Experiences With Sacred Mushrooms and Psilocybin In Dialogue: Transdisciplinary Interpretations Of The “Velada”
Anthropology of Consciousness August 9, 2022 Antonella Fagetti, Roberto E. Mercadillo 10 citations
The Mazatec velada, a ritual of divination and healing involving sacred mushrooms, is examined through both its cultural context and findings from experimental neuroscience. Psilocybin's effects on neurobiology—emotions, decision-making, and sensory imagery—help explain the subjective experiences of participants. However, experimental research often overlooks an individual's personal and collective history, which the velada incorporates. The authors argue that the ritual can inform experimental designs by integrating a person's history and beliefs. The resurgence of psychedelic medicine calls for a transdisciplinary dialogue merging anthropological perspectives with the set and setting of the entheogenic experience.