Therapeutic effect of an ayahuasca analogue in clinically depressed patients: a longitudinal observational study
In a longitudinal observational study of 20 clinically depressed patients, a single ayahuasca analogue ceremony was associated with large reductions in Beck Depression Inventory scores and high remission rates that were sustained at 1 month and 1 year, together with increased mindfulness and life satisfaction. Improvements correlated with experienced ego dissolution and oceanic boundlessness during the ceremony, although additional mental‑health treatments or later psychedelic use may have contributed to the 1‑year outcomes.
Authors
- Johannes Ramaekers
Published
Abstract
Rationale
Studies have suggested mental health improvements following the use of the psychotropic plant concoction ayahuasca in non-clinical and clinical samples.
Objectives
The present observational study assessed depressive symptomatology in 20 clinically depressed patients (symptom score > 13 on the Beck’s Depression Inventory) before attendance of an ayahuasca ceremony and 1 month and 1 year after. Secondary measures included ratings of altered states of consciousness and ego dissolution during the ayahuasca ceremony as well as global measures of mindfulness, satisfaction with life, depression, anxiety, and stress.
Results
Twenty participants completed baseline and 1-day follow-up, 19 completed measures at 1-month follow-up, and 17 completed measures at 1-year follow-up. BDI scores reduced from baseline (M = 22.7) to all post-ceremony measures (Ms 11.45, 12.89, and 8.88, for 1-day, 1-month, and 1-year follow-up, respectively). After 1 day, 12/20 participants were in remission (BDI < 13). Remission rates after 1 month and 1 year were 13/19 and 12/17, respectively. Three participants remained mildly depressed (BDI 14–19) at the 1-month and 1-year follow-up. Two participants did not respond and remained at a moderate/severe level of depression at 1-year follow-up. Reductions on the secondary mental health measures and increases in mindfulness and satisfaction with life were found up to 1 year post-ceremony. Improvements in clinical depression and mental health correlated with levels of experienced ego dissolution and oceanic boundlessness during the ceremony up to 1 month after the ceremony. Engagement in additional mental health treatments or use of another psychedelic during study participation may have contributed to improved mental health ratings at 1-year follow-up.
Conclusion
Ayahuasca produces long-term mental health improvements in clinically depressed patients, which highlights its therapeutic potential.
Research Summary of 'Therapeutic effect of an ayahuasca analogue in clinically depressed patients: a longitudinal observational study'
Introduction
Ayahuasca is an Amazonian plant brew that combines N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO-I) and has been associated in earlier research with rapid antidepressant, anxiolytic, and stress-reducing effects. In Western settings, non‑traditional mixtures that combine DMT‑containing plants with MAO‑I sources (commonly called ayahuasca analogues or anahuasca) are used because they are easier to obtain; these analogues may differ in alkaloid composition and experiential effects. Prior clinical and observational studies have reported short‑term reductions in depressive symptoms after ayahuasca administration and suggested that acute subjective phenomena such as ego dissolution and oceanic boundlessness, as well as increases in mindfulness and post‑ceremony integration practices, may mediate improvements. Van Oorsouw and colleagues set out to evaluate depressive symptom changes and broader mental health outcomes in a naturalistic sample of clinically depressed participants who attended a single ayahuasca analogue ceremony. The study assessed depression with a validated clinical instrument and examined outcomes at baseline, about 1 day, 1 month, and approximately 1 year after the ceremony. A secondary aim was to test whether intensity of altered states of consciousness—particularly ego dissolution and oceanic boundlessness—was associated with changes in depression and other mental health measures.
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Study Details
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- APA Citation
van Oorsouw, K., Toennes, S. W., & Ramaekers, J. G. (2022). Therapeutic effect of an ayahuasca analogue in clinically depressed patients: a longitudinal observational study. Psychopharmacology, 239(6), 1839-1852. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-021-06046-9
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