Restorative Retelling for Processing Psychedelic Experiences : Rationale and Case Study of Complicated Grief
González, Débora (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Services (ICEERS))
Aixalà, Marc B. (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Services (ICEERS))
Neimeyer, Robert A. (Portland Institute for Loss and Transition)
Cantillo, Jordi (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Services (ICEERS))
Nicolson, Donald (Bath Spa University)
Farre, Magi (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol. Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Date:	2022
Abstract:	Many psychedelic experiences are meaningful, but ineffable. Engaging in meaning-making regarding emerging symbolic content and changing previous schemas have been proposed as mechanisms of change in psychedelic therapy. Firstly, we suggest the implementation of a Restorative Retelling (RR) technique to process and integrate the psychedelic experience into autobiographical memory, in a way that fosters meaning-making. We also show how ayahuasca has the potential to evoke key psychological content in survivors, during the process of grief adjustment following the death of a loved one. The rationale for the implementation of RR to process psychedelic experiences and a case study of a woman suffering from Complicated Grief (CG) after her mother's suicide are presented. Evaluations conducted before the ayahuasca experience and after RR suggest the effectiveness of ayahuasca and RR in reducing symptoms of CG and psychopathology. This case report illustrates an effective adaptation of the RR technique for processing the psychedelic experience. The significance of the study and its limitations are discussed.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Ayahuasca ; Grief ; Integration ; Psychedelic therapy ; Restorative retelling
Published in:	Frontiers in psychology, Vol. 13 (may 2022) , ISSN 1664-1078

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.832879
PMID: 35592178

11 p, 517.0 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut d'Investigació en Ciencies de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP)
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