Epistemic losses, cultural exclusions, and the risk of biopiracy in the globalization of ayahuasca: A reply to Labate et al.

Schenberg, Eduardo Ekman; Gerber, Konstantin

doi:10.1177/13634615221131597

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The biomedical appropriation of substances once embedded in rich traditional, cultural, ritual, and spiritual contexts, as pointed out by Schenberg and Gerber (2022a) for the study of ayahuasca, may result in epistemic injustice for Indigenous communities that pioneered their use but have their knowledge and experience ignored or discounted. Schenberg and Gerber (2022a, 2022b) have sought to address these injustices—which in their view also entail epistemological errors , as a correct understanding of psychedelic therapies cannot divorce them from cultural context—by studying the effects of psychedelic substances in their local context, with the collaboration of local experts. As another potential compromise, some scholars have argued for the therapeutic mobilization of traditional psychedelic practices in the context of their respective medical systems, on the grounds of their demonstrated efficacy in randomized controlled trials (Ona et al, 2022).…”

Section: The Psychedelic Renaissance and The Question Of Epistemic Ju...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Culture, context, and ethics in the therapeutic use of hallucinogens: Psychedelics as active super-placebos?

Dupuis

Veissière

2022

Transcult Psychiatry

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Following decades of prohibition and widespread concern about their mind-altering properties, there is increasing public, scholarly, and clinical interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances. Serotonergic substances in particular (DMT, psilocybin, and LSD) are now being tested as treatments for such ailments as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder. This thematic issue of Transcultural Psychiatry presents articles that investigate the cultural assumptions, political dimensions, and clinical and ethical implications that arise from this renewed interest. After reviewing ongoing debates on therapeutic mechanisms of action and the importance of context, we argue that psychedelics can be conceptualized as “active super-placebos”—that is, substances that enhance ritual, symbolic, and interpersonal therapeutic processes by increasing suggestibility and the influence of extra-pharmacological, “non-specific” factors. Rather than simply freeing up habitual constraints on perception, the articles in this issue support the claim that psychedelic encounters typically entail processes of sense-making, crystallization of meaning, and enculturation into contextually mediated assumptive worlds (or ideologies) and behaviours that necessarily install novel constraints with potentially maladaptive consequences. We highlight the importance of clinical and epistemic integrity in the framing of psychedelic therapies. The importance of structuring and providing oversight for the therapeutic context raises difficult questions about the search for appropriate forms of epistemic authority that are at once respectful of the plural cultural origins of psychedelic rituals and mindful of best practices and standards in clinical care.

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Section: The Psychedelic Renaissance and The Question Of Epistemic Ju...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Culture, context, and ethics in the therapeutic use of hallucinogens: Psychedelics as active super-placebos?

Dupuis

Veissière

2022

Transcult Psychiatry

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Civilization resilience: a new perspective for addressing climate change and health threats

Rashed,

El-Belqassy

et al. 2025

Health and Climate Change

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Ayahuasca ceremonies, relationality, and inner-outer transformations to sustainability. Evidence from Takiwasi Center in Peru

Manuel-Navarrete,

DeLuca,

Friso

et al. 2024

Ecosystems and People

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Epistemic losses, cultural exclusions, and the risk of biopiracy in the globalization of ayahuasca: A reply to Labate et al.

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Culture, context, and ethics in the therapeutic use of hallucinogens: Psychedelics as active super-placebos?

Culture, context, and ethics in the therapeutic use of hallucinogens: Psychedelics as active super-placebos?

Civilization resilience: a new perspective for addressing climate change and health threats

Ayahuasca ceremonies, relationality, and inner-outer transformations to sustainability. Evidence from Takiwasi Center in Peru

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