Psychedelic Pregnancy
Psychedelic Pregnancies
Devin D’shae Green
PhD Psychology, Saybrook University
Abstract
The purpose of this literature review is to illuminate awareness of what seems to be a forbidden topic, by exploring the potential benefits and risk of plant medicine assisted pregnancies, discover which cultures that these customs are originating from and to most importantly, inform the population of the true education around plant medicines and the religions that engage with them.
Keywords: Plant medicines, ayahuasca religions, Santo Daime, pregnancy, childbirth
Psychedelic Pregnancies
The psychedelic revolution seems to be growing more rapidly every day, with Ketamine centers being developed throughout the country and MDMA being on the route to FDA approval for psychedelic assisted therapy. It is even more common to now hear that individuals are replacing their Grande Macchiato from Starbucks, with micro doses of magic mushrooms. Western society is now looking towards indigenous cultures for better ways to promote mental, spiritual, and physical well-being. Recent research (Balthazar et al., 2016) even goes as far as declaring that plant medicines like ayahuasca can potentially assist in alleviating some symptoms of psychiatric disorders, such as depression and substance use dependence disorders. Nowadays, trips to find oneself involve voyages to the Amazon jungles to partake in ayahuasca ceremonies and rituals with indigenous cultures. Moving society even further beyond the common assumptions of psychedelics, and into the realms of plant medicines which are said to be spiritual entities within themselves. “Daime is known not only for its illuminating visionary powers as a form of plant medicine, but also for the plant’s spiritual energy or power to cure as a holy being” (Orcutt, 2019).
With such an expansion of the psychedelic revolution, comes stigma, criminalization, and inaccurate assumptions, especially when it comes to radical traditions of partaking in ayahuasca consumption while pregnant. There are already studies out there looking to preach disapproval towards custom’s that have been practiced in indigenous religions for centuries.
This study is going to look further into the true effects of ayahuasca consumption within pregnant chimpanzees in labor, as well as its influence on the offspring post birth. We will also examine the cognitive and behavioral aspects of both mother and child throughout the ayahuasca assisted birthing process, both during and post birth.
Review of Literature
Ayahuasca: Culture and Ceremony
One cannot bring up the spirit of ceremony and rite of passage with ayahuasca consumption without recognizing the Santo Daime religion, and the other ayahuasca religions that birthed because of it: The Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal and The Ayahuasca Pantheistic Society. All of which have originated in Brazil and have now expanded globally with thousands of followers. “The name Santo Daime (translatable to ‘sacred give-me’) was received by Irineu in his initial mystical encounter with the Queen of the Forest. Thus, the name’s origin story and literal meaning both point to its sanctified status within the SD” (Hartogsohn, 2021). These ayahuasca religions vary somewhat in ideology but do share one common goal, which is to be more in tune with nature and expand consciousness.
It is rather difficult to be an observer of ayahuasca rituals without being a member, let alone engaging in the ceremony. Therefore, the focus of this literature review will be of The Ayahuasca Pantheistic Society, who have been welcoming researchers into their ceremonies in order to provide insight on how they partake in their ritual. Sessions typically last about 8 hours and begin with setting an intention with the group, followed by the consumption of the ayahuasca that has been brewed into a tea. Participants then wait in anticipation for about 30-60 minutes for the gradual effects of the plant medicine to manifest. Once the call is made by the spiritual guide or shaman, (the ringing of a bell or blowing of a conch shell, depending on the religious group) everyone gathers to engage in an open dialogue with one another with the following goals in mind: introspection, extraversion, reflection, fun, knowledge exchange and relaxation (Escobar et al., 2020). With the effects of the ayahuasca underway, discussions centered around stated themes tend to come with awakening insight, by the way of expanded and non-ordinary states of consciousness. “Long term effects have been scientifically proven inverse correlations between cortical thickness values in the posterior cingulate cortex and age of onset and intensity of prior AYA use and scores on the Self-transcendence temperament dimension of the TCI-R, a personality trait measuring religiousness, transpersonal feelings and spirituality” (Balthazar et al., 2016). Following the gradual diminishing of effects, participants then gather once again to partake in food and beverage while they share and integrate their journey amongst one another. This being an important aspect across plant medicine ceremonies, the sense of community and interconnectedness with nature, the universe and one another.
