Ayahuasca research

Domain VII · Transpersonal, psychedelic & altered states · Palhano-Fontes, ICEERS · 2013 · Brazil

What it is

"Ayahuasca research" is not a single therapy with a treatment manual. It is a body of clinical studies (mainly Brazilian, with Spanish and Canadian contributions) plus a harm-reduction and integration practice developed by ICEERS (Barcelona). There is no licensed ayahuasca medicine anywhere, so for…

Format

• Phase 2, medication preparation. Antidepressants were withdrawn before the session under psychiatric supervision, with timing set by the psychiatrists according to the drug; benzodiazepines were permitted as supportive medication. This is a medical decision made by prescribers, never by the…
• Phase 3, pre-session briefing (same day): reminders of possible effects and strategies for managing difficult moments.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• What it is. "Ayahuasca research" is not a single therapy with a treatment manual. It is a body of clinical studies (mainly Brazilian, with Spanish and Canadian contributions) plus a harm-reduction and integration practice developed by ICEERS (Barcelona). There is no licensed ayahuasca medicine anywhere, so for a practising psychotherapist the usable parts are: (a) the screening, consent, setting, monitoring and…
• Legal and regulatory status (as of the sources' dates; check current law).
• USA: DMT is in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, so importing, possessing or distributing ayahuasca is federally illegal; the Native American Church's peyote exemption does not cover it. Two religious exemptions rest on RFRA: the UDV (Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal, 546 U.S. 418, Supreme Court, 2006), which may use its sacrament in services once registered with the DEA; and…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Version followed: the psychotherapy and safety frame of the Natal (UFRN/Onofre Lopes University Hospital) randomized placebo-controlled trial in treatment-resistant depression (Palhano-Fontes et al., 2019, Psychological Medicine; NCT02914769), supplemented by the Ribeirao Preto/UFRN open-label…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• idealisation of a leader; isolation from usual supports.
• reluctance to tell anyone; explore and strengthen supports.
• disclosure only after the conversation becomes non-judgemental; revisit.
• high anticipatory anxiety; offer to review the plan again or to withdraw.
• emerging manic or psychotic features; escalate to the psychiatrist on duty.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.