Exploring the therapeutic potential of Ayahuasca: acute intake increases mindfulness-related capacities

Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian psychotropic brew made from Banisteriopsis caapi (containing MAO-inhibiting β-carbolines such as harmine and tetrahydroharmine) combined with leaves that contain N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). The β-carbolines prevent gastrointestinal breakdown of DMT, allowing oral psychoactivity; DMT acts at 5-HT2A and 5-HT1A receptors and interacts with the sigma-1 receptor. Interest in ayahuasca has grown because acute administration produces introspective, dream-like experiences with visions and autobiographical emotional memory retrieval, and observational and open-label studies have reported potential benefits for substance use disorders and treatment‑resistant depression. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying these putative therapeutic effects are poorly understood. Soler and colleagues designed an exploratory study to test whether a single ayahuasca session acutely enhances mindfulness-related capacities. The investigators hypothesised that aspects of the ayahuasca experience—particularly a detached perspective on thoughts and emotions—overlap with constructs targeted by secular mindfulness practice, such as non-judgement, non-reactivity, and decentering; they therefore assessed mindfulness measures before and 24 hours after ayahuasca intake to examine short-term changes in these capacities.

Participants were recruited via networks of ayahuasca users and acquaintances, yielding 25 volunteers (14 females) with mean age 43.6±12 years and mean education 15±4 years. Exclusion criteria included current psychiatric disorder, alcohol or substance use disorders, and significant medical illness; no formal screening for past psychiatric diagnoses was reported. Twenty-three participants had prior ayahuasca experience (mean 79 prior uses, range 1–500) and two were ayahuasca‑naïve. All participants abstained from ayahuasca for at least 15 days prior to assessment and avoided alcohol, medications, and other drugs on the day before and for 24 hours after the session. The study took place in a non-religious, dimly lit setting with recorded music; experimenters were present and administered questionnaires before and after the session. Participants recorded the total ingested volume and provided samples for alkaloid analysis. Alkaloid concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionisation–tandem mass spectrometry. Based on assays, the mean ingested DMT dose was 43.6 mg (range 28.82–69.81 mg), described by the authors as a moderate dose relative to their laboratory studies. Psychological assessments were completed during the 24 hours before the session (participants were instructed to answer as they normally felt in the absence of psychoactive substances) and again covering the 24 hours after the session. Mindfulness-related outcomes comprised the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), which yields subscales for Observe, Describe, Acting with Awareness, Non-judging, and Non-reacting, and the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ), which measures decentering. Internal consistency in this sample was reported: FFMQ Cronbach's α 0.83 pre- and 0.86 post-intake, EQ α 0.88 pre- and 0.94 post-intake. The investigators also calculated the MINDSENS Composite Index, a combined score of FFMQ and EQ items previously shown to be sensitive to meditation practice. For analysis, scores on MINDSENS, the five FFMQ subscales, and EQ were compared before versus after ayahuasca using repeated-measures ANOVAs with session (pre vs post) as the within-subjects factor. Given variability in prior ayahuasca exposure, a secondary analysis introduced the number of previous ayahuasca uses as a covariate in the repeated-measures ANOVA. The study was exploratory and no correction for multiple comparisons was applied; significance was set at p<0.05.

The MINDSENS composite index increased significantly 24 hours after the ayahuasca session (F(1,24)=6.78, p=0.016). On the EQ, which measures decentering, scores also showed a significant pre-to-post increase (F(1,24)=8.55, p=0.007). Within the FFMQ, two subscales demonstrated significant increases after ayahuasca: Non-judging of inner experience (Non-Judge; F(1,24)=7.86, p=0.010) and Non-reactivity to inner experience (Non-React; F(1,24)=5.06, p=0.034). The remaining three FFMQ facets did not show significant change in the reported analyses. When prior experience with ayahuasca was entered as a covariate, the overall pattern of findings remained. The MINDSENS effect persisted (F(1,23)=5.26, p=0.031). Inclusion of prior use altered the test statistics for other outcomes: EQ scores retained a statistically significant pre‑to‑post increase (F(1,23)=6.45, p=0.018), while the significance of the FFMQ Non-Judge and Non-React comparisons increased (Non-Judge F(1,24)=8.39, p=0.008; Non-React F(1,24)=5.06, p=0.009). The authors report that despite shifts in F and p values, the overall pattern—acute increases in decentering and in acceptance-related facets—was unchanged.

Soler and colleagues interpret their findings as evidence that a single ayahuasca session can produce rapid increases in several mindfulness-related capacities, specifically reductions in judgmental processing and in inner reactivity, together with enhanced decentering. They propose that these changes—attitudinal aspects of mindfulness often described as acceptance and defusion from thoughts and emotions—may constitute a psychological mechanism contributing to previously reported therapeutic effects of ayahuasca in addiction and depression. The investigators note that their sample was not affiliated with ayahuasca religions and that the results therefore support the possibility that ayahuasca itself, rather than ritual membership, can enhance mindfulness capacities. They compare post‑ayahuasca scores with values reported for experienced meditators and observe close correspondence on several measures (for example, EQ and MINDSENS scores), arguing that pharmacological intervention may produce changes similar to those of formal meditation practice. The authors further situate their results within broader psychedelic research, noting parallels with findings on psilocybin and LSD and with neuroimaging evidence of acute modulation in regions such as the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex; they also reference structural differences reported in long-term ayahuasca users in default mode network regions such as the posterior cingulate cortex. Key limitations acknowledged by the authors include the exploratory design, small and self-selected sample, and substantial prior ayahuasca exposure in most participants, which could produce ceiling effects or limit generalisability. They also highlight the absence of a control group, the lack of rigorous exclusion for past psychiatric diagnoses, and the fact that only a single dose was tested despite dose-dependent subjective effects. The authors argue that FFMQ facets and decentering are relatively stable over time, making spontaneous fluctuation an unlikely explanation for the observed changes, but recommend future randomised controlled trials, dose–response studies, and investigations of the durability of effects and efficacy in clinical populations. Overall, the study team concludes that the data provide preliminary support for ayahuasca's therapeutic potential via increases in mindfulness-related capacities and call for further research to corroborate and extend these findings.