Ethnographic Study: Ayahuasca’s Entwined Efficacy: An Ethnographic Study of Ritual Healing from “Addiction” 1
Proposing Empirical Research August 21, 2019 DOI: 10.4324/9780429463013-71 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAyahuasca, an Amazonian brew, helps treat substance addiction through intertwined physiological and psychological mechanisms. This analysis focuses on how interactive ritual contexts support healing. Based on long-term fieldwork, participant observation in ayahuasca communities, and in-depth interviews with participants who have histories of substance misuse, the work provides an ethnographically grounded, qualitative account of addiction-recovery experiences within ayahuasca rituals.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants with histories of substance misuse in ayahuasca communities |
| Intervention | ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Sociology Psychology |
| Key finding | Interactive ritual contexts support healing from substance addiction within ayahuasca ceremonies. |
Abstract
A range of studies has demonstrated the efficacy of the psychoactive Amazonian brew ayahuasca in addressing substance addiction. These have revealed that physiological and psychological mechanisms are deeply enmeshed. This study will focus on how interactive ritual contexts support the healing effort. This will be an ethnographically grounded, qualitative analysis of addiction-recovery experiences within ayahuasca rituals. It will draw on long-term fieldwork and participant observation in ayahuasca communities, and in-depth, semi-structured interviews of participants with histories of substance misuse.