Prior ayahuasca experience is associated with improved mental health: observational data from ritualistic settings

This observational survey study investigated the relationship between prior ayahuasca experience and mental health and mindset outcomes. Participants planning to attend an ayahuasca ceremony completed a survey before their upcoming ayahuasca use. Measures included substance use, depression, anxiety, stress, spiritual well-being, aberrant salience, and metaphysical beliefs.

Participants were categorized into three groups according to their prior ayahuasca experience: naïve, low/moderate, and high-experience users. High-experience users reported significantly lower alcohol use, depression, stress, and anxiety, as well as higher spiritual well-being and stronger metaphysical beliefs. Aberrant salience scores were higher in both low- and high-experience groups compared to naïve users, with no differences observed between the two experienced groups.

Tobacco use differences were modest, and other cognitive measures showed smaller effects. These findings suggest that greater prior experience with ayahuasca is associated with improved psychological and spiritual well-being and stronger metaphysical beliefs, with more limited effects on substance use and cognitive variables, highlighting areas for further investigation into its potential therapeutic applications. This work was supported by Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), and the John Templeton Foundation.

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors thank all participants for their time and contribution to this research. Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Lucas V.

Cruz, Rafael Rodrigues & Daniel C. Mograbi Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niteroi, Brazil Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Psychophysiology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK The authors declare no competing interests. Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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