Ayahuasca Study
Learn about our groundbreaking study with refugees and immigrants.
"There are over 27 million refugees, and no one is stopping to see if these people are healing. We have a community that is abused from different sides, but no one is actually providing these people with ways to heal in processing their trauma. Instead, they are asked to share their trauma to advance political agendas. It was really important to study this retreat because we want to have more informed decisions in the future of how to serve the broader community."
- Malek Asfeer -
Overview
During the summer of 2022, Unlimited Sciences conducted an observational research study with a group (N = 15) of immigrants and refugees who took part in an Ayahuasca ceremony. Participants were mostly women from North Africa and the Middle East. The group convened in the interest of creating a healing space that’s safe for their community and engaged licensed therapists and psychologists who were experienced with psychedelic therapy.
The intent of the study is to better understand how Ayahuasca is being used in real-world settings in communities that are under-represented in research. By collecting data from participants who already planned to use Ayahuasca, Unlimited Sciences investigated variables and characteristics of the experience that could influence long-term effects and outcomes.
Our results reveal significant reductions in standardized measures of depression, anxiety, and shame, and increases in self-compassion, among many other findings. The majority of participants rated this experience as one of the top 10 most meaningful experiences of their lives.
View the Published Paper
‘Long-term benefits to psychological health and well-being after ceremonial use of Ayahuasca in Middle Eastern and North African immigrants and refugees’ was published in Frontiers, April 2024.