BookBeatriz Caiuby Labate, Clancy Cavnar, editors.
Summary: This book presents a series of perspectives on the therapeutic potential of the ritual and clinical use of the Amazonian hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca in the treatment and management of various diseases and ailments, especially its role in psychological well-being and substance dependence. Biomedical and anthropological data on the use of ayahuasca for treating depression, PTSD, and substance dependence in different settings, such as indigenous contexts, neo-shamanic rituals, contemporary therapeutic circles, and in ayahuasca religions, in both South and North America, are presented and critiqued. Though multiple anecdotal reports on the therapeutic use of ayahuasca exist, there has been no systematic and dense reflection on the topic thus far. The book brings the therapeutic use of ayahuasca to a new level of public examination and academic debate. The texts in this volume stimulate discussion on methodological, ethical, and political aspects of research and will enhance the development of this emergent field of studies.
Contents:
Therapeutic Applications of Ayahuasca and Other Sacred Medicines / Michael J. Winkelman
The Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca in the Treatment of Depression / Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Joao C. Alchieri, Joao Paulo M. Oliveira, Bruno Lobao Soares [and 3 others]
Ayahuasca as a Candidate Therapy for PTSD / Jessica L. Nielson and Julie D. Megler
Moments of Insight, Healing, and Transformation: A Cognitive Phenomenological Analysis / Benny Shanon
Healing with Ayahuasca: Notes on Therapeutic Rituals and Effects in European Patients Treating Their Diseases / Janine Tatjana Schmid
Ayahuasca and the Treatment of Drug Addiction / José Carlos Bouso and Jordi Riba
Hypotheses Regarding Ayahuasca's Potential Mechanisms of Action in the Treatment of Addiction / James I. Prickett and Mitchell B. Liester
Therapist and Patient Perspectives on Ayahuasca-Assisted Treatment for Substance Dependence / Anja Loizaga-Velder and Armando Loizaga Pazzi
Effect of Santo Daime Membership on Substance Dependence / Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Rafael Guimarães dos Santos, Rick Strassman, Brian T. Anderson and Suely Mizumoto
Experience of Treatment with Ayahuasca for Drug Addiction in the Brazilian Amazon / Xavier Fernández and Josep María Fábregas
Assessment of the Psychotherapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca Use on Drug Dependency: A Pilot Study / Xavier Fernández, Rafael Guimarães dos Santos, Marta Cutchet, Sabela Fondevila [and 5 others]
Healing with Yagé: An Interview with Taita Juan Bautista Agreda Chindoy / Brian T. Anderson, Beatriz Caiuby Labate and Celina M. De Leon
Postscript--Psychedelics in Unlocking the Unconscious: From Cancer to Addiction / Gabor Maté.