Examining Changes in Personality Following Shamanic Ceremonial Use of Ayahuasca
Research Square (Research Square) November 30, 2020 Brandon Weiss, Joshua Miller, Nathan Carter et al. 7 citations
A longitudinal study of 256 participants at three ayahuasca healing centers in South and Central America found that ceremonial ayahuasca use was associated with a large reduction in Neuroticism, a key personality trait linked to emotional stability. This change was observed both in self-reports (effect size d = 1.00 from baseline to post-use, d = 0.85 at three-month follow-up) and in reports from informants (d = 0.62 at follow-up). The degree of personality change was moderated by participants' baseline personality, acute experiences during the ceremony, and purgative experiences. The findings suggest ayahuasca ceremonies may contribute to lasting personality change, particularly in reducing Neuroticism.