Accidental Environmentalism: Nature and Cultivated Affect in European Neoshamanic Ayahuasca Consumption

Abstract

Existing research demonstrates a positive connection between psychedelics and increased nature relatedness. Enhanced affective ties toward nature are widely framed as being built into the pharmakon itself, and the relevance of experiences remains little understood. This paper turns to neoshamanic ayahuasca ceremonies in Europe, exploring the way specialists and attendants refer to nature in speech and performance. I argue that ritual framings performed during these ceremonies provide fertile ground for affective ties to emerge through substance-induced experiences. I trace such framings by exploring how medicine and healers are being coded; how specific materialities are rendered meaningful; and how individual experiences are discussed at such retreats. I argue that even while participants prioritize individual healing, personal development, or the satisfaction of psychonautical curiosity, environmentalism appears to be anchored by the proceedings themselves. Thus, this paper opens up for analysis ceremonial substance use as a contact zone where coherence is produced intersubjectively. k e y w o r d s : nature relatedness, ayahuasca, neoshamanism, ritual, Europe It is noon on Saturday, and time to rest between two nocturnal sessions. A few of us have taken to the woods to stretch our legs and take in fresh air on this bright autumn day. As we walk through the forest close to the retreat

Among psychedelic-experienced users, only past use of psilocybin reliably predicts nature relatedness

“…All these instances may involve different expectations, intentions, affective states, and social contexts, and thereby contribute to the unique effects of each substance. For example, in the context of psychedelic retreats, it has been argued that that effects of psychedelics on environmental attitudes could be attributed to accidental framing effects (i.e., how administrators and attendants in ayahuasca ceremonies refer to nature in their speech and behavior), although participants themselves may prioritize healing, or, for example, personal development ( Harms, 2021 ).…”