Sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on affect and cognitive thinking style and their association with ego dissolution

Ayahuasca, a psychotropic plant tea used ceremonially in South America, produces sub-acute and long-term improvements in affect and cognitive thinking style. In 57 ceremony attendees in the Netherlands and Colombia, ratings of depression and stress significantly decreased the day after the ceremony and these changes persisted for 4 weeks. Convergent thinking also improved post-ceremony and was maintained at 4 weeks. Satisfaction with life and several aspects of mindfulness increased the day after but were not significantly different from baseline at 4 weeks. Changes in affect, satisfaction with life, and mindfulness correlated with the degree of ego dissolution experienced during the ceremony, not with prior ayahuasca experience. These findings highlight ayahuasca's therapeutic potential for mental health disorders like depression.

Study at a glance

Abstract

RATIONALE: Ayahuasca is a psychotropic plant tea from South America used for religious purposes by indigenous people of the Amazon. Increasing evidence indicates that ayahuasca may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of mental health disorders and can enhance mindfulness-related capacities. Most research so far has focused on acute and sub-acute effects of ayahuasca on mental health-related parameters and less on long-term effects. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to assess sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on well-being and cognitive thinking style. The second objective was to assess whether sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca depend on the degree of ego dissolution that was experienced after consumption of ayahuasca. RESULTS: Ayahuasca ceremony attendants (N = 57) in the Netherlands and Colombia were assessed before, the day after, and 4 weeks following the ritual. Relative to baseline, ratings of depression and stress significantly decreased after the ayahuasca ceremony and these changes persisted for 4 weeks. Likewise, convergent thinking improved post-ayahuasca ceremony up until the 4 weeks follow-up. Satisfaction with life and several aspects of mindfulness increased the day after the ceremony, but these changes failed to reach significance 4 weeks after. Changes in affect, satisfaction with life, and mindfulness were significantly correlated to the level of ego dissolution experienced during the ayahuasca ceremony and were unrelated to previous experience with ayahuasca. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that ayahuasca produces sub-acute and long-term improvements in affect and cognitive thinking style in non-pathological users. These data highlight the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in the treatment of mental health disorders, such as depression.