Prospective examination of the therapeutic role of psychological flexibility and cognitive reappraisal in the ceremonial use of ayahuasca

Prospective study of 261 participants recruited from three Shipibo ayahuasca retreat centers in Central and South America. Assessed mood, psychological flexibility, and acute ceremonial factors with validity scales controlling for expectancy and demand characteristics. Participants reported significant reductions in negative mood after three months, along with increases in positive mood and psychological flexibility. Acute experiences of cognitive reappraisal during ceremony exerted the strongest moderating effects on increases in positive mood and psychological flexibility. Increases in psychological flexibility statistically mediated the effects of acute psychological factors on changes in positive mood.