TEONANACÁTL (A CARNE DOS DEUSES): RELATOS DE EXPERIÊNCIAS COM COGUMELOS “MÁGICOS” SOB A PERSPECTIVA GESTÁLTICA

Abstract

Researches suggest the ingestion of psilocybin (substance present in Psilocybe mushrooms) and similar psychedelics can cause a state of consciousness that can lead to insights and to the resolution of profound existential and spiritual issues, during or even after the experience. Based on Gestalt-therapy, which understands the human being as a being-in-the-world, a being who lives in and in relation with the field, the use of “magic” mushrooms can be understood as a form of resistance to the Social Other – assuming function and meaning based on their relation – adjusting creatively to the challenges of being in the world. The purpose of the present work was to understand the experience of subjects who use “magic” mushrooms in non-ritual contexts and observe the impacts of experiences with psilocybin on the subject's health and life, assessing whether there have been changes in habits and perspectives that allow him to see himself as a being-in-the-world. The research consisted of the following axes: 1) Use of the “Questionnaire on the use of psychoactive substances” in order to apprehend the knowledge of the population of Brazil about “magic” mushrooms and build an epidemiological profile of the use of the most well-known psychedelics (MDMA, LSD, Ayahuasca and “magic” mushrooms). 2) Qualitative gestalt study, from the analysis of narratives, aiming to observe the meanings of using “magic” mushrooms and the influence of these experiences in the lives of the interviewed individuals. The phenomenological method allowed to access the experience lived by the subjects from their own words, facilitating the elaboration of meaning for the narrators. The work identified a large number of people who use the drug, in addition to allowing the reflection on the experiences with mushrooms. In view of the collaborators' narratives, we can conclude that using drugs, for them, is not a simple matter of breaking rules, or being influenced by something or someone or just having deviant behavior. For some, it assumed therapeutic value. For others, it fulfills the function of leaving the routine and experiencing something different (hedonistic consumption). The “magic” mushroom acted by intensifying what was proper to each one, allowing an awareness that allowed the significant realities to be apparent to the perceptual field. The possibilities emerge from the field according to the availability and openness of the self. In general, we reinforce the unique character of each relationship and the motivating factors for beginning and continuing use. The low production of scientific works in the area involving the theoretical references mentioned was one of the elements that made it difficult. We understand it’s necessary to deepen the phenomenological study of psychedelics and to build a dialogue between Gestalt-therapy and psychedelics.