Plant Medicine and Childbirth
Psychedelics, more appropriately known as plant medicines in this case, such as ayahuasca and peyote have been used both during pregnancy and within the child birthing process in indigenous cultures for many years. As shown in Table 1, such tradition has even been linked to supporting women within the following reproductive processes:
Core theme
Individual themes included
Purification and support for
• Recovering from ovarian cyst
reproductive health
• Receiving support during pregnancy and childbirth
• Cleansing reproductive system
• Reversing the need for a hysterectomy
• Transitioning into menopause
• Recovering from endometriosis
• Purging energy for perpetrator
• Clearing the cellular memory of sexual trauma
Note. Reprinted from “Sexual Healing with Amazonian Plant Teachers: a Heuristic Inquiry of Women’s Spiritual-Erotic Awakenings” by Y.Espinoza, 2014, Sex and Relationship Therapy, 29(1), p.113, DOI: 10.1080/14681994.2013.861060
However, due to lack of scientific research and exploration on the subject, society has taken a “bad until proven innocent” approach on the matter. Even though there is little evidence that states that engaging in the consumption of plant medicines during pregnancy link to any risk to the fetus, birth defects or cognitive, neurological, or physical harm to the baby or mother.
The choice to engage in this realm of consumption within these communities is an exercise of the mother's religious and parental rights in Brazil and is therefore accepted and even legal within these communities. If consumption of plant medicine would raise any true risk or concern within these societies, then they would certainly discontinue the ritual. This has not been the case. “In Indigenous peyote traditions, many women ingest peyote throughout different stages of their life cycle, including eating peyote prenatally, while nursing, and sometimes even during childbirth, as it is thought to help prevent miscarriage, allow for the healthy development of the fetus, increase breast milk production, and ease the experience of labor” (Virdi, 2021). One would think that such statements would birth more curiosity in Western Society instead of the negativity and judgment casted upon the ritual. Many studies have been conducted on adolescence and ayahuasca consumption. One of which conducted by Balthazar et al., 2016, found that adolescents exposed to ayahuasca displayed a decrease in dysmorphia, anxiety and problems centered around anxiety, in comparison to adolescents that were not exposed to ayahuasca use. When alcohol presented as a risk to pregnancy, studies were rolled out immediately, advertisements aired providing accurate information on the truth behind alcohol consumption while pregnant and the CDC even got involved to educate the population on the true, scientific risk with consuming alcohol while pregnant. Here we have a potential plant medicine that has been reported in detoxing the reproductive system, alleviating complications during the birthing process, and even healing the womb of sexual trauma, but Western researchers have made it their mission to blacklist the mere thought of the act due to limited research done on pregnant rats consuming ayahuasca while pregnant. The sacredness and complexity of this plant medicine should prevail against the little evidence out there that does not support the idea of ayahuasca used in childbirth.
Risk
There have only been two research studies on the effects of ayahuasca during pregnancy, and both of which were conducted on rats. In one study conducted by Labate (2011), they found that exposure to ayahuasca in maternal rats did not lead to any defects in any physical makeup of the offspring or promote maternal toxicity. However, they did find affects in neurobehavior, such as a decrease in speed and movement when exposed rats were placed in an open field test that assessed anxiety. An interesting barrier that was also observed in another study was the decline in the social motivation observed in the rats that consumed ayahuasca. “In the social interactions test, the experimental group showed a significant decrease in the period of pursuit and the total interaction time when compared with the control group indicating a lower social motivation in this group” (Moreira et al., 2011). Which doesn't necessarily pose as a risk per say, but does strike some concern when you include the importance of support systems and social interactions both pre and especially postpartum.
