Hey guys, I wanted to share this with you, its an paper I wrote on the use of Peyote by the Huichol people who go on the annual Peyote Pilgrimage.
Its for my anthropology class and sheds light on the use of peyote as medicine by these people, touching on the beneficial aspects of peyote both physically and mentally.
Tell me what you think. Essay:
Research Paper: Peyote and the Huichol People
The purpose of this research paper is to answer the question: Is the Huichol view of peyote as a medicine valid, and if so, what are the therapeutic effects of peyote? I plan to answer this question by first introducing the Huichol people and explaining their beliefs and rituals regarding peyote. Also, I will contrast the Huichol and North American/European views of medicine itself in order to understand why there are such conflicting views regarding the use of peyote. From that point I will discuss the therapeutic effects of peyote in relation to both views of medicine, effectively answering the research question. My argument is that the Huichol view of peyote as a medicine is valid due to its many therapeutic effects.
The Huichol are an indigenous tribe of Mexico that number around 20,000 (Furst 1996: 1). Shamanism plays an important role in Huichol religion, as does peyote, a psychoactive cactus containing several hallucinogenic alkaloids including mescaline (Anderson 1996:14). Peyote is extremely important in Huichol beliefs and customs, so much so that the Huichol annually embark on a peyote pilgrimage during which they journey three hundred miles to the land of Wirikuta, where the peyote grow (La Barre 1969: 30). This pilgrimage itself is extremely meaningful to the Huichol, and there are many specific rituals and ceremonies surrounding the pilgrimage, as well as specific rules. Some of these rules are requirements that the pilgrims fast during the pilgrimage as well as abstain from sexual activity. When the pilgrims reach Wirikuta, they collect many peyote cacti and transport them back home for the ritual consumption of the peyote (Anderson 1996: 16). A successful pilgrimage not only ensures that there is enough peyote for the ritual ceremonies, but also ensures the growth of the Huichol children and all plants and animals (Furst 1996: 15). Peyote has a wide range of effects, including the ability to produce distortions in space and time, ego loss, the mixing and heightening of senses, experiencing emotional extremes, inhibition of sex drive, and visions or hallucinations. These visions increase with the amount of peyote consumed, and can include changes in colour, the appearance of symmetrical patterns, the shape of objects, and full-blown hallucinations of people, animals and objects (Anderson 1996: 98). A Huichol describes the general experience that peyote evokes:
“Peyote enables a person to tap into other dimensions, other ways of seeing, feeling, hearing, and sensing the world…the door is thereby open for one to develop and evolve a more profound sense of self as well as family and community. Experiences such as these make one contemplate life, morality, the metaphysical world, and the requirements involved in following a spiritual path to reach higher levels of awareness.” (Hultkrantz 1994: 146)
In terms of emotions, peyote can send the participant on a rollercoaster of emotions, and can produce truly mystical experiences as objects or events take on great significance due to heightened emotions (Anderson 1996: 89). Although this psychoactive cactus is primarily used as a medicine for the soul and body, peyote also reinforces the traditions and beliefs that revolve around the Huichol’s culturally shared worldview (Furst 1996: 161).
The Huichol concept of medicine and health is very similar to other native concepts such as that of the Navajo. In both concepts of medicine shamanic doctoring, a “holistic system that treats the mind as much as the body” (Furst 1996: 209) is applied. Essentially, in a holistic system, physical health is not considered to be separate from psychological health as it is in North American and European medicinal thought (Calabrese 1994: 500). While the North American/European concept of medicine “regards the body as a machine, a motor with many parts, …holistic medicine…regard(s) the human being as a wholeness of spiritual and physical traits” (Hultkrantz 1992: 150). Due to the differences in these two views of medicine, Holistic doctors have a completely different understanding of the term “healing” when compared to North American/European thought. The holistic view of healing is based around the belief that what is being treated is a psychological imbalance. Once this imbalance is corrected, a physical cure is enabled (Calabrese 1994: 502). This entire perspective of thought directs focus on the psychological side of humans and places great importance on psychological health. The general holistic view of North American/European medicine is that it places too much focus on physical and biochemical aspects of health while neglecting the psychological aspects (Hultkrantz 1992: 150). Due to the differences in these views, one can understand why the Huichol view peyote as medicine while the North American legal systems and medicinal communities view peyote as a drug with no healing properties. It is here that the two conflicting views are present; the Huichol view of peyote as a medicine against the North American perspective, which views peyote as a dangerous drug that is highly illegal.
