URBAN USE OF YAJÉ (AYAHUASCA) IN COLOMBIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20882/adicciones.397Keywords:
Ayahuasca, effects, shamanism, motivation, new useAbstract
Yajé, a hallucinogenic substance, has been employed for centuries by the indigenous populations of South America, within a mystic and religious context. Recently, the use of yajé has spread from indigenous communities and permeated urban areas, acquiring a different meaning and special characteristics. The motivations for using yajé within an urban context are explored in this study. To this end, a scale was created to measure these motivations, which was validated by experts, and applied to 40 people in Bogotá (Colombia) who had taken yajé on two or more occasions. In addition, there were semistructured interviews of four of the individuals taking part, with the objective of complementing and broadening the information obtained from the scale It was found that the primary motivations in this group for the repeated use of yajé were those of a therapeutic kind at an emotional level, where the subject hopes by taking yajé to reach psychic well-being, characterised by feelings of tranquillity, inner peace and mental clarity, in addition to the ability to resolve personal problems and find alternatives to dealing with personal situations.References
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