Ayahuasca for immigrants and refugees
“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
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.
This study was IRB approved (Institutional Review Board Approved) and is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, a renowned leader in psychedelic science and Director of Neuroscape at the University of California, San Francisco and Imperial College London.
This research is fully supported through donations. Your contributions have helped us publish part-one of this investigation.
Please donate today to continue to support our research and allow us to complete and distribute the next phase of this study with the communities who need it most.