Although peyote is considered highly dangerous and is illegal in the U.S, there have been studies that reveal that peyote has no adverse effects:
A group of California physicians reported the results of the…study of the effects of peyote on human cells. Their Cytogenetics studies involved the Huichol people of northern Mexico, a group that has long used peyote…some Huichol eat peyote ceremonially as many as thirty-five times a year, with consumption beginning as early as age six and continuing throughout their lives…some Huichol groups do not use peyote and thus served as the experimental controls. The data clearly showed that “no serious chromosome damage had occurred” in the peyote-using Huichols…peyote does not adversely affect human hereditary materials (Anderson 1996: 128)
As a medicine by North American standards, peyote’s positive effects would have to outweigh its negative effects on health. This particular study demonstrates the lack of negative side effects that peyote has, and draws question to why the cactus is illegal in North America. Moreover, peyote, in order to be considered a medicine by North American doctors, would have to have low risk associated with its adverse effects as well as a low rate of addiction potential:
There is no compulsion to repeat the use of peyote because of addiction, withdrawal syndrome, or marked tolerance... Repeated use is unlikely…the fact that curious users frequently comment that the ingestion of peyote was an “interesting experience “ but not worth going through again seems to further validate the claims of many Native Americans that peyote is “medicine” and an important part of their culture. (Anderson 1996: 187)
Peyote is thus a very safe drug, and the risks associated with it are very low. In addition, in terms of toxicity there are no recorded cases of death due directly to the consumption of peyote (Anderson: 1996: 125). Conclusively, if the effects of peyote are truly as wonderful as the Huichol believe, then there is no doubt in my mind that peyote should be recognized if not considered as a medicine.
The Huichol believe that “peyote is (a medicine) for learning, (and that) those with strong hearts will receive messages from the gods” (Anderson 1996: 15). In accordance to their holistic view of medicine, peyote is used to protect the people from illnesses, which the Huichol believe are caused by both natural and supernatural causes (Anderson 1996: 110). Thus, peyote is a medicine for the mind. As stated by a Huichol: “peyote is everything, it is the crossing of the souls, it is everything that is. Without peyote nothing would exist” (Furst 1996: 138). This shows how peyote is much more than a cure for an ailment to the Huichol people. This significance is further illustrated in the meaning of the verb “empeyotizarse”, which means “to self medicate” and comes from the word “peyote”. Rural Mexicans use this term due to the fact that the medical purposes of peyote are so well known (Anderson 1996: 110). A description of this “self medication” is shown here: The most general goal of Peyotist rituals seems to be what Wallace (1956) calls "maze way re-synthesis," a radical and rapid reorganization of thought that seems to be facilitated by the induction of an altered state of consciousness (ASC) in a supportive environment. Cognitive/affective reorganization is what is interpreted as the "teaching" or "healing" of Peyote by my…consultants. This ability of Peyote to increase one's susceptibility to behavior modification and therapeutic suggestion (in a context that supports self-transformation through symbolism) seems to be more valued than Peyote's ability to produce visions per se. Peyote renders the psyche more malleable, allowing it to be more effectively reshaped by the realizations one has in the course of the ritual. (Calabrese 1994: 495)
Similarly, in North American society, psychologists help patients by guiding them through their own healing or re-shaping process. In the same way, the peyote ritual allows participants to let go of preconceived notions or beliefs and immerse themselves in the healing process that the shaman is guiding. The peyote experience also allows participants to step outside of their lives temporarily, due to the ability of the hallucinogenic alkaloids to interrupt habitual psychological behaviour and functioning (Anderson, 1996: 116). Moreover, due to the intensity of the peyote experience, this interruption is likely to be very influential and lasting, especially if it is steered into the right direction by an experienced shaman. An example of this would be the use of peyote in the treatment of Alcoholics by Huichol shamans. After several studies on the effectiveness of this treatment, it was found that the peyote ritual was successful in treating alcoholism, but “not because of a powerful drug…(but because of) the orderly, constructive, and stimulating mixture of the leader, group, and peyote in the ritual session often leads to positive group interaction and introspection” (Anderson 1996: 111). This reinforces the idea of “maze way re-synthesis” by demonstrating how Alcoholics are able to modify their alcohol-seeking behaviours. When combined with a supportive environment and a direction that the experience is to follow, the peyote experience can be very influential in changing one’s life for the better.
