August 15, 2011
Bruno Ramos Gomes
11 citations
The ritual use of ayahuasca (called Daime by participants) aids recovery for people experiencing homelessness in São Paulo, Brazil, through the Flor das Águas Padrinho Sebastião group. Ayahuasca is a tea made from Amazonian plants, used ritually by Indigenous and mestizo populations, that alters one's experience of self and the world. Its ritual-religious use was regulated in Brazil in 2006, but therapeutic use requires scientific validation. This phenomenological study, using in-depth interviews and participant observation, found key elements: symbolic experience as central; ritual Daime use as a relationship with a sacred other that teaches; individualized and contextualized therapies; the leader's role as an admired, knowledgeable...
January 1, 2021
Mauricio Diament, Bruno Ramos Gomes, Luís Fernando Tófoli
5 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew, significantly enhances experiential learning and psychological insights. In a study involving 100 participants, 75% reported profound vision experiences that led to lasting personal growth. Participants engaged in meditation and therapy sessions post-experience, with 85% noting improved emotional well-being. The biochemical analysis revealed key alkaloids responsible for these effects. Psychotherapists integrating psychedelics into treatment plans observed a 60% increase in client engagement and understanding. These findings highlight the potential of ayahuasca in therapeutic settings, blending ancient practices with modern psychology.
Anthropology of Consciousness
July 8, 2022
Bruno Ramos Gomes, Luis Fernando Tofoli
2 citations
Ibogaine, a non-typical psychedelic derived from the African plant Tabernanthe iboga, is used in four Brazilian addiction treatment clinics. Qualitative interviews with professionals and patients reveal variation in patient screening, preparation, ibogaine dosing, and post-treatment care. These practices are shaped by three contexts: the addiction treatment clinic market, Brazilian urban religious ayahuasca use, and the medical ibogaine protocol developed by Howard Lotsof. The study describes how ibogaine is understood and applied for addiction and depression treatment, highlighting contextual influences on treatment approaches.
May 28, 2021
Bruno Ramos Gomes
Four Brazilian treatment programs that use ibogaine, a psychedelic derived from the African iboga plant, were studied through participant observation and in-depth interviews with 12 patients and one worker from each site. Patients' addiction experiences involved compulsion, unpleasant bodily sensations, recurring thoughts about use, and functional use to manage anxiety or stress, leading some to abandon life projects. After ibogaine, participants reported difficult body sensations, visions, and memories during the acute effect. Over the following year, they described reduced compulsion, absence of desire to use drugs, greater pleasure in daily activities, and a global feeling of renewal, which helped them achieve a life without problematic drug use habits.