The second article was more alarming and focused more particularly on the ayahuasca dosage given to pregnant rats, which unfortunately resulted in maternal deaths. They found that in replicating the repeated exposure to ayahuasca that is consumed by UDV group’s and administering the same dosage to pregnant rats, led to maternal toxicity (Amorim, et al., 2018). The severe limitations presented in both studies is that they failed to address the overall effects that ayahuasca has on rats in general as it compares to humans. Perhaps the plant is poisonous to them in general. It is also logical to note that we are 10 times their size, a dose that a human could consume should defer dramatically in rats. They also failed to even mention one of the vital parts of the ayahuasca consumption, and that is the religious and spiritual aspect of the practice, which is often overlooked when one gets into the quantitative realms of the research. Perhaps the link to the higher source and interconnectedness with all things is what has made ayahuasca consumption in pregnant women, particularly women within the ayahuasca religions, so successful. This important aspect is overlooked when conducting such studies on animals, beings that lack the language or overall capacity to witness expanded consciousness, especially as it relates to the birthing process.
Method
Plant Medicine
To display respect and avoid the risk of cultural appropriation, I would obtain the ayahuasca used for my study only from tribes within the ayahuasca religions in Brazil, if they of course granted me consent to access the plant medicine for my research. The formulation of ayahuasca takes all day and is typically concocted by experienced elders of the church (Escobar et al., 2020). The main ingredients being stem and leaves that are brewed into a tea. The dosage would be an intricate part of the study and is typically 100mL for an individual with average body mass (Moreira et al., 2011). I would administer the lowest dose to my study participants, which would include chimpanzees since they are most similar to humans in anatomy.
Study Participants
Eight, healthy adult female, sign speaking chimpanzees will be used in this study. They must have no history of neurological, cognitive, or behavioral defects and classified as a low-risk pregnancy. The study participants will be taken from UC Davis Department of Animal Science, 30 days before their first trimester to ensure smooth transition into their research habitat, which will give them efficient time to acclimate and recover from any trauma that the transition may cause to the study participants.
The research facility will be comfortable and within open spaces that replicate the jungle in which they were inherited, including real trees and temperature resembling their habitats. Note that this researcher would have liked to keep the primates in their natural habitats but found it easier for both the researcher and study participants to conduct the study in a controlled yet naturalistic setting. Organic food and water will be administrated, with the consideration of an increase in diet for expecting chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees will be split into two groups: four pregnant Chimpanzees being the experimental group and the remaining four Chimpanzees being the controlled. All of which being conducted within the ethical guidelines of the IRB and in compliance with The Guide For the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals National Research Council.
Ayahuasca administration
On each Chimpanzee in the experimental groups delivery date, they will be given a dose of ayahuasca that is proportionate to their body weight at the time of labor, while water will be given to the control group. This administration will only be done once throughout the birthing process. EEG monitors will be present on both groups of the Chimpanzee’s to assess which levels of the brain are activated during the ayahuasca consumption and overall birthing process.
Baby assessment
After birth, the mother will spend approximately two hours bonding with the baby before the researcher inspects the baby for any birth defects. Both infant and mother will then be attached to EEG devices to measure their brain activities, about five hours into their ayahuasca journeys, for an hour. The researcher will be particular in looking for specific brain regions that measure anxiety, depression, and levels of consciousness, while comparing them between the control and experimental group.
Case Interviews (signing)
The interview process will be brief, only consisting of 5 simple questions that will be translated by a professional sign language volunteer. The questionnaire will be centered around themes of how the Chimpanzee’s from both groups felt during and post labor, how connected they felt to the baby, their level of increased happiness (euphoria) and what they needed the most right now. Questions are intentionally basic in nature, in order to match the intellectual level of the study participants, however, will hopefully provide more insight on their individual experiences. Responses will be translated and recorded from the translator and myself and utilized to compare the difference in responses amongst the two study groups.
Expressive Arts
Around hour six, which is typically the peak of the study participants ayahuasca journey, Chimpanzee’s will be given positive reinforcement (banana or treat), while being prompted to engage in free painting for 30-45 minutes, as a form of expression. Humans even partake in journaling or drawing as a form of therapeutic processing in both ordinary and non-ordinary states of consciousness, to promote insight and awareness. Finished products of both groups will be compared to examine any differences in form of expression, paying particularly close attention to color themes, lines, spacing and overall imagery.
