Modulatory effects of ayahuasca on personality structure in a traditional framework

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant brew containing dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). It originates from the Amazon basin, where it is used primarily for ceremonial purposes. Ayahuasca tourists are now entering certain communities seeking alternative physical or psychological healing, as well as spiritual growth. Rationale Recent evidence has shown that the similar acting psychedelic compound, psilocybin, facilitated long-term increases in trait openness following a single administration. Objectives This paper assesses the impact of ayahuasca on personality in a traditional framework catering for ayahuasca tourists. Method Within a mixed design, we examined the effect of ayahuasca on participants’ personality (measured by the NEO Personality Inventory 3 questionnaire) across time (pre- to post-ayahuasca administration, and 6-month follow-up), relative to a comparison group (who did not ingest ayahuasca). Results The results demonstrated significant increases in agreeableness pre- and post-ayahuasca administration and significant reductions in neuroticism in 24 participants, relative to the comparison group. Both of these changes were sustained at 6-month follow-up, and trait level increases were also observed in openness at this stage. Additionally, greater perceived mystical experience (measured using the Mystical Experience Questionnaire 30) was associated with increased reductions in neuroticism. Conclusions These findings, which indicate a positive mediating effect of ayahuasca on personality, support the growing literature suggesting potential therapeutic avenues for serotonergic psychedelics.

Examining changes in personality following shamanic ceremonial use of ayahuasca

“…Notably, the decline was also reflected in informant-report data. These results are consistent with a number of previous prospective findings including effects of ayahuasca on worry, self-directedness, major depression, and neuroticism 35 , 37 , 38 , 43 , 44 , and effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on major depression and neuroticism 1 , 3 , 46 . The results also converge with multiple cross-sectional findings demonstrating lower harm avoidance and neuroticism among long-term practitioners of ayahuasca ceremony versus controls 62 – 65 .…”

“…Prospective studies in controlled laboratory settings have shown heterogeneous effects that may depend in part on length of follow-up, sample size, conditions of administration, and experiences during the acute effects of the compounds. Changes in Five-Factor model (FFM 31 ) Neuroticism (decreasing), Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness (increasing), and Absorption 32 have been reported across healthy 2 , 33 – 35 and clinical 1 samples. Furthermore, two naturalistic studies have observed adaptive personality changes—decreases in Harm Avoidance (i.e., characterized by worry 36 ) 37 , 38 and increases in Self-Directedness (i.e., adaptive capacity to achieve chosen goals) 38 , personality domains that largely map onto FFM domains of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness.…”

The potential synergistic effects between psychedelic administration and nature contact for the improvement of mental health

“…Psychedelics have been shown to increase personality trait openness to experience in an enduring way ( Barrett et al, 2020 ; Carhart-Harris et al, 2016b ; Erritzoe et al., 2018 ; Griffiths et al, 2018 ; Lebedev et al, 2016 ; MacLean et al, 2011 ; Madsen et al, 2020 ; Netzband et al, 2020 ). Openness is one of the primary personality correlates of connectedness to nature ( Lee et al, 2015 ; Nisbet et al, 2009 ; Richardson and Sheffield, 2015 ) and pro-environmental behaviour ( Markowitz et al, 2012 ; Puech et al, 2019 ; Wuertz, 2015 ), and predicts a propensity for awe-like experiences ( Dong and Ni, 2019 ), including in response to nature ( Silvia et al, 2015 ).…”

“…Psilocybin therapy for treatment resistant depression was found to significantly reduce trait neuroticism scores ( Erritzoe et al, 2018 ), with psilocybin administration among healthy volunteers also found to lower neuroticism ( Barrett et al, 2020 ). In addition, ayahuasca usage in a traditional context was found to significantly reduce neuroticism, with changes sustained at 6-month follow up ( Netzband et al., 2020 ). This is notable, as individuals reporting lower levels of neuroticism appear to gain greater psychological benefits through contact with nature ( Ambrey and Cartlidge, 2017 ).…”

Uncovering psychological mechanisms mediating the effects of drugs: some issues and comments using the example of psychedelic drugs

“…But the arguments they set forth, the hypotheses they test, and the practical implications their results may have are very different. Some recent publications on psychedelics use the term mediation in an atypical way (Netzband et al 2020;Roseman et al 2018Roseman et al , 2019. A mediation model is at heart "a set of two or more causal events chained together in sequence of the form X ➔ M ➔ Y.…”