Enhancement of Creative Expression and Entoptic Phenomena as After-Effects of Repeated Ayahuasca Ceremonies
This open-label study (n=40) on those who participated in a two-week ayahuasca retreat found that they had more creative (divergent, 'high originality', 'phosphenes') responses after the retreat. The participants, however, also had a higher baseline on this creativity measure.
Authors
- Ede Ottó Frecska
Published
Abstract
Studying the effect of psychedelic substances on expression of creativity is a challenging problem. Our primary objective was to study the psychometric measures of creativity after a series of ayahuasca ceremonies at a time when the acute effects have subsided. The secondary objective was to investigate how entoptic phenomena emerge during expression of creativity. Forty individuals who were self-motivated participants of ayahuasca rituals in Brazil completed the visual components of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking before and the second day after the end of a two-week long ceremony series. Twenty-one comparison subjects who did not participate in recent psychedelic use also took the Torrance tests twice, two weeks apart. Repeated ingestion of ayahuasca in the ritual setting significantly increased the number of highly original solutions and phosphenic responses. However, participants in the ayahuasca ceremonies exhibited more phosphenic solutions already at the baseline, probably due to the fact that they had more psychedelic experiences within six months prior to the study than the comparison subjects did. This naturalistic study supports the notion that some measures of visual creativity may increase after ritual use of ayahuasca, when the acute psychoactive effects are receded. It also demonstrates an increased entoptic activity after repeated ayahuasca ingestion.
Research Summary of 'Enhancement of Creative Expression and Entoptic Phenomena as After-Effects of Repeated Ayahuasca Ceremonies'
Introduction
The paper reviews historical and anecdotal claims that psychedelic substances can enhance creativity, noting reports from artists, scientists, and anthropologists that link visionary experiences and entoptic imagery to artistic production. Previous experimental work on psychedelics and creativity is described as sparse, methodologically variable, and often lacking modern controls: some older naturalistic and laboratory studies reported increases in inspiration or rare associations but findings have been inconsistent. The authors also outline the concept of entoptic phenomena (phosphenes) — simple visual patterns arising from the visual system itself — and note that these phenomena are commonly induced by psychedelics and have been proposed as a source of motifs in prehistoric and tribal art. Frecska and colleagues set out to test whether repeated ritual ingestion of ayahuasca produces measurable after-effects on visual creativity and on entoptic (phosphene-like) imagery once acute intoxication has subsided. The primary aim was to apply standardized psychometric measures of visual creativity before and after a two-week series of ayahuasca ceremonies; a secondary aim was to quantify phosphenic responses appearing in the creative outputs. The study was conducted in a naturalistic ceremonial setting rather than a laboratory, reflecting an interest in drug effects together with set and setting.
Expert Research Summaries
Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.
Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- Author
- APA Citation
Frecska, E., Móré, C. E., Vargha, A., & Luna, L. E. (2012). Enhancement of Creative Expression and Entoptic Phenomena as After-Effects of Repeated Ayahuasca Ceremonies. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 44(3), 191-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2012.703099
References (4)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Harman, W. W., McKim, R. H., Mogar, R. E. et al. · Psychological Reports (1966)
Jones, J. A., Blagrove, M., Parrott, A. C. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2009)
McKenna, D., Towers, G. H., Abbott, F. · Journal of Ethnopharmacology (1984)
Sessa, B. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Cited By (34)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Prochazkova, L., van Elk, M., Marschall, J. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2025)
Aday, J. S., Bloesch, E. K., Davis, A. K. et al. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2024)
Solaja, I., Haldane, K., Mason, N. et al. · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2024)
Guss, J. · Psychoanalytic Dialogues (2022)
Dourron, H. M., Strauss, C., Hendricks, P. S. · Pharmacological Reviews (2022)
Costa, M. A. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2022)
Forstmann, M., Sagioglou, C. · European Psychologist (2022)
Lawrence, D. W., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Griffiths, R. R. et al. · Research Square (2022)
Wießner, I., Falchi, M., Maia, L. O. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Kiraga, M. K., Mason, N. L., Uthaug, M. V. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2021)
Show all 34 papersShow fewer
Kočárová, C., Horacek, J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Bathje, G. J., Fenton, J., Pillersdorf, D. et al. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2021)
Mason, N. L., Kuypers, K. P. C., Reckweg, J. T. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2021)
Aday, J. S., Bloesch, E. K., Wood, J. R. et al. · Reviews In The Neuroscience (2021)
Andersen, K. A. A., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Nutt, D. J. et al. · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (2020)
Heuschkel, K., Kuypers, K. P. C. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2020)
Erritzoe, D., Smith, J. M., Fisher, P. M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2019)
Mason, N. L., Mischler, E., Uthaug, M. V. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2019)
Richards, W. A., Garcia-Romeu, A. · International Review of Psychiatry (2018)
Jungaberle, H., Thal, S., Zeuch, A. et al. · Neuropharmacology (2018)
Kuypers, K. P. C. · Medical Hypotheses (2018)
Franquesa, A., Sainz-Cort, A., Gandy, S. et al. · Psychiatry Research (2018)
Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Neuropharmacology (2018)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Nutt, D. J. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2017)
Kraehenmann, R. · Current Neuropharmacology (2017)
Sampedro, F., de la Fuente Revenga, M., Valle, M. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2017)
Kraehenmann, R. ;., Pokorny, D. ;., Vollenweider, L. ;. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2017)
Iszáj, F., Griffiths, M. D., Demetrovics, Z. · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2016)
Kuypers, K. P. C., Riba, &. J., De La Fuente Revenga, &. M. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2016)
Dos Santos, R. G., Balthazar, F. M., Bouso, J. C. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Lebedev, A. V., Kaelen, M., L€ Ovd En, M. et al. · Human Brain Mapping (2016)
Frecska, E., Bokor, P., Winkelman, M. J. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2016)
Gallimore, A. R. · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2015)
Winkler, P., Csémy, L. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2014)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.