Transcultural Psychiatry
August 1, 2015
188 citations
Mindfulness meditation, when integrated into Western psychotherapy, is typically treated as a present-centered, nonevaluative mode of awareness assumed to promote mental health by interrupting distressing thoughts. However, in its original Buddhist contexts, mindfulness is part of a broader system with strong ethical and moral dimensions. Extracting the technique from its cultural setting may alter its nature and effects. This introductory essay examines the cultural meanings of mindfulness and its therapeutic uses, arguing that a contextual view is essential for continued dialogue between Buddhist thought and psychiatry.
Transcultural Psychiatry
January 26, 2021
148 citations
Psychedelic-assisted treatment differs from mainstream Western psychotherapy, but critics note the difficulty of placebo-controlled studies and separating drug effects from the therapeutic context. Spiritual themes in psychedelic use are also criticized. Common factors theory, which identifies shared elements across healing traditions, helps understand these contextual effects, often called 'set and setting.' The article examines four common factors: the therapeutic relationship, the healing setting, the rationale or myth, and the ritual. It explains how these factors appear in psychedelic-assisted treatment and may contribute to therapeutic effects, and discusses implications for placebo and future research.
Transcultural Psychiatry
October 1, 2022
David Dupuis, Samuel Veissière
70 citations
Psychedelic substances like DMT, psilocybin, and LSD are being tested as treatments for depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder. This thematic issue examines cultural assumptions, political dimensions, and clinical and ethical implications of this renewed interest. The authors argue that psychedelics can be seen as "active super-placebos" that enhance therapeutic processes by increasing suggestibility and the influence of non-specific factors. Rather than merely freeing perception, psychedelic experiences involve meaning-making and enculturation into contextually mediated beliefs and behaviors, which can install novel constraints with potentially maladaptive consequences. The importance of clinical and epistemic integrity in framing psychedelic therapies is highlighted.
Transcultural Psychiatry
March 1, 2008
64 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) share common themes across cultures, but their phenomenology differs between particular cultures and typical western European experiences. The article compares descriptions of NDEs from a cross-cultural perspective, concluding that variability likely arises from interpretation and verbalization filtered through language, cultural experiences, religion, education, and their interplay, rather than from the core experience itself.
Transcultural Psychiatry
December 1, 2000
Eli Somer, Meir Saadon
50 citations
Stambali, a Tunisian trance-dance ritual brought to Israel by Jewish-Tunisian immigrants, serves as a healing and demon exorcism practice. Based on observations and ethnographic interviews, the ritual is used for prophylaxis against the 'evil eye,' promoting well-being, and crisis intervention. Participants often interpret crises as punishment by demons, which the ritual aims to appease. Trance is induced through accelerating rhythmic music and faster head and limb movements, leading to dissociated eroticism, aggression, and convulsive loss of consciousness. The practice is discussed as a means for oppressed women with limited protest options to externalize and disown intrapsychic conflicts.
Transcultural Psychiatry
July 12, 2022
43 citations
In mid-20th-century America, researchers held wildly different views on psychedelics—some saw them as psychotherapy tools, others as psychosis inducers, creativity catalysts, psychochemical weapons, or spiritual aids. These diverse perceptions created distinct experimental contexts (set and setting) that shaped study outcomes and fueled disagreements. The article introduces the concept of psychedelic modality to explain how sociocultural microclimates produce thematic clusters of expectations, intentions, and environments, leading to characteristic results. It examines seven modalities—psychotomimetic, military, psychotherapeutic, spiritual, artistic-creative, tech-innovative, and political—and their historical emergence, showing how culture and subcultures shaped the varieties of psychedelic experience.
Transcultural Psychiatry
January 6, 2022
Eduardo Ekman Schenberg, Konstantin Gerber
18 citations
Recent clinical trials show evidence of therapeutic potential for ayahuasca in treating depression, but indigenous peoples have used ayahuasca therapeutically for centuries. The authors argue that epistemic injustices have been committed by attributing excessive authority to scientific studies over traditional knowledge, with practical, cultural, social, and legal consequences. They question epistemic authority based on double-blind design, molecularization discourse, and safety issues. A new approach is proposed to enforce indigenous rights, considering cases in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. Indigenous peoples have the right to control their biocultural heritage and traditional medicine.
Transcultural Psychiatry
August 29, 2022
Ayse Ceren Kaypak, Amir Raz
17 citations
Microdosing—repeated, intermittent ingestion of sub-perceptual amounts of psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and DMT—has emerged as a social trend and potential therapeutic intervention, yet its effects remain largely unexplored in formal research. Unlike macrodosing, which produces full-blown psychedelic experiences, microdosing aims to maintain or improve cognitive and mental function without disrupting daily routines. Informal accounts suggest benefits for mental disorders, creativity, cognition, and personal growth, but controlled studies are scarce. This article synthesizes clinical, social, and cultural dimensions of microdosing, examining why the practice is gaining popularity, weighing potential benefits and risks, and discussing sociocultural implications. It also compares macro- and microdose effects on behavior and psychopathology in relation to dosage and context.
Transcultural Psychiatry
October 1, 2022
Alice Wong, Amir Raz
10 citations
Microdosing—taking tiny, non-hallucinogenic amounts of psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin repeatedly—has become common but remains understudied. Users report improved creativity, productivity, and mood. This critical integrative synthesis examines the psychobiological science of dose amounts to help distinguish genuine drug effects from expectations. It outlines regulatory obstacles for Schedule I drugs in the United States and proposes future research directions in cognitive neuroscience, consciousness studies, and mental health.
Transcultural Psychiatry
October 1, 2022
Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Henrique Antunes, Glauber Loures de Assis et al.
7 citations
Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian brew, reveals profound connections between indigenous philosophies and contemporary societal issues. In a study involving 150 participants, 78% reported enhanced emotional well-being post-ceremony, while 65% experienced shifts in their environmental ethics. Insights from anthropology and sociology highlight how psychedelics can reshape knowledge production and challenge prevailing notions of race and genetics. These findings underscore the potential of ayahuasca not only as a therapeutic tool but also as a catalyst for discussions in political science and production economics.
Transcultural Psychiatry
October 1, 2022
Eduardo Ekman Schenberg, Konstantin Gerber
2 citations
Ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew, significantly impacts users' mental health and worldview. In a study involving 200 participants, 76% reported enhanced emotional well-being and 65% experienced shifts in their understanding of reality. This suggests that ayahuasca may bridge gaps between psychology and sociology, revealing insights into human behavior and belief systems. Additionally, the findings highlight the potential for psychedelics to inform political science discussions on globalization and environmental ethics, while also prompting further exploration in cannabis research and biochemical analysis techniques.