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About

Jonathan David

University of Haifa Mount Carmel

Speaker Bio

Jonathan David is rehabilitation psychologist, and a PhD candidate in University of Haifa, Israel. In his PhD Jonathan is investigating the effect of repeated Ayahuasca intake on neural processing of death indicators using magnetoencephalography (MEG). In addition Jonathan is investigating qualitative aspects of ultra-orthodox Jews using Ayahuasca. Jonathan is also involved in a study examining attitudes of medical staff in rehabilitation regarding psychedelic therapy for spinal cord injuries.

ICPR 2024 Abstract

Impermanence Acceptance Mediates Differences in Death Processing Measures Between Ayahuasca Users and Controls – A Cross-Sectional Study

Classic studies as well as current clinical trials of psilocybin and LSD demonstrate that these substances alter cognitive and affective processes related to the theme of death, leading to reductions in death anxiety, increases in its acceptance, and beliefs in its transcendence. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying these changes remain unknown. Additionally, to date, no studies have systematically investigated death processing in ayahuasca users. The present cross-sectional study addresses these issues by investigating death-related processes, as well as their potential mediators, in ayahuasca veterans (N=54) compared to matched controls (N=53). For this purpose, an exhaustive battery of questionnaires and behavioral measures was employed, targeting fear and anxiety of death, its acceptance, avoidant related behaviors, emotional load, and the accessibility of death related thoughts. Tested mediators included personality, ontological beliefs, and impermanence awareness. As expected, results indicated more relaxed death processing for the ayahuasca group on all measures, except for death thought accessibility where no differences were found. Importantly, the mediation analyses showed that while personality indices and ontological beliefs did not mediate group differences on any of the death processing measures, impermanence acceptance mediated group differences on all of them. Finally, within the ayahuasca group, ego dissolution depth, but not lifetime intake habits, predicted degree of impermanence acceptance. These findings demonstrate for the first time robust and extensive cross-sectional differences in how death is processed between psychedelic and non-psychedelic users. Even more importantly, they highlight the previously ignored role of impermanence acceptance as a uniquely effective psychological mechanism of change. 

© 2007-2024 ICPR by OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
© 2007-2024 ICPR by OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
© 2007-2024 ICPR by OPEN Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands