ABSTRACT Previous clinical research on hallucinogen-assisted psychotherapy reported efficacy in t... more ABSTRACT Previous clinical research on hallucinogen-assisted psychotherapy reported efficacy in treating substance abuse disorders, similar to what has been report in naturalistic studies of peyote use among Native American Church members. Urban use of the Amazonian hallucinogenic brew, ayahuasca, is increasingly common in syncretic Brazilian ayahuasca religions, and anecdotal reports suggest recovery from substance dependence among those who participate in their rituals. We sought to assess more quantitatively effects of Brazilian ayahuasca-using church membership on substance dependence. We employed a modified questionnaire using DSM-IV criteria to determine the presence of substance dependence within a sample of members of a branch of the Santo Daime Brazilian ayahuasca religion. Nearly half of these church members reported substance dependence before joining the religious organization; of these, 90% reported cessation of use of at least one substance upon which, before church membership, they reported dependency. While these preliminary data require confirmation using more rigorous criteria, they suggest a potential role of ayahuasca, within a particular context, in the treatment of substance dependence.
La investigación previa en psicoterapia asistida con alucinógenos ha reportado eficacia similar e... more La investigación previa en psicoterapia asistida con alucinógenos ha reportado eficacia similar en el tratamiento del trastorno por abuso de sustancias a la reportada en estudios naturalistas entre miembros de la Iglesia Nativa Americana. El uso urbano el brebaje alucinógeno ayahuasca está creciendo entre las religiones ayahuasqueras sincréticas amazónicas, y casos anecdóticos indican una recuperación de la dependencia a sustancias entre los participantes en estos rituales. En este capítulo buscamos evaluar cuantitativamente los efectos del uso de ayahuasca en la dependencia a sustancias entre miembros de iglesias ayahuasqueras brasileñas. Para ello hemos utilizado un cuestionario modificado basado en los criterios del DSM-IV para determinar la presencia de dependencia a sustancias en una muestra de miembros de una iglesia brasileña del Santo Daime. Casi la mitad de los sujetos reportaron una dependencia a sustancias antes de unirse a la organización religiosa; de ellos, el 90% repo...
Resumo Contexto: Existe um crescente interesse científico pelos efeitos de alucinógenos em geral ... more Resumo Contexto: Existe um crescente interesse científico pelos efeitos de alucinógenos em geral e, particularmente, pelo uso religioso da bebida psicoativa ayahuasca no Brasil. Todavia, não há no Brasil um instrumento padronizado para avaliar os efeitos de ...
BACKGROUND: There is a growing scientific interest in the effects of hallucinogens in general and... more BACKGROUND: There is a growing scientific interest in the effects of hallucinogens in general and the religious use of psychoactive brew ayahuasca in Brazil in particular. However, there is not yet a standard instrument used in Brazil to evaluate the effects of hallucinogens. The Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS) is a questionnaire widely used in the U.S. and Europe to evaluate the effects of several psychoactive substances, including hallucinogens. OBJECTIVE: To translate and adapt the HRS to Brazilian Portuguese. METHOD: We followed three steps: 1) the authors of the article translated the HRS into Portuguese, in order to establish an initial version; 2) two independent translators back-translated this version into English; 3) a revision committee produced a final version of the Brazilian Portuguese version. This final version was developed comparing the initial translations and back-translations, through a dialogic process with the author of the instrument. RESULTS: A final Portuguese version of the HRS, following the guidelines for semantic and conceptual equivalence between English and Portuguese to describe hallucinogen-induced subjective states. DISCUSSION: A Brazilian version of the HRS - an instrument widely used throughout the world to quantify effects of psychoactive drugs - provides a sensitive instrument for evaluation of the effects of hallucinogenic substances in Brazil.
ABSTRACT Previous clinical research on hallucinogen-assisted psychotherapy reported efficacy in t... more ABSTRACT Previous clinical research on hallucinogen-assisted psychotherapy reported efficacy in treating substance abuse disorders, similar to what has been report in naturalistic studies of peyote use among Native American Church members. Urban use of the Amazonian hallucinogenic brew, ayahuasca, is increasingly common in syncretic Brazilian ayahuasca religions, and anecdotal reports suggest recovery from substance dependence among those who participate in their rituals. We sought to assess more quantitatively effects of Brazilian ayahuasca-using church membership on substance dependence. We employed a modified questionnaire using DSM-IV criteria to determine the presence of substance dependence within a sample of members of a branch of the Santo Daime Brazilian ayahuasca religion. Nearly half of these church members reported substance dependence before joining the religious organization; of these, 90% reported cessation of use of at least one substance upon which, before church membership, they reported dependency. While these preliminary data require confirmation using more rigorous criteria, they suggest a potential role of ayahuasca, within a particular context, in the treatment of substance dependence.
