Pontual Alexandre Augusto de Deus, Tófoli Luís Fernando, Corradi-Webster Clarissa Mendonça, van Oorsouw Kim, Delgado Alicia Raquel Osuna, Ramaekers Johannes G
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Science and Letters, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
Interdisciplinary Cooperation for Ayahuasca Research and Outreach (ICARO), Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
Front Psychol. 2022 Jul 15;13:857372. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.857372. eCollection 2022.
Recent studies have recognized the importance of non-pharmacological factors such as setting to induce or promote mystical experiences or challenging experiences among ayahuasca users. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the setting in which ayahuasca is consumed and the intensity of mystical and challenging experiences considering three ayahuasca using traditions (União do Vegetal, Santo Daime and neo-shamanic groups). A cross-sectional analysis was performed on survey data collected online from 2,751 participants. The Setting Questionnaire for the Ayahuasca Experience (SQAE) was used to evaluate six dimensions of the setting characteristics. The Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) were used to quantify the psychedelic experience. Ratings on every SQAE setting dimension were negatively correlated with ratings of the CEQ ( values between 0.21 and 0.36) for all ayahuasca using traditions. Regression analysis revealed that ratings on four SQAE dimensions (Social, Comfort, Infrastructure and Decoration) explained 41% of the variance in CEQ ratings. Associations between SQAE and MEQ ratings were relatively weak and confined to the dimensions Leadership and Comfort, explaining 14% of the variance in MEQ ratings. Ratings of Social context were higher among members of União do Vegetal compared to Santo Daime and neo-shamanic members. Ratings of Infrastructure, Comfort and Decoration were more consistently correlated with MEQ in the neoshamanic tradition compared to the other traditions. This study shows that the setting is an important moderator of a challenging experience under ayahuasca. Maximizing the quality of the setting in which ayahuasca is taken will reduce the chance of a challenging experience while contributing positively to a mystical experience. The present findings can be considered when designing rituals and the (social) environment of ayahuasca ceremonies, and indicate that the SQAE questionnaire can be employed to monitor the influence of ceremonial settings on the ayahuasca experience.
最近的研究已经认识到非药物因素的重要性，比如环境对诱导或促进使用死藤水者产生神秘体验或挑战性体验的作用。本研究旨在评估饮用死藤水的环境与神秘体验和挑战性体验强度之间的关联，研究考虑了三种使用死藤水的传统（植物联盟、圣多美和新萨满教团体）。对从2751名参与者在线收集的调查数据进行了横断面分析。使用死藤水体验环境问卷（SQAE）来评估环境特征的六个维度。使用神秘体验问卷（MEQ）和挑战性体验问卷（CEQ）来量化迷幻体验。对于所有使用死藤水的传统，SQAE每个环境维度的评分与CEQ的评分呈负相关（相关系数在0.21至0.36之间）。回归分析表明，SQAE四个维度（社交、舒适度、基础设施和装饰）的评分解释了CEQ评分中41%的方差。SQAE与MEQ评分之间的关联相对较弱，且仅限于领导和舒适度维度，解释了MEQ评分中14%的方差。与圣多美和新萨满教成员相比，植物联盟成员的社会环境评分更高。与其他传统相比，新萨满教传统中基础设施、舒适度和装饰的评分与MEQ的相关性更一致。本研究表明，环境是死藤水带来挑战性体验的重要调节因素。优化饮用死藤水的环境质量将减少产生挑战性体验的可能性，同时对神秘体验产生积极影响。在设计死藤水仪式和（社会）环境时可以考虑本研究结果，这表明SQAE问卷可用于监测仪式环境对死藤水体验的影响。
