Exploring the therapeutic potential of Ayahuasca: acute intake increases mindfulness-related capacities
Por:
Soler, J, Elices, M, Franquesa, A, Barker, S, Friedlander, P, Feilding, A, Pascual, JC, Riba, J
Publicada:
1 mar 2016
Resumen:
Ayahuasca is a psychotropic plant tea used for ritual purposes by the indigenous populations of the Amazon. In the last two decades, its use has expanded worldwide. The tea contains the psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), plus beta-carboline alkaloids with monoamine-oxidase-inhibiting properties. Acute administration induces an introspective dream-like experience characterized by visions and autobiographic and emotional memories. Studies of long-term users have suggested its therapeutic potential, reporting that its use has helped individuals abandon the consumption of addictive drugs. Furthermore, recent open-label studies in patients with treatment-resistant depression found that a single ayahuasca dose induced a rapid antidepressant effect that was maintained weeks after administration. Here, we conducted an exploratory study of the psychological mechanisms that could underlie the beneficial effects of ayahuasca.
We assessed a group of 25 individuals before and 24 h after an ayahuasca session using two instruments designed to measure mindfulness capacities: The Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ).
Ayahuasca intake led to significant increases in two facets of the FFMQ indicating a reduction in judgmental processing of experiences and in inner reactivity. It also led to a significant increase in decentering ability as measured by the EQ. These changes are classic goals of conventional mindfulness training, and the scores obtained are in the range of those observed after extensive mindfulness practice.
The present findings support the claim that ayahuasca has therapeutic potential and suggest that this potential is due to an increase in mindfulness capacities.
Filiaciones:
Soler, J:
Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Hosp Santa Creu & St Pau Barcelona, Serv Psiquiatria, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Dept Psicol Clin & Salut, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
CIBERSAM, Ctr Invest Biomed Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
Elices, M:
Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Hosp Santa Creu & St Pau Barcelona, Serv Psiquiatria, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
CIBERSAM, Ctr Invest Biomed Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Dept Psiquiatria & Med Legal, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
Univ Republica, Fac Psicol, Inst Fundamentos & Metodos, Programa Cognic, Montevideo, Uruguay
Franquesa, A:
Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Dept Psiquiatria & Med Legal, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
Les Corts Ctr Higiene Mental, Barcelona, Spain
Barker, S:
Louisiana State Univ, Sch Vet Med, Dept Comparat Biomed Sci, Skip Bertman Dr River Rd, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA
Friedlander, P:
Beckley Fdn, Beckley Pk, Oxford OX3 9SY, England
Feilding, A:
Beckley Fdn, Beckley Pk, Oxford OX3 9SY, England
Pascual, JC:
Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Hosp Santa Creu & St Pau Barcelona, Serv Psiquiatria, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
CIBERSAM, Ctr Invest Biomed Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Dept Psiquiatria & Med Legal, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
Riba, J:
CIBERSAM, Ctr Invest Biomed Red Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain
Hosp Santa Creu & Sant Pau, Serv Farmacol Clin, Ctr Invest Medicaments, Barcelona, Spain
Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Dept Pharmacol & Therapeut, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain
St Pau Inst Biomed Res IIB St Pau, Human Neuropsychopharmacol Grp, C St Antoni Maria Claret 167, Barcelona 08025, Spain
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