How Might the Ayahuasca Experience Be a Potential Antidote to Western Hegemony

297 Pages·2015·4.64 MB·English

by  Roan Kaufman

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How Might The Ayahuasca Experience Be a Potential Antidote to Western Hegemony:
A Mixed Methods Study

By

Roan Kaufman

Abstract

This mixed-methods study researched people who have participated in traditional Indigenous
Ayahuasca ceremonies to determine if the experience served as an antidote to dominant cultural
hegemony. Fourty-four participants completed the quantitative scaled questionnaire and 11
qualitative interviews were conducted for the study. Findings reveal five antidotal movements
toward countering the uninvestigated assumptions dictated by hierarchical systems common to
Western culture. These include self-determination; increased relationality; reduced
anthropocentrism; reduced consumerism/materialism; movement toward more critical awareness
of status-quo assumptions. The most profound transformations toward counter-hegemonic
dispositions occurred in concert with certain dynamics I describe relating to several variables. I
conclude that working with ayahuasca moves people toward Indigenous ways of understanding
the world.

Keywords: Hegemony, Western hegemony, ayahuasca, Indigenous worldview

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Copyright by

ROAN LOUIS KAUFMAN

2015

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to my mentor Dr. Four Arrows for his guidance and encouragement during the
past four years to stay true to my values and to my own interest in Indigenous cosmology, and in
particular ayahuasca. Thank you to Dr. Rena Palloff for her invaluable contributions to the
formation of my research study and her wisdom in navigating the dissertation path. Thank you to
Dr. Kathy Tiner for her guidance from the very start of my coursework at Fielding Graduate
University. Thank you to my mentor from my master’s degree program Dr. Connie Krosney for
her generosity and wisdom. Thank you to my student reader Christina Lewis for being a friend
and strong ally since the day I began the doctoral program at Fielding Graduate University.
Thank you to those close to home as well who have offered encouragement and
assistance with my research process: Martha McCamy, Amy Gile, and Marcelle Richards.
Gratitude to the following people for their input and dialogue regarding my dissertation topic and
the themes examined: Paul Beck, Bill Hamilton, and David Schinke. Thank you to the various
mentors I’ve had throughout my life, especially Myron Eshowsky. Thank you to my family: my
father Jack Kaufman who encouraged me to start the doctoral process and whom was my biggest
academic champion unil his passing in 2013, mother Dorothy Helman, my sisters Erica Heisman
and Jill Heisman for their strong support. Thank you to the courageous people around the world
who work selflessly with plant medicines to heal and teach and bring people back to harmony
with themselves and this world.
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Dedication
To my father, Jack Kaufman 1939-2013.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW………………….…………………….…….………...…… 1
Contextualizing the problem……………………………………………………..... 1
Personal statement……………………………………………….………………… 3
About Ayahuasca………………………………………………...….…...……………......... 10
About Hegemony, Western Hegemony, and Colonization………………………………..... 18
Hegemony………………………………………………………………………….. 18
Western hegemony………………………….…………………...………................. 20
Colonization………………………………………………………………………… 24
Personal Biases………………………….……………………….………………………….. 25
Limitations of Study…………………….…..………………………………..…….……….. 27
Structure of dissertation………………………………………………….……….…………. 29
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………… .. 34
Ayahuasca in Popular Culture………………………………………………………….......... 35
Anti-hegemony Literature: Critical Theory, Post Modernism, Critical Pedagogy………….. 37
Anti-hegemony literature…………………………………………………………… 37
Critical theory………………………………………………………………………. 40
Transformational learning………………………………………………………….. 43
Paulo Freire and critical pedagogy…………………………………………………. 44
Indigenous Knowledge, American Indian studies, Decolonizing Methodologies………….. 46
Indigenous knowledge……………………………………………………………… 46
American Indian studies……………………………………………………………. 48
American Indian issues scholars……………………………………………………. 51
Ayahuasca, Hallucinogen, and Entheogen Studies………………………………………….. 54
Dissertations Researching Ayahuasca……………………………………..………............... 60
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ……………………………………. 66
Methodologies……………………………………………………………………………….. 67
Research Design and Methodologies………………………………………………….…….. 69
Qualitative Interviews……………………………………………………………….
69
Shorter qualitative interviews based on phenomenological methods……….……… 70
Shorter qualitative interview process………………………………………... 71
Longer qualitative interviews based on grounded theory………………………….. 72
Longer qualitative interview process………………………………………... 74
Quantitative Methods………………………………………………………………. 75
Recruiting research participants……………………………………………………….…….. 77
Ethical considerations………………………………………………………………….……. 79
Data collection………………………………………………………………………………. 80
