Dr. Gabor Maté [LINK HERE] has garnered headlines in Canada for his early research regarding the possible use of ayahuasca [LINK HERE], a plant-derived psychedelic drug from South America, for healing addictions. The results appear meaningful and worthy of consideration by adults with childhood acquired trauma.
Dr. Maté has described his reasons for promoting ayahuasca in his blog [LINK HERE]. He says: “I have witnessed people overcome addictions to substances, sexual compulsion, and other self-harming behaviours. Some have found liberation from chronic shame or the mental fog of depression or anxiety.” Isn’t that what many of us are trying to do? So is it worth consideration by U.S. policy makers? I should mention that Dr. Maté is a Canadian citizen and his work is being done there. I have heard him speak twice and am impressed with his genuine concern for the addicted. If you want to learn more about him, check out his book, In the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts [LINK HERE]. The introduction and first chapter are available online at the link provided and there is an audio book for the visually impaired or those who just like to listen.
OK. This is not a blog about Dr. Maté, but about ayahuasca and addiction. It always takes time, but articles about ayahuasca are starting to make their way into the popular press. Huffington Post published this recently. [LINK HERE]
Our bodies are an organism with many interconnected systems. Research is starting to show that what we eat, for example, will affect our brain in positive and negative ways. An absence of omega-3 fatty acids may enhance our aggressive tendencies, for example. [LINK HERE] This same presentation by Dr. Joseph Hibbeln also links omega-3 deficits to depression. We know that the bacteria in our gut signal our brain through the vagus nerve with a number of different messages. [LINK HERE] So to imagine that other plant-based substances that we ingest might be able to make a body mind connection is certainly possible.
The mechanism described in the Huffington Post article for how we think is a new concept for me. I have been working to understand how we overcome resistance and become more creative in our search for ACE interventions and healing. We are all familiar with convergent thinking. It’s how we solve everyday problems. However, divergent thinking is our creative thinking and often difficult for us to develop. Ayahuasca apparently helps a traumatized brain achieve this type of thinking, as Dr. Maté notes:
“In its proper ceremonial setting, under compassionate and experienced guidance, the plant – or, as tradition has it, the spirit of the plant – puts people in touch with their repressed pain and trauma, the very factors that drive all dysfunctional mind states. Consciously experiencing our primal pain loosens its hold on us. Thus ayahuasca may achieve in a few sittings what many years of psychotherapy can only aspire to do. People can re-experience long-lost inner qualities such as wholeness, trust, love and a sense of possibility. They quite literally remember themselves.”
The severely ACE-compromised population, while large, constitutes a smaller portion of our population. In the ACE Study, 12.5% of the respondents had 4+ ACEs. And that is where the more severe negative consequences are. While people with fewer (3-) can also experience negative consequences, any help we can find for the truly suffering is welcome. Ayahuasca might be something that helps.
Comments (0)