Perkins Daniel, Ruffell Simon G D, Day Kimberley, Pinzon Rubiano Diego, Sarris Jerome
School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
School of Social and Political Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Front Neurosci. 2023 Jan 31;16:879221. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.879221. eCollection 2022.
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive Amazonian plant brew. It is usually made from the vine (Spruce ex Griseb. Morton, Malpighiaceae), which contains three primary harmala alkaloids, along with the leaves of (Ruiz et Pavon, Rubiaceae) in which the potent psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is found. DMT-harmaloid concoctions have gained popularity in recent years, due to growing anecdotal and scientific reports of therapeutic benefits associated with their consumption. Ayahuasca is now ingested in a variety of different settings across the globe, from traditional ethnobotanical to so called "neo-shamanic" ceremonies. Furthermore, related preparations involving alternative sources of DMT and harmala alkaloids are becoming increasingly common as knowledge of ayahuasca continues to spread internationally. This article reviews the existing literature and draws on original qualitative data from a large cross-sectional study of ayahuasca drinkers, to propose a model of psychotherapeutic processes associated with the consumption of ayahuasca. We assert that it is these processes, facilitated by a range of neurobiological effects, that lead to beneficial mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Our proposed model identifies five key psychotherapeutic processes or effects inherent to the ayahuasca experience; somatic effects; introspection and emotional processing; increased Self-connection; increased spiritual connection, and finally the gaining of insights and new perspectives. We note some important differences in these processes compared with other classic psychedelics as well as the implications of the model for the therapeutic use of ayahuasca. Improved understanding of the psychotherapeutic processes involved with the ayahuasca experience will better equip practitioners to work with this potentially transformative concoction and enable the optimization of therapeutic treatment models for potential clinical use.
死藤水是一种具有精神活性的亚马逊植物饮品。它通常由含有三种主要哈尔满生物碱的藤蔓（翅子藤科，斯普鲁斯·埃克斯·格里塞布·莫顿），以及含有强效致幻剂二甲基色胺（DMT）的叶（茜草科，鲁伊斯和帕冯）制成。近年来，由于越来越多关于饮用DMT - 哈尔满生物碱混合物具有治疗益处的传闻和科学报道，这类混合物越来越受欢迎。如今，死藤水在全球各种不同的场景中被饮用，从传统的民族植物学仪式到所谓的“新萨满教”仪式。此外，随着死藤水知识在国际上的不断传播，涉及DMT和哈尔满生物碱替代来源的相关制剂也越来越普遍。本文回顾了现有文献，并借鉴了一项对死藤水饮用者进行的大型横断面研究的原始定性数据，以提出一个与饮用死藤水相关的心理治疗过程模型。我们断言，正是这些由一系列神经生物学效应促成的过程，导致了有益的心理健康和幸福结果。我们提出的模型确定了死藤水体验中固有的五个关键心理治疗过程或效应：躯体效应；内省和情绪处理；增强自我联系；增强精神联系，以及最终获得见解和新观点。我们注意到这些过程与其他经典致幻剂相比存在一些重要差异，以及该模型对死藤水治疗用途的影响。更好地理解与死藤水体验相关的心理治疗过程，将使从业者更有能力处理这种可能具有变革性的混合物，并优化潜在临床应用的治疗模型。
