Ayahuasca and Wellbeing

A collaborative research project between the Beckley Foundation and ICEERS is currently investigating the capacity of ayahuasca to alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety, grief and post-traumatic stress disorder in Western visitors to the Temple of the Way of Light, an ayahuasca retreat in the Peruvian Amazon where ceremonies are conducted by Shipibo healers.

The study also aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of ayahuasca to facilitate improvements in mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing in healthy participants.

All volunteers underwent clinical assessments prior to their course of ayahuasca treatment, and were then re-assessed immediately afterwards, with follow-up analyses being conducted after three, six and twelve months.

Preliminary results indicate that not only is ayahuasca safe, it is also remarkably effective at improving quality of life and reducing psychopathology scores in all groups.