Ayahuasca, Personality and Acute Psychological Effects in Neo-Shamanic and Religious Settings in Uruguay

Introduction

Apud and colleagues situate this study within the classic psychedelic framework of "drug, set and setting," emphasising that ayahuasca effects depend not only on its pharmacology but also on individual traits (the "set") and ritual context (the "setting"). They note that ayahuasca is a botanical mixture (Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis) whose alkaloid composition varies with preparation and that ritual traditions range from indigenous vegetalismo through neo-shamanic adaptations to structured church religions such as Santo Daime. Earlier research cited by the authors indicates that both ritual context and personality relate to acute psychedelic effects and longer-term changes in traits such as Openness, Cooperativeness and self-transcendence, but comparative data across distinct contemporary ayahuasca traditions remain limited. This paper therefore reports an interdisciplinary comparison of two Uruguayan ayahuasca-using groups — an eclectic neo-shamanic centre and a Santo Daime church branch — combining ethnographic description, chemical analysis of representative brews, and psychometric measurement of personality and acute psychedelic effects. The investigators tested four linked hypotheses: that Santo Daime participants would show higher Sociability-Extraversion; that the neo-shamanic group (which includes people with substance use disorders, SUDs) would show higher Neuroticism-Anxiety and Sensation Seeking-Impulsivity; that the neo-shamanic setting (characterised as "imagistic") would produce stronger acute HRS (Hallucinogen Rating Scale) effects; and that Extraversion-Sociability and Sensation Seeking-Impulsivity would correlate positively with HRS variables overall and within each group.