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Embracing change: impermanence acceptance mediates differences in death processing between long-term ayahuasca users

Jonathan David1,2,3, Aviva Berkovich-Ohana4,5,6, Yair Dor-Ziderman7,8,9

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Ayahuasca use is linked to reduced death anxiety and greater acceptance of impermanence, a key mechanism for managing existential fears. This study explored these effects in non-clinical settings.

Keywords:
AyahuascaDeath acceptanceDeath anxietyEgo dissolutionFear of deathImpermanencePsychedelics

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Human interaction with death shapes cognition, emotions, and behavior.
  • Psychedelic interventions influence death-related psychological phenomena.
  • Limited research exists on non-clinical psychedelic effects on death processing, especially with ayahuasca.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate death processing differences between ayahuasca veterans and non-users.
  • Identify potential mechanisms and predictors of change in death processing.
  • Compare death anxiety, acceptance, and avoidance in both groups.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study comparing 54 ayahuasca veterans and 53 non-users.
  • Utilized questionnaires and behavioral assessments for death processing.
  • Evaluated mediators: personality, afterlife beliefs, mindfulness, and impermanence.

Main Results:

  • Ayahuasca veterans showed lower death anxiety, fear, and avoidance, with higher death acceptance.
  • Impermanence acceptance, not demographics or other factors, mediated group differences.
  • Lifetime ego dissolution experiences predicted impermanence acceptance in ayahuasca users.

Conclusions:

  • Ayahuasca use is associated with significant, multi-dimensional changes in death processing.
  • Impermanence acceptance is a critical mechanism for managing existential fears.
  • Ayahuasca experiences can yield lasting psychological effects, suggesting therapeutic potential.