Western users of ayahuasca describe a predictable sequence of experiences: initial motivation, a frightening contractile state, a sudden transformation, limitless expansive states with transcendental experiences, reflections, and a changed worldview with new life orientation. This structure, named the transcendental circle, emerged from anonymous written descriptions by 25 Northern Europeans who participated in group ayahuasca sessions. Participants reported many positive psychological and physical improvements, suggesting ayahuasca could be of potential interest for developing new medicines and therapies.
Floating in a flotation tank induces an altered state of consciousness, ranging from mild relaxation and changed time perception to powerful perceptual shifts including out-of-body and perinatal experiences. A qualitative analysis of interviews with eight patients suffering from depression, burn-out syndrome, and chronic pain identified 21 categories grouped into four themes: experiences during floating, perceived effects afterward, technical details, and participants' background, motivation, and expectations. Floating was generally perceived as pleasant. These findings may assist professionals and potential users in understanding the effects of flotation tank therapy.