Moving beyond a figurative psychedelic literacy: Metaphors of psychiatric symptoms in ayahuasca narratives.

Metaphors, analogies, and similes are common in narratives of drinking the psychedelic ayahuasca, forming a transcultural pattern. Based on survey and field research at a healing center in Pucallpa, Peru, the article examines conceptual metaphors in stories told by international guests. Bodily metaphors and visionary analogies appear in narrative plots that express the reappraisal, overcoming, and sometimes emboldening of psychiatric symptoms. Moving beyond the literal-figurative divide, the article explores the intrinsic metaphoricity of psychedelic experiences and advocates for literacy of conceptual metaphors in both clinical and non-clinical psychedelic narratives, which can broaden approaches in psychedelic psychiatry and social science research.

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Abstract

Metaphors, analogies, and similes commonly appear in narratives of drinking the potent psychedelic "ayahuasca", presenting an intriguing transcultural pattern. Based upon survey and field research at an ayahuasca healing center in Pucallpa, Peru, the article investigates conceptual metaphors in narratives of ayahuasca experiences made by the visiting international guests. Bodily metaphors and visionary analogies frequently appear in narrative plots where they can express the reappraisal, overcoming, and sometimes emboldening of symptoms diagnosed by psychiatry. Moving beyond the literal-figurative divide, the article explores the intrinsic "metaphoricity" of psychedelic experiences and advocates for a literacy of conceptual metaphors regarding both clinical and non-clinical psychedelic narratives. Developing this literacy can broaden approaches in psychedelic psychiatry that analyze and treat syndromes and disorders, while also being applicable to social science and humanities research that examine psychoactive drug use beyond medical frameworks.