Step 1: Short qualitative interview pilot study…………………………………….. 81
Step 2: Quantitative scaled questionnaire pilot study…………………………….… 82
Step 3: Conduct seven additional short qualitative interviews………………….….. 83
Step 4: Revise and re-open quantitative scaled questionnaire……………………… 84
Step 5: Conduct four in-depth qualitative interviews ……………………………… 85
Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………………... 85
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CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF DATA………………………………………….. 88
Step 1: Conduct qualitative short-interview pilot study…………...……………………..…. 90
Step 2: Conduct quantitative scaled questionnaire pilot study…………………………….... 91
Present quantitative data and charts………………………………………………… 92
Step 3: Conduct seven additional short qualitative interviews ….……………….………… 106
Step 4: Revise and re-open quantitative scaled questionnaire………….…………………… 107
Present quantitative data and charts………………………………………………… 108
Qualitative scaled questionnaire comments………………………………………... 123
Step 5: Conduct four in-depth qualitative interviews ………………………………………. 125
CHAPTER FIVE: THE FIVE ANTIDOTES TO WESTERN HEGEMONY……………… 129
Major findings in the data…………………………………………………………... 131
Antidote 1: Movement from Western hegemony towards self-determination……………… 131
Western hegemonic structure ……………………………………………………… 132
Antidotal movement………………………………………………………………... 134
Antidote 1: Samples from the data…………………………………………………. 138
Antidote 2: Movement from individuality towards relationality …………………………… 139
Western hegemonic structure ……………………………………………………… 139
Antidotal movement………………………………………………………………... 141
Antidote 2: Samples from the data…………………………………………………. 143
Antidote 3: Movement from anthropocentrism towards natural world as sentient.................. 148
Western hegemonic structure ……………………………………………………… 148
Antidotal movement………………………………………………………………... 151
Antidote 3: Samples from the data…………………..……………………………... 153
Antidote 4: Movement away from consumerism and materialism………………………….. 155
Western hegemonic structure ……………………………………………………… 155
Antidotal movement………………………………………………………………... 157
Antidote 4: Samples from the data…………………………………………………. 159
Antidote 5: Movement from acceptance of Western hegemonic institutions towards
criticality……………………………………………………………………………………... 165
Western hegemonic structure ……………………….……………………..………. 165
Antidotal movement………………………………………………………………... 167
Antidote 5: Samples from the data…………………………………………………. 170
The Indigenous worldview versus the Western worldview……………………………….… 175
CHAPTER SIX: PROBLEMS WITH AYAHUASCA USAGE IN THE WEST AND BY
WESTERNERS……………………………………………………………………………… 181
Ayahuasca cannot be understood……………………………………………………………. 182
Lack of standardization …………………………………………………………….. 184
Cultural appropriation ………………………………………………………………………. 186
Lack of attribution …………………………………………………………………. 188
Romanticizing Indigenous peoples……………...………………………………….. 190
The Influence of Christian Hegemony on Legality and Illegality……………………........... 192
Commodification …………………………………………………………………………… 194
Drug tourism and hegemony……………………………………………………….. 196
Abuse of power by ayahuasca leaders…………………………………………….………… 199
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Exploitation of women………………………………………………….………….. 200
Psychonauts………………………………………………………………………………….. 202
Lack of post-ceremony social support………………………………………………………. 204
CHAPTER SEVEN: ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION…………………. 208
Age as a factor in data results………………………………………………………. 209
Gender as a factor in data results…………………………………………………… 210
The five antidotal movements analyzed……………………………………………. 211
Antidote 1: Movement from Western hegemony towards self-determination……………… 211
Psychotherapeutic traditions ………………………………………………………. 213
Tranformational learning…………………………………………………………… 214
Freirean philosophy………………………………………………………………… 214
Indigenous models of experiential and emotional learning………….……………... 215
Antidote 2: Movement from individuality towards relationality …………………………… 216
Stages of maturity: Erikson and Kegan………………………………………..…… 219
Freire and dialogue…………………………………………………………………. 222
Antidote 3: Movement from anthropocentrism towards natural world as sentient.................. 223
Other plant medicines and Indigenous ceremonies as potential antidotes…..……... 224
Environmental protection protest movements……………………………………… 225
Solutions from Freire, critical pedagogy and ecopedagogy…………….………….. 227
Antidote 4: Movement away from consumerism and materialism…………….……………. 229
Examples of American trends against consumerism………………………………. 232
Critical pedagogy and critical theory critique of consumerism……………………. 235
Antidote 5: Movement from acceptance of Western hegemonic institutions towards
criticality or rejection………………………………...……………………………………… 237
Freire and critical pedagogy on criticality………………..………………….……... 238
Critique of critical pedagogy………………………………………………………. 241
Limitations and challenges in the research…………………………………..……………… 242
Future directions ……………………………………………………………………………. 244
REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………………… 246
Appendix A: Pilot scaled questionnaire……………………………………………………... 281
Appendix B: Revised scaled questionnaire………………………………………………….. 283

