José Carlos Bouso: What Do the Spirits Do? Psychological Mechanisms of Transformation

Psychological mechanisms of transformation during psychedelic use are explored, particularly through the lens of common factors in psychotherapy such as therapeutic relationships, expectancies, and healing rituals. Data from clinical trials and longitudinal assessments of ayahuasca users show consistent improvements in psychological flexibility, decentering, and self-transcendence, rather than changes in traditional psychopathology symptoms. Inflexible psychological states, such as experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion, often underlie behavioral issues, and interventions aimed at increasing psychological flexibility can drive positive change in clinical and non-clinical settings.