La investigación previa en psicoterapia asistida con alucinógenos ha reportado eficacia similar e... more La investigación previa en psicoterapia asistida con alucinógenos ha reportado eficacia similar en el tratamiento del trastorno por abuso de sustancias a la reportada en estudios naturalistas entre miembros de la Iglesia Nativa Americana. El uso urbano el brebaje alucinógeno ayahuasca está creciendo entre las religiones ayahuasqueras sincréticas amazónicas, y casos anecdóticos indican una recuperación de la dependencia a sustancias entre los participantes en estos rituales. En este capítulo buscamos evaluar cuantitativamente los efectos del uso de ayahuasca en la dependencia a sustancias entre miembros de iglesias ayahuasqueras brasileñas. Para ello hemos utilizado un cuestionario modificado basado en los criterios del DSM-IV para determinar la presencia de dependencia a sustancias en una muestra de miembros de una iglesia brasileña del Santo Daime. Casi la mitad de los sujetos reportaron una dependencia a sustancias antes de unirse a la organización religiosa; de ellos, el 90% repo...
Resumo Contexto: Existe um crescente interesse científico pelos efeitos de alucinógenos em geral ... more Resumo Contexto: Existe um crescente interesse científico pelos efeitos de alucinógenos em geral e, particularmente, pelo uso religioso da bebida psicoativa ayahuasca no Brasil. Todavia, não há no Brasil um instrumento padronizado para avaliar os efeitos de ...
BACKGROUND: There is a growing scientific interest in the effects of hallucinogens in general and... more BACKGROUND: There is a growing scientific interest in the effects of hallucinogens in general and the religious use of psychoactive brew ayahuasca in Brazil in particular. However, there is not yet a standard instrument used in Brazil to evaluate the effects of hallucinogens. The Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS) is a questionnaire widely used in the U.S. and Europe to evaluate the effects of several psychoactive substances, including hallucinogens. OBJECTIVE: To translate and adapt the HRS to Brazilian Portuguese. METHOD: We followed three steps: 1) the authors of the article translated the HRS into Portuguese, in order to establish an initial version; 2) two independent translators back-translated this version into English; 3) a revision committee produced a final version of the Brazilian Portuguese version. This final version was developed comparing the initial translations and back-translations, through a dialogic process with the author of the instrument. RESULTS: A final Portuguese version of the HRS, following the guidelines for semantic and conceptual equivalence between English and Portuguese to describe hallucinogen-induced subjective states. DISCUSSION: A Brazilian version of the HRS - an instrument widely used throughout the world to quantify effects of psychoactive drugs - provides a sensitive instrument for evaluation of the effects of hallucinogenic substances in Brazil.
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Papers by suely mizumoto
Amazon Basin. Throughout the last four decades, the use of ayahuasca spread towards major cities in all regions of Brazil
and abroad. This trend has raised concerns that regular use of this N,N-dimethyltryptamine- and harmala-alkaloid-containing
tea may lead to mental and physical health problems associated typically with drug abuse. To further elucidate the mental and
physical health of ayahuasca users, we conducted a literature search in the international medical PubMed database. Inclusion
criteria were evaluation of any related effect of ayahuasca use that occurred after the resolution of acute effects of the brew.
Fifteen publications were related to emotional, cognitive, and physical health of ayahuasca users. The accumulated data
suggest that ayahuasca use is safe and may even be, under certain conditions, beneficial. However, methodological bias of
the reviewed studies might have contributed to the preponderance of beneficial effects and to the few adverse effects
reported. The data up to now do not appear to allow for definitive conclusions to be drawn on the effects of ayahuasca use
on mental and physical health, but some studies point in the direction of beneficial effects. Additional studies are suggested
to provide further clarification. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Keywords: ayahuasca; health; psychedelic; religion; ritual
Amazon Basin. Throughout the last four decades, the use of ayahuasca spread towards major cities in all regions of Brazil
and abroad. This trend has raised concerns that regular use of this N,N-dimethyltryptamine- and harmala-alkaloid-containing
tea may lead to mental and physical health problems associated typically with drug abuse. To further elucidate the mental and
physical health of ayahuasca users, we conducted a literature search in the international medical PubMed database. Inclusion
criteria were evaluation of any related effect of ayahuasca use that occurred after the resolution of acute effects of the brew.
Fifteen publications were related to emotional, cognitive, and physical health of ayahuasca users. The accumulated data
suggest that ayahuasca use is safe and may even be, under certain conditions, beneficial. However, methodological bias of
the reviewed studies might have contributed to the preponderance of beneficial effects and to the few adverse effects
reported. The data up to now do not appear to allow for definitive conclusions to be drawn on the effects of ayahuasca use
on mental and physical health, but some studies point in the direction of beneficial effects. Additional studies are suggested
to provide further clarification. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Keywords: ayahuasca; health; psychedelic; religion; ritual