Effects of Ayahuasca on Gratitude and Relationships with Nature: A Prospective, Naturalistic Study

Introduction

Aday and colleagues situate the study within renewed scientific and public interest in classic serotonergic psychedelics, noting that these compounds—including DMT, the principal psychoactive constituent of ayahuasca—have been linked to therapeutic benefits and prosocial changes such as increased openness and feelings of connection. The introduction highlights a gap in the literature: although qualitative reports and anecdotal evidence suggest that psychedelic experiences may foster enduring increases in gratitude and stronger relationships with nature, these domains have been relatively under-examined with validated, multidimensional measures and with specific focus on ayahuasca. The study therefore aimed to prospectively assess changes in gratitude, nature relatedness, and nature appreciation in people attending an ayahuasca retreat. Participants completed validated questionnaires one week before, one week after, and one month after their retreat; the researchers also measured acute subjective experiences during the retreat (mystical-type experiences, awe, and ego dissolution) and explored whether these acute states, plus baseline variables such as age and prior psychedelic use, related to post-acute change. The approach was naturalistic and within-subjects, designed to test whether previously reported post-acute prosocial shifts generalise to ayahuasca use in a retreat setting and to probe potential psychological correlates of those changes.