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LIST OF TABLES

Tables
Table 1 Qualitative Short-Interview Pilot Study: Gender, Age, First Year working
with Ayahuasca, Approximate number of Times worked with ayahuasca, and
Interview Format……….……………………………………………………… 90

Table 2 Quantitative Scaled Questionnaire Pilot Study Demographics………..………. 92

Table 3 Qualitative Short-Interview Final Study: Gender, Age, First Year working with
Ayahuasca, Approximate number of Times worked with ayahuasca, and Interview
Format………………………………………………………………………….. 106

Table 4 Final QuestionnaireDemographics…………………………………………….. 108

Table 5 Total Qualitative Participants: Gender, Age, First Year working with Ayahuasca,
Approximate number of Times worked with ayahuasca, and Interview
Format……………………………………………………………………......... 137

Table 6 The Indigenous Worldview versus the Western Worldview………….............. 178

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figures
Figure 1 Pilot Study: Political Action………...………………..………………….. 93

Figure 2 Pilot Study: Courage………………………………………..…….…..…. 94

Figure 3 Pilot Study: GMOs and the Food Industry………………..…………….. 95

Figure 4 Pilot Study: English as the Universal Standard Language……………… 96

Figure 5 Pilot Study: Importance of Job and Money………………………........... 97

Figure 6 Pilot Study: Connection to Plants, Animals, and the Natural World.......... 98

Figure 7 Pilot Study: Connection to Family and Friends, Support and Supportive.. 99

Figure 8 Pilot Study: Critical of News and News Sources………………………... 100

Figure 9 Pilot Study: Long-Term Consequences of Actions……………………… 101

Figure 10 Pilot Study: Having Material Posessions and their Meaning……………. 102

Figure 11 Pilot Study: Acting with Compassion and Empathy…………………….. 103

Figure 12 Pilot Study: Considering Self a Critical Thinker………………………… 104

Figure 13 Pilot Study: Shop Locally and Part of Local Economy…………………. 105

Figure 14 Final Study: Political Action……………………………….…………….. 109

Figure 15 Final Study: Intervening when there is Injustice………………………… 110

Figure 16 Final Study: GMO’s and the Food Industry……………………………... 111

Figure 17 Final Study: English as the Universal Standard…………………………. 112

Figure 18 Final Study: Importance of Career………………………………………. 113

Figure 19 Final Study: Connection to Plants, Animals, and the Natural World……. 114

Figure 20 Final Study: Self/Other Needs…………………………………………… 115

Figure 21 Final Study: Critical of News and News Sources………………………... 116
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