Examining the Therapeutic Effect of Ceremonial Ayahuasca on Narcissistic Personality and Antagonistic Externalizing in Adults
In a sample of 314 adults, ceremonial ayahuasca use was associated with modest self-reported reductions in some narcissistic antagonism facets (lower entitlement-exploitativeness, higher leadership authority, reduced NPD proxy) lasting up to three months. Effects were small, mixed across measures and not corroborated by informants, indicating no meaningful change and highlighting the need for further targeted research, especially in high-antagonism samples with antagonism-focused therapy.
Authors
- Brandon Weiss
- William Keith Campbell
Published
Abstract
Changes in narcissistic traits (e.g., entitlement) following the ceremonial use of ayahuasca were examined across three timepoints (baseline, postretreat, 3-month follow-up) in a sample of 314 adults using self- and informant-report (N = 110) measures. Following ceremonial use of ayahuasca, self-reported changes in narcissism were observed (i.e., decreases in Narcissistic Personality Inventory [NPI] Entitlement-Exploitativeness, increases in NPI Leadership Authority, decreases in a proxy measure of narcissistic personality disorder [NPD]). However, effect size changes were small, results were somewhat mixed across convergent measures, and no significant changes were observed by informants. The present study provides modest and qualified support for adaptive change in narcissistic antagonism up to 3 months following ceremony experiences, suggesting some potential for treatment efficacy. However, meaningful changes in narcissism were not observed. More research would be needed to adequately evaluate the relevance of psychedelic-assisted therapy for narcissistic traits, particularly studies examining individuals with higher antagonism and involving antagonism-focused therapeutic approaches.
Research Summary of 'Examining the Therapeutic Effect of Ceremonial Ayahuasca on Narcissistic Personality and Antagonistic Externalizing in Adults'
Introduction
Contemporary models of personality view narcissism as multidimensional, with grandiose and vulnerable phenotypes and finer-grained components such as agentic extraversion and antagonism. Antagonistic externalizing—characterised by manipulativeness, entitlement, callousness, aggression and rule-breaking—is a clinically important dimension captured by models such as HiTOP and overlaps substantially with the maladaptive core of grandiose narcissism and DSM-5 narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Existing treatments for narcissistic pathology are scarce, trials are essentially absent, and individuals with high antagonism often avoid or drop out of conventional therapies, motivating investigation of novel, time-limited interventions that might be better tolerated. This study investigated whether ceremonial use of ayahuasca (and, in some cases, ancillary plant or toad medicines administered at retreats) is associated with change in narcissistic traits. Drawing on prior literature that has reported psychedelic-induced changes in personality domains related to narcissism (for example, reductions in antagonism/agreeableness deficits and increases in certain aspects of extraversion), Weiss and colleagues conducted a prospective naturalistic study to examine change across multiple narcissism measures and at multiple hierarchical levels (explicit narcissism scales and an FFM-based NPD composite), and to test moderators including expectancy, suggestibility, acute mystical/ego-dissolution experiences and drug/ceremony variables.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topic
- Authors
- APA Citation
Weiss, B., Sleep, C., Miller, J. D., & Campbell, W. K. (2023). Examining the Therapeutic Effect of Ceremonial Ayahuasca on Narcissistic Personality and Antagonistic Externalizing in Adults. Journal of Personality Disorders, 37(2), 131-155. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.2023.37.2.131
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