Annie Kingston Miller

School of Rural and Northern Health, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

2 papers in the library · 14 citations · publishing 2023-2024

Papers

"Getting to the Root": Ayahuasca Ceremony Leaders' Perspectives on Eating Disorders.

Journal of psychoactive drugs January 1, 2023 Meris Williams, Annie Kingston Miller, Anja Loizaga-Velder et al. 8 citations

Ayahuasca, a psychedelic plant medicine from the Amazon, is being studied as a potential novel intervention for eating disorders (EDs), which have high mortality, chronicity, and treatment drop-out rates. Interviews with 15 ayahuasca ceremony leaders revealed two main categories of perspectives. Leaders conceptualized EDs as symptomatic of underlying concerns, serving a function and affecting health across multiple domains. They described ayahuasca's potential therapeutic mechanisms as facilitating energetic healing, helping identify and process the root of the ED, promoting holistic healing, and enhancing relationships. From ceremony leaders' views, ceremonial ayahuasca may offer a useful complementary intervention for EDs.

DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2022.2113484 Full text Ayahuasca Psychedelic therapy Indigenous healing Eating disorders +4

Ayahuasca ceremony leaders' perspectives on special considerations for eating disorders.

Eating disorders January 1, 2024 Meris Williams, Annie Kingston Miller, Adele Lafrance 6 citations

Ayahuasca, a psychedelic plant medicine from Indigenous Amazonian communities, is being explored as a novel treatment for eating disorders (EDs), which are difficult to resolve. Aspects of ceremonial ayahuasca use, such as purging and dietary restrictions, resemble ED behaviors, raising concerns about its suitability. Interviews with 15 ayahuasca ceremony leaders, mostly from the West/Global North, revealed categories including screening for EDs, purging and dietary restrictions, potential risks, and complementarity with conventional ED treatment. The findings suggest careful screening and extra support can promote safe ceremony experiences. More research is needed on purging and preparatory diets. The ED field could collaborate with ayahuasca ceremony leaders in a decolonizing, bidirectional bridging between Western and Indigenous healing paradigms.

DOI: 10.1080/10640266.2023.2271201 Full text Indigenous medicine Traditional healing Ayahuasca medicine Eating disorders treatment +1