Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats-Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study
In a prospective naturalistic study of 63 self-selected participants attending ayahuasca ceremonies at a Peruvian Amazon retreat, significant reductions in depression, anxiety and general distress and increases in self‑compassion were observed post‑retreat and were largely sustained or further improved at six months. Epigenetic findings were inconclusive but pointed to candidate targets such as SIGMAR1, supporting further mechanistic and clinical investigation.
Authors
- James Rucker
- Luiz Tófoli
- Allan Young
Published
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a natural psychoactive brew, used in traditional ceremonies in the Amazon basin. Recent research has indicated that ayahuasca is pharmacologically safe and its use may be positively associated with improvements in psychiatric symptoms. The mechanistic effects of ayahuasca are yet to be fully established. In this prospective naturalistic study, 63 self-selected participants took part in ayahuasca ceremonies at a retreat centre in the Peruvian Amazon. Participants undertook the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Self-compassion Scale (SCS), Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), as well as secondary measures, pre- and post-retreat and at 6-months. Participants also provided saliva samples for pre/post epigenetic analysis. Overall, a statistically significant decrease in BDI-II (13.9 vs. 6.1,p< 0.001), STAI (44.4 vs. 34.3p< 0.001) scores, and CORE-OM scores were observed (37.3 vs. 22.3p< 0.001) at post-retreat, as well as a concurrent increase in SCS (3.1 vs. 3.6,p< 0.001). Psychometric improvements were sustained, and on some measures values further decreased at 6-month follow-up, suggesting a potential for lasting therapeutic effects. Changes in memory valence were linked to the observed psychometric improvements. Epigenetic findings were equivocal, but indicated that further research in candidate genes, such as sigma non-opioid intracellular receptor 1 (SIGMAR1), is warranted. This data adds to the literature supporting ayahuasca's possible positive impact on mental health when conducted in a ceremonial context. Further investigation into clinical samples, as well as greater analyses into the mechanistic action of ayahuasca is advised.
Research Summary of 'Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats-Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study'
Introduction
Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian plant brew combining Banisteriopsis caapi (containing reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors) with plants such as Psychotria viridis that contain the psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Earlier research has linked ayahuasca use to rapid antidepressant and anxiolytic effects, improvements in wellbeing and personality traits, and intense subjective experiences often described as mystical. Mechanistic proposals include agonism at 5-HT2A and SIGMAR1 receptors and possible modulation of memory reconsolidation, neuroplasticity and stress-related pathways; however, human mechanistic data are limited and most empirical studies have been carried out in Brazilian church members or small clinical samples rather than in traditional retreat settings. Ruffell and colleagues set out to examine whether ceremonial ayahuasca use in a Shipibo-rooted Peruvian retreat context is associated with changes in mental health and with epigenetic changes in candidate stress-related genes. The study aimed to measure depression, trait anxiety, self-compassion and global distress before, immediately after, and 6 months following retreat participation, to assess autobiographical memory and childhood trauma as potential mediators, to record mystical experience scores, and to explore DNA methylation changes in three candidate genes (FKBP5, BDNF and SIGMAR1). The investigators hypothesised immediate and sustained psychological improvements post-retreat, associations with mystical experience and childhood trauma scores, and detectable methylation changes following ayahuasca exposure.
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Study Details
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- APA Citation
Ruffell, S. G. D., Netzband, N., Tsang, W., Davies, M., Inserra, A., Butler, M., Rucker, J. J. H., Tófoli, L. F., Dempster, E. L., Young, A. H., & Morgan, C. J. A. (2021). Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats-Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.687615
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