Can Ayahuasca Treat Eating Disorders?
Eating Disorders (ED’s) like bulimia and anorexia are some of the most difficult mental disorders to treat, and have a high rate of relapses.
In Canada, Dr. Adèle Lafrance, an associate professor at Laurentian University, has been studying eating disorders.
“I was a psychologist working in eating disorders and colleagues and I were witnessing first-hand the drop-out rates, the relapse rates, even deaths when I watched a documentary on ayahuasca in the context of addictions,” she told PsyPost. Seeking something new, she wondered if ayahuasca could help with EDs.
To find out, she interviewed 16 people who’d been diagnosed with EDs and participated in an ayahuasca ceremony.
The interviews revealed that 11 of the 16 people felt their ayahuasca experience had reduced their ED symptoms. One described feeling “like I had more distance between my behaviors and, you know the thought patterns and the triggers. It was like my brain was reprogrammed,” she said. “It’s the only way I can describe it—I don’t know exactly how it works.”
“I really just experienced my body as a gift,” said another. “It was, I felt that it was malnourished. I could sense that, I could sense that I was not honoring the gift.”
Half the participants reported less anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and substance use. One said she had seen her anxiety vanish—she attributed the improvements to ayahuasca, saying “It just rewires your brain.”
“This research is in its infancy,” Lafrance told PsyPost. “The use of ayahuasca in North America is not legal. It may also be inappropriate for some people based on their medical status or history. That said, our study does point to the need for more research, including fewer restrictions in order to conduct such research.”