A psychedelic combination of traditional Peruvian music and ayahuasca helped nearly 200 people heal from addiction.
The University of California, Riverside (UCR) report reflected a growing acceptance of research pointing to the emotionally therapeutic effects of psychedelics such as ayahuasca and psilocybin.
Six-hour ayahuasca sessions included traditional Peruvian music called icaros, which consists of flute playing and singing in Spanish and indigenous languages. The ceremony is believed to have contributed to men’s psycho-emotional well-being.
The results coincided with a number of reports from users of positive experiences, including 32-year-old Cassie Wolfe, who described the ceremony as “life-changing”.
The report reflected responses from 180 men who participated in an expanded ayahuasca therapy program at the Takiwasi Center in Tarapoto, Peru
A variety of participants said the guided ayahuasca ceremonies had a positive impact on their psycho-emotional health and helped with healing and guidance through difficult emotions
Ayahuasca, brewed by shamans and composed of a herbal psychedelic that means “vine of the dead” in Quechua, was combined with traditional Peruvian music to enhance the healing experience of ayahuasca therapy
Ayahuasca is a drink made by boiling together vine stalks and leaves of a chacruna bush—both native to the Amazon.
The psychedelic brew contains the compound N,N-dymethyltriptamine (DMT), which is one of the most potent known hallucinogens in the world.
Similar to drugs like LSD and psilocybin, DMT has proven its ability to increase connectivity between different brain networks and increase synaptic plasticity.
Owain Graham, a PhD student in ethnomusicology at UCR, collected responses from 180 men who participated in weekly supervised ayahuasca ceremonies and psychotherapy.
It was part of a nine- to 12-month program at the Takiwasi Center for Drug Addiction Rehabilitation and Research on Traditional Medicines in Tarapoto, Peru.
A multitude of participants – 35 percent – had a positive experience, while more than 27 percent said the Icaros helped them guide them through difficult emotions they would otherwise suppress.
Mr. Graham’s team did not have long-term data responses from this cohort, but 67 percent of participants in previous years’ programs did not return to substance abuse.
About 86 percent of participants showed statistically significant improvements on the Addiction Severity Index, a tool used to assess addiction treatment.
Amazonian healers performed Icaros in a structured manner during the sessions.
An icaro is a spiritual song sung to open the ceremony.
Another is chanted to prepare the ayahuasca brew while the participants also chant to invoke spiritual protection and persuade the brew’s effects to begin. A closing song concludes the ceremony.
All patients reported that Icaros altered their psycho-emotional state and that Icaros affected healing related to ‘unlocking’, a process also called ‘cleansing’ and ‘removal’.
This refers to reports of the physical and emotional laxative effects of ayahuasca.
Mr Graham said: “Ethnomusicologists and medical anthropologists understand the role music plays in healing in many cultures.
“Although the scientific basis of Western biomedicine is strong, it has also failed to explain the mind-body connection and how music can affect healing.”
Although the study was small, it reflected the experiences of both South American and Western European men and showed that the number of positive experiences was not influenced by demographics.
The center allows women to participate in other programs, but not this one.
The program requires total abstinence from sex. Healers had to impose a ban on female roommates when the original population of males disobeyed the rules.
As part of the research, participants were asked two questions: “Was the healing and chanting of Icaros by the Master Healer beneficial for you?”; and to briefly describe your experience of the healing effects of icaros during the session.
Most experiences have been positive.
What is ayahuasca?
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic drink that is illegal in the US and UK but widely consumed by tribal societies in the Amazon Basin.
Shamans consider ayahuasca a “wisdom plant” that allows entry into the spiritual world, and it was recognized as such by the Peruvian government in 2008.
According to Talk to Frank, it can produce hallucinations similar to the effects of LSD or magic mushrooms. They last two hours and are “usually enjoyable” but can cause panic and horrifying flashbacks, the site says.
The negative emotional effects of taking ayahuasca can last for days, making it particularly dangerous for those with mental health issues.
It can also increase blood pressure and heart rate and harm people with pre-existing heart disease.
A participant named Patient E said: “I had a good connection with all the Icaros. Especially with [one of the healers]. Like I said it was really good and from all the healing sessions with Icaros and all the healers they helped me to get better.’
Meanwhile, Patient D said, “In this session, I felt the Icaros much more. They connected me much more with the plant. I didn’t just perceive them as songs; They were like a key that opened the doors to a completely different dimension for me.’
But some, like Patient H, had negative experiences.
The researchers wrote, “Thirteen of H’s responses were some form of, ‘I wasn’t paying attention to the Icaros.’ We find it fascinating that with ceremonies that are held in the dark and designed in such a way that the participants have almost nothing to do but listen to Icaros, this pattern is so prevalent for him.’
The report was published in the journal Anthropology of Consciousness.
Ayahuasca is not for everyone. For some, it causes unpleasant effects, namely vomiting.
Over time, consistent use can also lead to psychosis and hallucinations.
For decades, ayahuasca and other potent hallucinogens like psilocybin — the psychoactive chemical in magic mushrooms — were dismissed by physicians as hippie drugs with no clinical benefit.
But they are now at the forefront of trauma research and are finally being explored as serious therapeutics for depression and addiction.