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Published Version (Advanced Access)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Ayahuasca Retreats: The Role of Awe and Mystical Experiences in Well-Being
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Vol.Advanced access
2025
PMID: 40238659
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Research on the positive psychological effects of psychedelics has surged since the early 2000s, particularly regarding increased well-being. Studies have demonstrated how psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences play a key role in their positive effects, which has prompted an interest in the emotion of awe in the psychedelic context due to its similar phenomenology and associated benefits. This study examined 60 individuals following their visitation to at least one ayahuasca retreat in a country where ayahuasca use was legal or retreats are approved to use ayahuasca, hypothesizing that not only high levels of awe but mystical experiences characterized by high levels of awe would be significantly associated with higher well-being. Neither hypothesis was supported: higher levels of mystical experience with lower perceived vastness, a facet of awe, was significantly associated with higher well-being, possibly highlighting the synergistic relationship between mystical experiences and perceived vastness on well-being. The study has implications for future research, particularly in terms of understanding how the perceived vastness of a person's psychedelic experience may be modulated to mitigate distress and foster well-being.
Details
- Title
- Ayahuasca Retreats: The Role of Awe and Mystical Experiences in Well-Being
- Authors
- Brant Maclean - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of HealthAmy Wilson - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Social Sciences - LegacyAndrew Allen - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyVikki Schaffer - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesLee Kannis-Dymand - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Psychology
- Publication details
- Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Vol.Advanced access
- Publisher
- Routledge
- DOI
- 10.1080/02791072.2025.2491378
- ISSN
- 2159-9777; 0279-1072
- PMID
- 40238659
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
- Data Availability
- Data on request from the others. Lee Kannis-Dymand: lkannisd@usc.edu.au
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries; Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; School of Health; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; School of Health - Psychology; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991121901002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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