Ayahuasca along with other psychedelics could be the answer to dissolving the global health issue that is Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a large-scale public health problem that affects global modern society. It is associated with extensive costs and adverse consequences, including health problems, accidents, and early death. According to Ilana Berlowitz, from the University of Fribourg, “SUD is increasingly understood as a chronic illness, due to the disorder’s persistent nature, characteristic tendency for relapse, and on the basis of neurobiological evidence showing long-term cerebral adaptations associated with regular drug use.” Today in most Western societies treatment for SUD may include rehabilitation or therapy, both of which mainly promote abstinence. However, in some countries SUD is being combatted through the application of more unconventional methods.
Takiwasi, or "The Singing House" in Quechua language, is a non-profit civil association, founded in 1992 as a result of a research project that started in 1986 on the thousand-year-old practices of Traditional Amazonian Medicine. Courtesy of Takiwasi Center
In Brazil, for example, due to the low efficacy of the conventional treatments, substance users, specifically crack cocaine users have sought alternatives to reduce use or attain abstinence, among these alternatives the use of entheogens stands out. One entheogen used in particular is ayahuasca, “...which has been used for centuries in indigenous rituals and for medicinal and spiritual purposes in Brazil,” (Cruz 247). In another example, facilities such as the Takiwasi Addiction Treatment Center in Tarapoto, San Martín Province, Peru offers inpatient treatment for individuals with addictive problems. The Takiwasi Center is a governmentally recognized health institution that applies traditional Amazonian medicine, such as ayahuasca, to treat SUD. “Consumption of ayahuasca tea affects sensory, cognitive, and emotional processes and often promotes a phenomenological experience of contact with spiritual beings that includes vivid visual sensations that convey teachings,” (Cruz 247). Entheogens, such as ayahuasca, have also been associated with an expansion of consciousness, “...leading to a persistent change in the perception of oneself, other people, and the environment,” (Cruz 247).
Multiple studies have found that the use of ayahuasca for the treatment of substance use disorders has been successful because “the established alteration of consciousness helps heal psychological trauma,” (Cruz 247). Specifically, Anja Loizaga-Velder and Rolf Verres’ study titled “Therapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca” found that ayahuasca can serve as a therapeutic tool by catalyzing neurobiological and psychological processes that support recovery from substance dependencies (Velder 69). Additionally, Gerald Thomas’ observational study of ayahuasca-assisted treatment for substance use disorders in a rural aboriginal population in Canada, “...concluded that the participants experienced positive and lasting psychological and behavioral changes,” (Cruz 247). Inspired by these findings other researchers such as Ilana Berlowitz and Joselaine Ida Cruz conducted their own studies in order to conclude how great of a role entheogens play in treating SUD.
Ilana Berlowitz conducted her study at the Takiwasi Addiction Treatment Center, in Peru. “Participants were approached within the first week of admission [to Takiwasi] and informed about the study. Those that agreed to participate wrote an informed consent and completed the battery of socio-demographic and clinical measures for the baseline assessment,” (Berlowitz 326). Ultimately, Berlowitz’s study concluded that there were “...significant improvements after treatment for nearly all outcomes, including the severity of addiction symptoms (drug use, alcohol use, psychiatric status, social/familial relationships), substance craving, emotional distress (anxiety and depressive symptoms), as well as overall quality of life,” (Berlowitz 329).
Moreover, Joselaine Ida Cruz’s study reached a similar conclusion after interviewing a total of forty crack cocaine users or former users. Of those interviewed “...[thirty-six] participants were crack cocaine dependent at the time they sought ayahuasca, whereas four were abstinent and sought ayahuasca to help maintain this status,” (Cruz 249). After interviewing the forty participants Cruz concluded that the “...use of ayahuasca within a religious setting provided the interviewees with support to attain or maintain abstinence from crack by helping resolve traumas, encouraging the understanding of potential outcomes of choices, and improving decision making,” (Cruz 252). The clear and consistent conclusion among these various studies is that entheogens, such as ayahuasca, can be an effective tool in treating substance addiction.
Despite the limitations placed upon researchers and the relatively small number of studies out there, most if not all of the findings have been promising and homogenous. Researchers have been able to demonstrate that the administration of ayahuasca and other entheogens is not only safe but that it can also be an effective tool in treating substance addiction. Given the limited efficacy of conventional treatments for resolving addiction issues, further research should investigate the role of ayahuasca and other entheogenic‐assisted therapies in facilitating sustainable recovery from substance use disorders. Ayahuasca and other entheogens could be the answer to dissolving the global health issue that is SUD.
-Bianca Horst