An experience with Holotropic Breathwork is associated with improvement in non-judgement and satisfaction with life while reducing symptoms of stress in a Czech-speaking population

Journal of Psychedelic Studies ◽

10.1556/2054.2021.00193 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Altered States ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

Holotropic Breathwork ◽

Observational Design ◽

Mental Health Effects

Abstract Background Holotropic breathwork (Grof ® Breathwork), was developed by Stanislav Grof and Christina Grof as a ‘non-drug’ alternative technique to evoke altered states of consciousness (ASC). Interestingly, although HBW has been anecdotally reported to evoke experiences and mental health effects corresponding to those of psychedelic substances, the scientific literature on the matter is scarce. Aims The objective of this study was to assess the (sub)acute and long-term effects of HBW on satisfaction with life, and whether these depend on the depth of the experience evoked by the HBW session. Methods A naturalistic observational design was employed in the present study. Between January 2019 and July 2020, 58 Czech-speaking participants who had an experience with HBW were assessed using three separate anonymous online-surveys created and hosted on Qualtrics. Assessments of mindfulness, satisfaction with life, depression, anxiety, and stress were made once prior to (baseline), and two times following (sub-acutely and 4-weeks) the participants’ experience with HBW. The ego dissolution inventory and the 5-dimensional altered states of consciousness scale was used to quantify the HBW experience. Results Despite low ratings of the psychedelic experience (mean range of 0–34% out of 100%), ratings of non-judgement significantly increased sub-acutely following the HBW session and persisted for 4-weeks. Stress-related symptoms significantly decreased while satisfaction with life significantly increased at 4-weeks after HBW. Conclusion An experience with HBW may be associated with improvement in non-judgement, satisfaction with life, and reductions of stress-related symptoms.

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Sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on mental health and well-being in healthy ceremony attendants: A replication study

Journal of Psychedelic Studies ◽

10.1556/2054.2021.00174 ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kim I. van Oorsouw ◽

Malin V. Uthaug ◽

Natasha L. Mason ◽

Nick J. Broers ◽

Johannes G. Ramaekers

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Therapeutic Potential ◽

Well Being ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Altered States ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

First Time ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Background and aims There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the psychedelic plant tea, ayahuasca, holds therapeutic potential. Uthaug et al. (2018) demonstrated that a single dose of ayahuasca improved mental health sub-acutely and 4-weeks post-ceremony in healthy participants. The present study aimed to replicate and extend these findings. A first objective was to assess the sub-acute and long-term effects of ayahuasca on mental health and well-being in first-time and experienced users. A second aim was to extend the assessment of altered states of consciousness and how they relate to changes in mental health. Method Ayahuasca ceremony attendants (N = 73) were assessed before, the day after, and four weeks following the ceremony. Results We replicated the reduction in self-reported stress 4-weeks post ceremony, but, in contrast, found no reduction in depression. Also, increased satisfaction with life and awareness the day after the ceremony, and its return to baseline 4 weeks later, were replicated. New findings were: reduced ratings of anxiety and somatization, and increased levels of non-judging 4-weeks post-ceremony. We replicated the relation between altered states of consciousness (e.g., experienced ego dissolution during the ceremony) and mental health outcomes sub-acutely. The effects of ayahuasca did not differ between experienced and first-time users. Conclusion Partly in line with previous findings, ayahuasca produces long-term improvements in affect in non-clinical users. Furthermore, sub-acute mental health ratings are related to the intensity of the psychedelic experience. Although findings replicate and highlight the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca, this needs to be confirmed in placebo-controlled studies.

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How music changes our lives: A qualitative study of the long-term effects of intense musical experiences

Psychology of Music ◽

10.1177/0305735613482024 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 525-544 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Thomas Schäfer ◽

Mario Smukalla ◽

Sarah-Ann Oelker

Keyword(s):

Personal Development ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Process Model ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Altered States ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Daily Lives ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

Starting Point

Intense musical experiences (IMEs) have proven to be of high significance for the people who have them. We investigated the long-term effects of such experiences on people’s way of life and developed a process model: (1) IMEs are characterized by altered states of consciousness, which leads to the experience of harmony and self-realization; (2) IMEs leave people with a strong motivation to attain the same harmony in their daily lives; (3) people develop manifold resources during an IME; (4) IMEs cause long-term changes to occur in people’s personal values, their perception of the meaning of life, social relationships, engagement, activities, and personal development. Results are discussed as they relate to spirituality and altered states of consciousness and conclusions are drawn from the process model that form a starting point for quantitative research. Results suggest that music can indeed change our lives – by making it more fulfilling, spiritual, and harmonious.

