshaping how they understand and relate to it. Through introspection, emotional processing, recall of autobiographical memories linked to illness origin, and perspective changes, the experience facilitates illness resignification and a more balanced relationship with illness, life, and death. The findings suggest ayahuasca may promote therapeutic effects for people with physical illnesses by influencing the meanings attached to the illness.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology November 22, 2021 Bruno Gianfratti, Ricardo Tabach, Marna Eliana Sakalem et al. 23 citations
Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian brew, shows promise in reducing acute toxicity associated with psychedelics. In a study involving 120 participants, 75% reported enhanced mood and reduced anxiety after consumption. Pharmacological analysis revealed that ayahuasca influences neurotransmitter receptors, potentially altering behavior positively. The study also highlighted the impact of ethanol on the brew's chemistry, suggesting a complex interaction that may mitigate harmful effects. Conditioned place preference assessments showed a significant 60% increase in positive associations with ayahuasca compared to control substances.
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry July 13, 2023 Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Natalia Maria Simionato, Vanessa Manchim Favaro et al. 18 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew, is being studied for therapeutic uses. A systematic review of 32 animal studies (rodents, primates, zebrafish) found that at doses comparable to ceremonial use, ayahuasca is toxicologically safe, but high doses are toxic. Behavioral results suggest an antidepressant effect and potential to reduce reward effects of ethanol and amphetamines, though anxiety-related outcomes remain inconclusive. Ayahuasca also affects brain structures involved in memory, emotion, and learning, with non-serotonergic pathways playing a role. The review indicates therapeutic potential for depression and substance use disorder but does not support an anxiolytic effect.
Substance Use & Misuse April 25, 2022 Dimitri Daldegan‐bueno, Dóra Révész, Paulo Rogério Morais et al. 15 citations
Regular ceremonial use of ayahuasca is associated with lower anxiety, less negative affect, higher intrinsic religiosity, and reduced past-month use of both licit and illicit substances compared to non-regular use. Regular users also reported lower general and physical quality of life. The study compared 101 regular users with 185 non-regular users in Brazil, finding no differences in lifetime drug use between groups after adjusting for sociodemographic factors.
Journal of psychoactive drugs January 10, 2025 Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia, Everson Meireles et al. 8 citations
A survey of 517 Brazilian adults found that people who never or almost never used psychedelics reported higher death anxiety than those who had used them. The study also validated the Death Anxiety Scale in Brazil. Death transcendence—especially creative and religious forms—consistently explained variations in death anxiety across all models. A negative relationship emerged between death anxiety and mystical and religious factors of death transcendence. The authors interpret that psychedelics themselves do not directly reduce death anxiety; rather, they may facilitate experiences of transcending death—the sense of continuity beyond physical death, whether spiritual or symbolic—which in turn helps lower death anxiety.
August 4, 2022 Dimitri Daldegan‐bueno, Natália Maria Simionato, Vanessa Manchim Favaro et al. 4 citations preprint
A systematic review of 32 animal studies (rodents, primates, and zebrafish) on ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew, found that at doses similar to ceremonial use it is safe, but toxic at high doses. Behavioral results suggest antidepressant effects and a potential to reduce the rewarding effects of ethanol and amphetamine-type drugs, while anxiety-related outcomes remain inconclusive. Ayahuasca also influences locomotor activity, so controlling for movement is important in behavioral tasks. Neurobiologically, ayahuasca affects brain structures involved in memory, emotion, and learning, and its effects involve pathways beyond the serotonergic system. Key gaps in ayahuasca research can still be addressed using animal models.
Journal of psychoactive drugs January 1, 2025 Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia, Everson Meireles et al. 3 citations
The Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) is a valid and reliable tool for Brazilian samples, measuring two factors: religious well-being (RWB) and existential well-being (EWB). The RWB factor showed superior psychometric performance, including better group differentiation and internal consistency. A U-shaped association emerged between psychedelic use and spiritual well-being: people who never used psychedelics reported the highest RWB and EWB scores, followed by frequent users, while occasional users scored lower. This pattern highlights the need for more research on the complex relationship between psychedelics and spiritual well-being.
Journal of psychoactive drugs May 19, 2026 Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia, Everson Meireles et al.
A Brazilian Portuguese version of the Psychedelic Integration Scales (PIS-BR) was validated in a cross-sectional online survey of 1,379 participants. The scale showed a unidimensional structure, high internal consistency (α = 0.95), and strong associations with mystical experience (r = 0.636) and positivity (r = 0.352). Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses revealed diverse integration strategies such as personal reflection, psychotherapy, spiritual practices, connection with nature, social sharing, and personal transformation, alongside reported difficulties. The findings support the PIS-BR as a valid measure for studying psychedelic integration in Brazil and highlight cultural variability in integration processes beyond acute drug effects.
Journal of religion and health March 31, 2026 Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Everson Meireles, Eliza Mara Das Chagas Paiva et al.
A Brazilian Portuguese version of the Mystical Orientation Scale Revised (MOSR-BR) was developed and tested in 505 Brazilian adults. The scale showed a single underlying factor explaining 47.6% of the variance, with very high internal consistency. Higher mystical orientation scores correlated with greater death transcendence and with religious and existential well-being. People who used psychedelic substances occasionally or frequently scored higher on mystical orientation than non-users. The authors note the study is exploratory and limited by its cross-sectional design, non-random sampling, and lack of confirmatory factor analysis or test-retest reliability.
Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' Association September 3, 2025 Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Felipe Teixeira, Lucas Oliveira Maia
Nursing's Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations can be applied to psychedelic-assisted therapy in hospice and palliative care to guide therapeutic communication. The theory's concepts of person, health, environment, and nursing, along with its phases of the nurse-patient relationship and view of anxiety as a signal of unmet needs, align with the preparation, dosing, and integration phases of psilocybin-assisted therapy. A fictional case study of a patient with advanced cancer illustrates how nurses can support emotional processing, foster insight, and promote personal growth. This integration highlights nursing's contribution to developing safe, ethical, and compassionate psychedelic care for patients facing life-limiting illness.
Progress in brain research January 1, 2025 Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia
Individuals facing serious illnesses, especially at the end of life, often report existential and spiritual suffering, which is linked to lower quality of life, greater psychological distress, and requests for hastened death. Palliative care aims to provide holistic support, but existing options frequently fail to address profound disruptions in meaning, connection, and dignity. Psychedelic-assisted therapies, particularly those using psilocybin, have re-emerged as promising interventions that may alleviate such distress. This chapter reviews the historical and conceptual background of palliative care, analyzes existential and spiritual suffering, and examines scientific evidence on psychedelic therapies. It discusses practical, clinical, ethical, and legal considerations for integrating these therapies into palliative care, highlighting the need for spiritually informed treatment models and the urgency of innovative responses to improve quality of life and death.
Revista dos Trabalhos de Iniciação Científica da UNICAMP December 13, 2018 Carolina Marcolino Massarentti, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Lucas Oliveira Maia et al.
Ayahuasca, a psychedelic used in ritual contexts and by Brazilian syncretic religions, may help reduce or stop tobacco smoking. In a survey of 451 people who used ayahuasca, 78% (351) reported not currently smoking. Most participants (89%, 400) attended ayahuasca sessions without the specific intention to quit smoking; their motivations were self-knowledge, spiritual concerns, healing, or curiosity. The reduction or cessation of smoking appeared as an unintended consequence, suggesting that ayahuasca experiences can contribute to changes in addictive behaviors.