The History of Ayahuasca and Its Role in Psychological Research

LINK TO Investigation Explanation Book for the Research: "Can DMT-assisted psychotherapy
produce clinically meaningful and sustained improvements in depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms compared to psychotherapy with placebo in a controlled clinical protocol? (2026-2028):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uQZd...

ABOUT THIS VIDEO:

Ayahuasca has been used for centuries across the Amazon Basin, but only recently has it become a subject of rigorous scientific interest. From Indigenous traditions to structured ceremonial contexts like Santo Daime — and now into neuroscience and clinical psychology — Ayahuasca has travelled a long and complex path.

In this video, we explore how Ayahuasca entered the world of psychological research and why modern science is increasingly interested in its potential effects on mental health.

🔍 In this video, you will learn:
• What Ayahuasca is and how it works (DMT + β-carbolines)
• How Indigenous knowledge shaped its early use
• The role of Mestre Irineu and Santo Daime in creating structured, repeatable contexts
• When and how Ayahuasca was first studied scientifically
• What clinical trials have discovered about Ayahuasca and depression
• Why modern researchers are turning their attention to DMT-assisted psychotherapy

📘 About our investigation at Global Psychedelic Health

We are preparing a controlled clinical research project designed to compare two therapeutic pathways:

1) Psychotherapy combined with three supervised placebo-assisted sessions

— used to understand psychological changes related to expectation, therapeutic alliance and narrative processing.

2) Psychotherapy combined with three supervised DMT-assisted sessions

— used to evaluate whether altered states of consciousness, when ethically supported and clinically integrated, produce measurable and lasting improvements in mental health.

Our goal is to determine whether the DMT-assisted approach leads to significant and sustained reductions in anxiety, depression and emotional distress, compared to psychotherapy alone with placebo.

This study seeks to contribute data to the growing field of psychedelic science, strengthening the understanding of how altered states may enhance psychotherapeutic processes.


🌿 Why this matters

Ayahuasca, DMT and other psychedelics are not “miracle cures”. However, when studied ethically and used within clinical frameworks, they may act as catalytic tools that accelerate psychological flexibility, emotional processing and recovery.

Understanding their history is essential to understanding their potential future in mental health care.

📌 This channel does not promote recreational use.
We communicate science, ethics, and responsible research.

👉 Download the full Research Book and discover the full methodology, hypotheses and potential impact in our page: https://www.globalpsychedelichealth.org

🌿 Support our work and follow our investigation: More info in https://www.globalpsychedelichealth.org and https://www.globalpsychedelichealth.o...

Part of your contribution directly supports the Indigenous community in the Amazon.

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📌 Science, ethics and mental well-being.