“It’s like shrooms times a million, plus aliens”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of experiential accounts from ayahuasca users in Britain

Lesley-Ann Smith; Johnny Ryan; Rachel Evenden

“It’s like shrooms times a million, plus aliens”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of experiential accounts from ayahuasca users in Britain

Lesley-Ann Smith, Johnny Ryan, Rachel Evenden

Research output: Contribution to Conference › Paper › peer-review

Abstract

Psychedelic consciousness is linked with deeper awareness into one’s psyche and connection to the transpersonal (Metzner, 1998). Recently, academia has witnessed the growth of psychedelic research (Sessa, 2012). Specifically, qualitative analyses into these states, including ayahuasca. Anecdotal reports of ayahuasca include profound transformations in one’s psycho-spiritual nature (Shanon, 2002). Nevertheless, the data is sparse on the phenomenology and there is a shortage of face-to-face interviews on ayahuasca users from western civilisations (Luke, 2011). The aim of the present study was to examine the phenomenological accounts of ayahuasca users from Britain. Three participants (1 male, 2 females) completed semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis philosophy was used to interpret ayahuasca users’ experiences. Research found evidence for 3 super-themes: psychotherapeutic healing, spiritual re-birth and materialistic society anti-spiritual. Research findings promote the future exploration of the therapeutic applications of ayahuasca. Additionally, there is an opportunity to explore the psycho-social features of ayahuasca discursively.

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 23 Jul 2017
Event	60th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association - Athens, Greece Duration: 20 Jul 2017 → 23 Jul 2017 https://www.parapsych.org/calendar/events/69/60th_annual_convention_of_the.aspx

Conference

Conference	60th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association
Country/Territory	Greece
City	Athens
Period	20/07/17 → 23/07/17
Other	The Parapsychological Association (PA) will be coming to Greece to host Athens’ first international parapsychology meeting in 87 years. The event will be held at the Titania Hotel near Syntagma square, where scientists and scholars from around the world will gather for three days of paper presentations, workshops, and panel discussions on the latest research into psi and related phenomena, such as extra-sensory perception, psychokinesis, psychic healing, altered states of consciousness, mediumship and possible survival of bodily death. Organized by PA Members Callum E. Cooper and Nikolaos Koumartzis, the event will be open to the public and to academics alike.
Internet address	https://www.parapsych.org/calendar/events/69/60th_annual_convention_of_the.aspx

Keywords

Ayahuasca
psychedelics
parapsychology
transformation
identity

Cite this

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title = "“It{\textquoteright}s like shrooms times a million, plus aliens”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of experiential accounts from ayahuasca users in Britain",

abstract = "Psychedelic consciousness is linked with deeper awareness into one{\textquoteright}s psyche and connection to the transpersonal (Metzner, 1998). Recently, academia has witnessed the growth of psychedelic research (Sessa, 2012). Specifically, qualitative analyses into these states, including ayahuasca. Anecdotal reports of ayahuasca include profound transformations in one{\textquoteright}s psycho-spiritual nature (Shanon, 2002). Nevertheless, the data is sparse on the phenomenology and there is a shortage of face-to-face interviews on ayahuasca users from western civilisations (Luke, 2011). The aim of the present study was to examine the phenomenological accounts of ayahuasca users from Britain. Three participants (1 male, 2 females) completed semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis philosophy was used to interpret ayahuasca users{\textquoteright} experiences. Research found evidence for 3 super-themes: psychotherapeutic healing, spiritual re-birth and materialistic society anti-spiritual. Research findings promote the future exploration of the therapeutic applications of ayahuasca. Additionally, there is an opportunity to explore the psycho-social features of ayahuasca discursively.",

keywords = "Ayahuasca, psychedelics, parapsychology, transformation, identity",

author = "Lesley-Ann Smith and Johnny Ryan and Rachel Evenden",

year = "2017",

month = jul,

day = "23",

language = "English",

note = "60th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association ; Conference date: 20-07-2017 Through 23-07-2017",

url = "https://www.parapsych.org/calendar/events/69/60th_annual_convention_of_the.aspx",

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“It’s like shrooms times a million, plus aliens”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of experiential accounts from ayahuasca users in Britain. / Smith, Lesley-Ann; Ryan, Johnny; Evenden, Rachel.
2017. Paper presented at 60th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, Athens, Greece.

Research output: Contribution to Conference › Paper › peer-review

TY - CONF

T1 - “It’s like shrooms times a million, plus aliens”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of experiential accounts from ayahuasca users in Britain

AU - Smith, Lesley-Ann

AU - Ryan, Johnny

AU - Evenden, Rachel

PY - 2017/7/23

Y1 - 2017/7/23

N2 - Psychedelic consciousness is linked with deeper awareness into one’s psyche and connection to the transpersonal (Metzner, 1998). Recently, academia has witnessed the growth of psychedelic research (Sessa, 2012). Specifically, qualitative analyses into these states, including ayahuasca. Anecdotal reports of ayahuasca include profound transformations in one’s psycho-spiritual nature (Shanon, 2002). Nevertheless, the data is sparse on the phenomenology and there is a shortage of face-to-face interviews on ayahuasca users from western civilisations (Luke, 2011). The aim of the present study was to examine the phenomenological accounts of ayahuasca users from Britain. Three participants (1 male, 2 females) completed semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis philosophy was used to interpret ayahuasca users’ experiences. Research found evidence for 3 super-themes: psychotherapeutic healing, spiritual re-birth and materialistic society anti-spiritual. Research findings promote the future exploration of the therapeutic applications of ayahuasca. Additionally, there is an opportunity to explore the psycho-social features of ayahuasca discursively.

AB - Psychedelic consciousness is linked with deeper awareness into one’s psyche and connection to the transpersonal (Metzner, 1998). Recently, academia has witnessed the growth of psychedelic research (Sessa, 2012). Specifically, qualitative analyses into these states, including ayahuasca. Anecdotal reports of ayahuasca include profound transformations in one’s psycho-spiritual nature (Shanon, 2002). Nevertheless, the data is sparse on the phenomenology and there is a shortage of face-to-face interviews on ayahuasca users from western civilisations (Luke, 2011). The aim of the present study was to examine the phenomenological accounts of ayahuasca users from Britain. Three participants (1 male, 2 females) completed semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis philosophy was used to interpret ayahuasca users’ experiences. Research found evidence for 3 super-themes: psychotherapeutic healing, spiritual re-birth and materialistic society anti-spiritual. Research findings promote the future exploration of the therapeutic applications of ayahuasca. Additionally, there is an opportunity to explore the psycho-social features of ayahuasca discursively.

KW - Ayahuasca

KW - psychedelics

KW - parapsychology

KW - transformation

KW - identity

M3 - Paper

T2 - 60th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association

Y2 - 20 July 2017 through 23 July 2017

ER -

“It’s like shrooms times a million, plus aliens”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of experiential accounts from ayahuasca users in Britain

Abstract

Conference

Keywords

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Cite this