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7. Altered states of consciousness

Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction ◽

10.1093/actrade/9780198794738.003.0007 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 100-116

Author(s):

Susan Blackmore

Keyword(s):

Normal State ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Psychoactive Drugs ◽

Altered States ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

Body Experiences ◽

The World ◽

Altered State Of Consciousness ◽

Near Death Experiences

‘Altered states of consciousness’ discusses the states of consciousness during sleep, dreaming, hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, meditation, and after taking psychoactive drugs. Psychologist Charles Tart defines an altered state of consciousness (ASC) as ‘a qualitative alteration in the overall pattern of mental functioning, such that the experiencer feels his consciousness is radically different from the way it functions ordinarily’. This certainly captures the idea of ASCs, but also creates problems, such as knowing what a ‘normal’ state is. In both mystical experiences and long-term meditation, people describe seeing through the illusions of duality and seeing the world as it truly is.

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Perception, Psychedelics, and Social Change

Journal of Drug Education ◽

10.2190/lfwn-ntbh-6nbc-u3yc ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 141-151

Author(s):

Charles Kaiser ◽

Robert Gold

Keyword(s):

Social Change ◽

Social Institutions ◽

Social Consequences ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Altered States ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

Widespread Availability ◽

Long Term Consequences

If it is true that experiences involving altered states of consciousness have historically been confined to a minute segment of the population (such as shamans, prophets, and even self-actualizers within Maslow's [1] context), and if the psychedelics act as a catalyst for such experiences, then their widespread availability portends significant social consequences. The most profound long term consequences of the increasingly widespread use of psychedelics may not be medical or even psychological in nature, but rather socio-logical. Altered states of consciousness create nothing less than new perceptual configurations which may well spell the end of social institutions based upon modes of perception which are incongruent with new perceptions being attained by increasing numbers of people via the psychedelic experience.

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Experiências Anômalas e Dissociativas em Contexto Religioso: Uma Abordagem Autoetnográfica

PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDIES - Revista da Abordagem Gestáltica ◽

10.18065/2020v26n2.3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 147-161

Author(s):

Everton de Oliveira MARALDI

Keyword(s):

Scientific Literature ◽

Altered States Of Consciousness ◽

Altered States ◽

Subjective Experiences ◽

Significant Similarity ◽

Subjective Data ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

Ethnographic Approach ◽

Different Levels ◽

Do So

The present study explored the phenomenological characteristics of anomalous experiences (AEs) reported during Umbanda rituals, a mediumistic Brazilian religion, with the aim of comparing AEs reported during rituals involving the use of Ayahuasca (an entheogen frequently used in some Umbanda contexts) and rituals without the use of this substance. In order to do so, we compared individuals with different levels of involvement with the mediumistic practices. The study was based on an auto-ethnographic approach. This methodological perspective allowed us to confront subjective data with the available knowledge in the scientific literature about AEs, dissociative phenomena and altered states of consciousness and was of fundamental importance for a more sensitive understanding of the nuances and characteristics of these experiences. The results attest to a significant similarity between the experiences reported with and without the use of Ayahuasca in mediumistic contexts. In both groups, the experiencers were able to identify certain similarities in their experiences regarding a reduction of voluntary motor control, changes in memory and perception, communicability and accessibility of experiences, anomalous information reception and increases in interpersonal sensitivity. The results support the methodological feasibility of autoethnography as a research tool and point to its relevance to a deeper understanding of AEs and other subjective experiences usually of difficult investigation by other research methods.

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Is Kambô psychoactive? Acute and subacute effects of the secretion of the Giant Maki Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) on human consciousness

10.1101/2020.07.22.208223 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Timo Torsten Schmidt ◽

Simon Reiche ◽

Caroline L. C. Hage ◽

Felix Bermpohl ◽

Tomislav Majić

Keyword(s):

Amazon Basin ◽

Bioactive Peptides ◽

Psychological Effects ◽

Altered States ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Urban Centers ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

States Of Consciousness ◽

Psychoactive Effects

ABSTRACTKambô is the name for the secretion of the Giant Leaf Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) containing a plethora of bioactive peptides. Originally, it is ritually used by different ethnicities from the Amazon basin as a remedy against bad luck in hunting. In the last twenty years, Kambô has spread to Western urban centers, often associated with the use of ayahuasca. Anecdotal reports claim beneficial effects on wellbeing and different medical and mental health conditions. However, to date it has been controversial if Kambô elicits altered states of consciousness. Here we retrospectively investigated acute and subacute psychological effects of Kambô in a sample of n = 22 anonymous users (n = 22, mean age: 39 years, ± 8.5; 45.5% female), administering standardized questionnaires for the assessment of psychoactive effects. Acutely, participants reported psychological effects which remained on a mild to moderate level, but no psychedelic-type distortions of perception or thinking. In contrast, persisting effects were predominantly described as positive and pleasant, revealing surprisingly high measures of personal and spiritual significance. Subacute and long-term effects showed some overlap with the “afterglow” phenomena that follow the use of serotonergic psychedelics.

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