Enhancement of Creative Expression and Entoptic Phenomena as After-Effects of Repeated Ayahuasca Ceremonies
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs July 1, 2012 Ede Frecska, Csaba E. Móré, András Vargha et al. 88 citations
Visual creativity, measured by the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, increased after a series of ayahuasca ceremonies once acute effects had subsided. Forty ayahuasca ritual participants in Brazil showed significantly more highly original solutions and phosphenic (entoptic) responses compared to twenty-one controls tested two weeks apart. However, ayahuasca participants already produced more phosphenic solutions at baseline, likely because they had more recent psychedelic experiences. The naturalistic study suggests that ritual ayahuasca use may enhance certain visual creativity measures and increase entoptic activity after the acute psychoactive effects recede.