Re-turning to Wholeness: The Psycho-Spiritual Integration Process of Ayahuasca Ceremonies in Western Participants from a Jungian Perspctive

摘要

Ayahuasca has been used for thousands of years for psychological, emotional, and spiritual healing as well as divination by different Indigenous tribes. In the last 20 years, Ayahuasca has gained increasing popularity in Western culture, and retreat centers all over the world offer healing for different issues by offering Ayahuasca ceremonies. Although extensive research on the benefits of Ayahuasca's different psychological and physiological potential has been done, there are almost no empirical studies on the integration process of these experiences. This research aims to investigate the nature of participants' Ayahuasca experiences, while focusing on their liminal phases and participants' process of integrating their Ayahuasca experiences to create change.;The methodology used was an adaption of grounded theory in order to understand the integration process as it unfolds in time, with particular attention given to the phenomenology of Ayahuasca ceremonies and each individual's subsequent integration process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 individuals, aged 21 and above, at least 1 year after their experience participating in Ayahuasca ceremonies in retreat centers. Using Jungian psychological theory, this study aimed to develop an initial thematic description to help understand the somatic, emotional, psychological, and spiritual processes participants experienced in their integration process. Moreover, this study aimed to describe shared themes of what was helpful for participants in their integration process and its liminal stages.