Takiwasi intercultural addiction treatment

Domain VII · Transpersonal, psychedelic & altered states · Jacques Mabit · 1992 · Tarapoto, Peru

What it is

Takiwasi is a named institution, not a portable therapy. It is a residential therapeutic community founded in 1992 by the French physician Jacques Mabit, who learned from traditional healers in several Amazonian regions. It describes itself as a non-profit, non-denominational association and "a…

Format

• Format. Residential therapeutic community of up to about 15 men. Takiwasi states a minimum residential stay of 9 to 12 months, with shorter or staggered stays negotiable in particular cases. Entry requires a therapeutic contract completed together with a responsible family member and a letter of…
• Individual and group psychotherapy throughout; Takiwasi names cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic, humanist, psychodrama, bioenergetic, body and Gestalt approaches and says it does not standardise interventions. Research papers report weekly individual sessions and daily groups such as relapse…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Stage 3, reinsertion into family, work and society (length not stated). Goal: build an individual life project for a lasting change in lifestyle. Planned outings to reconnect with family and especially work; a short technical course and work placements for young people without training; therapy continues; psychological support is offered to residents' wives and children.

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?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• 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

• labelling every disagreement as resistance.
• relying only on the clinician's impressions.
• injury, or using physical activity to avoid feelings.
• trying to cover everything at once. Takiwasi describes integration as slow.
• fear-driven, persistent persecutory beliefs, which need psychiatric assessment.

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.