- Apr
- 23
- 2019
The antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of ayahuasca and its intersection with mindfulness science
Ayahuasca is a traditional Amerindian brew that contains the serotonergic agonist N,N-DMT, and beta-carboline alkaloids. This unique mixture results in strong psychedelic experience with shamanic use and a fertile repertoire of scientifically-sound medicinal applications. In this presentation, I will provide a brief history of ayahuasca and an overview of its short-term antidepressant and anxiolytic effects on human subjects. I will also assess the growing body of knowledge describing some properties that seem to underlie the therapeutic properties of ayahuasca, with emphasis on the increase in mindfulness measures related to ayahuasca administration and the intersection with the field of mindfulness studies.
About Speaker
Dráulio Barros de Araújo has a Bachelor’s degree in Physics (1995) a Master’s degree in Applied Physics (1997) and a Ph.D. in Physics Applied to Medicine and Biology (2002) from the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) / University of Wisconsin. He works as a Professor of Neuroimaging at the Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Brazil, and his research is focused on exploring the basis of the acute and lasting effects of ayahuasca, including in patients with treatment-resistant depression. His research has been financed by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the CAPES Foundation. He is currently on sabbatical as a Fullbright Scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).