Social Interaction Observation
Chimpanzees are known to be very lively and interactive creatures. Seeing that community integration and the promotion of the collective consciousness is an important component of psychedelic experiences, I feel that it is vital for my study to investigate these particular effects. I would be curious as to how the two different control groups would integrate with one another. In order to observe this behavior in particular, I would place all eight chimpanzees in a room together, that replicates their natural jungle habitat. I would then observe them for two hours as they reach their declining state from their ayahuasca influence, back to baseline. A limitation in this being my inability to translate the information being expressed amongst themselves. For this particular part of the study, I would focus on non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, postures, hand gestures and overall body dialogue. Nonverbal cues and frequency will be measured throughout this portion of the study using the Threadgold Communication Tool (TCT) which measures study participants ability to establish and maintain eye contact, smiling, singing, interactive postures and more. The results will be compared between the two study groups concluding this part of the study. Chimpanzee’s will then be returned to their individual units where they will continue to bond and provide lactation to their infants.
Conclusion
This article served the purpose of providing insight into the consumption of Ayahuasca plant medicine while recognizing the indigenous cultures that it birthed from. We have also taken a in depth look at the actual risks and benefits of ayahuasca use during pregnancy, within the birthing process and even with adolescents, for potential long-term effects. Most importantly, we explored ways in which adequate studies can be done with species that are more similar to our behavior and anatomy, for more accurate results on ayahuasca consumption in pregnant species.
The negative thoughts and assumptions of pregnant women taking any supplement beyond pre natals is an understandable concern but hopefully with the psychedelic revolution underway, and certain plant medicines coming more into acceptance by Western society, their benefits can be properly explored without judgment. Pregnancy and childbirth may be one of the most exhilarating yet terrifying experiences that a woman faces. With little interventions that do not involve extreme measures such as C sections or epidurals, which have been scientifically proven to produce “severe respiratory depression” (Bromage, 1982), after administration. It would make sense to at least explore natural remedies that have been provided by the earth and practiced within indigenous cultures for years.
We currently live in an evolution of alternatives. Humanity is finally breaking away from the systems that they have engaged in for years without question, which has resulted in alterations in diet, schooling, medications, monogamous relationships, spiritual beliefs, medical models and even changes in the ways to exist as a human being in general. We are finally moving away from the westernized way of being and looking at different ways to heal ourselves, both internally and externally. Pregnant women are not exempt to this revolution and in fact are leading the way by inevitably being the gatekeepers to civilization. We are seeing more and more midwives and doulas being utilized more than OBGYN’s. Water births and alternative birthing centers are beginning to become the preferred choice of labor location over hospital settings. It is clear that there is a severe disconnect between consumers and their trust in individuals that used to be deemed trustworthy: doctors, psychiatrist, pharmaceutical companies, etc.
With knowledge there is power and autonomy over our lives. With life decisions as salient as birth planning, it is important for expecting mothers to have access to all of their options, not just the ones that are convenient to the agenda of hospital corporations. Plant medicines have shown tremendous promise to a number of benefits, with ayahuasca assisted birthing being one of them for pregnant women. It is fair for each independent mother to dictate their own opinion on the phenomenon, instead of having that alternative eliminated for them by a society that does not understand the depths and many realms of this tradition.
REFERENCES
Amorim, R.F., Caldas, E.D., Carvalho, R.R., Morais, J.A., Mortari, M.R., Motta, L.G., Paumgarrten, F.J., Tavares, A.C., Taylor, A.P., Vianna, L.M. (2018). Maternal and Developmental Toxicity of the Hallucinogenic Plant-Based Beverage Ayahuasca in Rats. Reproductive Toxicology.
Balthazar, F.M., Bouso, J.C., Hallak, J.E., & Santos, R.G. (2016). The current state of research on ayahuasca: A systematic review of human studies assessing psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and neuroimaging. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 30(12), 1230-1247. https://doi-org.tcsedsystem.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0269881116652578
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Moreira, C.Q., Rodrigues, C.D., Spinosa, H.S., & Yonamine, M. (2011). Neurobehavioral, Reflexological and Physical Development of Wistar Rat Offspring Exposed to Ayahuasca During Pregnancy and Lactation. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia. Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy, 21(6), p. 1065-1076. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-695X2011005000170
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