Examining the Therapeutic Effect of Ceremonial Ayahuasca on Narcissistic Personality and Antagonistic Externalizing in Adults.
Brandon Weiss, Chelsea Sleep, Joshua D Miller, W Keith Campbell
Journal of personality disorders April 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1521/pedi.2023.37.2.131 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAfter ceremonial use of ayahuasca, self-reported decreases in entitlement-exploitativeness and increases in leadership authority were observed among 314 adults, along with decreases in a proxy measure of narcissistic personality disorder. However, effect sizes were small, results varied across measures, and informants reported no significant changes. The findings offer modest support for adaptive change in narcissistic antagonism up to three months after the ceremonies, but meaningful changes in narcissism were not seen. More research is needed to evaluate psychedelic-assisted therapy for narcissistic traits, especially in individuals with higher antagonism and using antagonism-focused approaches.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 314 |
| Population | Adults using ayahuasca in ceremonial settings |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Duration | 3-month follow-up |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Narcissism Psychedelics hallucinogens Entheogens Psychoactive substances Ayahuasca yagé |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key finding | Small, self-reported decreases in narcissistic entitlement and increases in leadership authority were observed after ayahuasca ceremonies, but informant reports showed no significant changes, and overall meaningful changes in narcissism were absent. |
Abstract
Changes in narcissistic traits (e.g., entitlement) following the ceremonial use of ayahuasca were examined across three timepoints (baseline, postretreat, 3-month follow-up) in a sample of 314 adults using self- and informant-report (N = 110) measures. Following ceremonial use of ayahuasca, self-reported changes in narcissism were observed (i.e., decreases in Narcissistic Personality Inventory [NPI] Entitlement-Exploitativeness, increases in NPI Leadership Authority, decreases in a proxy measure of narcissistic personality disorder [NPD]). However, effect size changes were small, results were somewhat mixed across convergent measures, and no significant changes were observed by informants. The present study provides modest and qualified support for adaptive change in narcissistic antagonism up to 3 months following ceremony experiences, suggesting some potential for treatment efficacy. However, meaningful changes in narcissism were not observed. More research would be needed to adequately evaluate the relevance of psychedelic-assisted therapy for narcissistic traits, particularly studies examining individuals with higher antagonism and involving antagonism-focused therapeutic approaches.