Furthermore, this act of “maze way re-synthesis” can have enormous therapeutic effects if studied further. Particularly, in North American society where mental illness is one of the most prevalent medical problems with a high rate of failure in treatment, a focus on psychological re-networking could be beneficial. The fact that North American/European medical professionals concentrate on the physical side of the body more than the psychological side could help explain the problems with mental illness that these societies experience. The importance of psychological states is illustrated in studies of the connection between the mind and body:
Studies suggest that stressful psychological states, such as anxiety, grief, depression, and loneliness, may influence immune system functioning. This hypothesis is supported by such anatomical facts as the innervations of immune system organs by sympathetic nerves and the existence of receptors for neurochemicals on immune system cells. (Calabrese 1996: 508)
Thus North American/European medical professionals ultimately underestimate the significance of the connection between the mind and body. Mental illnesses such as chronic depression occur at an alarming rate in America. This could be due to the primary focus on physical needs while overlooking the psychological needs of people within the society. As a result, a medicine that creates positive psychological states is needed. During clinical studies involving mescaline in the 1960’s, it was found that mescaline was “capable of breaking down the defenses of various ‘compartments’ within the minds of the mentally disturbed, thus permitting both the physician and the patient to discover on a conscious level those behavioural attitudes and responses that were hidden…or completely repressed” (Anderson 1996: 116). Mescaline releases the repressed feelings within one’s unconscious and allows for a resolution of inner conflicts. This ability of peyote increases its therapeutic value as a medicine. Put another way by Psychiatrist Walter Frederking, mescaline causes patients to experience “an exhilarating feeling of liberation. Thus the state of intoxication proves itself to be a phase of the healing process” (Anderson 1996: 116).
In conclusion, peyote is in fact a medicine as it has many therapeutic effects. This is due to its ability to allow the Huichol and those who consume it to heal themselves in a highly effective manner by making the unconscious conscious. Peyote produces a state that allows for one to learn, it is a medicine for the mind. Also, peyote is not addictive or harmful, which strengthens my conclusion. Furthermore, if the effects of peyote were further studied, I believe that much more information could be found regarding the therapeutic effects of this incredible cactus. When one contemplates how the peyote experience increases wellbeing, one only has to think of the effects of the cactus; peyote allows one to experience the world, the cosmos, and themselves in a completely different way. It allows for a new perspective, and allows for growth and improvement; two things which one can never cease to improve on.
Bibliography:
1. Anderson, Eduard 1996 Peyote: The Divine Cactus. Arizona: The University of Arizona Press.
2. Calabrese, Joseph D, “Reflexivity and Transformation Symbolism in the Navajo Peyote Meeting” Ethos, Vol. 22, No. 4. (Dec., 1994), pp. 494-527, JSTOR, 23 Nov. 2007 http://www.jstor.org.
3. Furst, Peter T 1996 People of the Peyote. New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press.
4. Furst, Peter T 1976 Hallucinogens and Culture. U.S: Chandler & Sharp Publishers, Inc.
5. Furst, Peter T, with Richard Evans Schultes, Johannes Wilbert, Gerardo ReichelDolmatoff, Douglas Sharon, R. Gordon Wasson, William A. Emboden, Jr, James W. Fernandez, and Weston La Barre 1972 Flesh of Gods. New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc.
6. Hultkrantz, Ake 1992 Shamanic Healing and Ritual Drama. Illinois: Crossroad Publishing Company.
7. Kehoe, Alice 2000 Shamans and Religion. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc.
8. La Barre, Weston 1969 The Peyote Cult. United States: The Shoe String Pres, Inc.
-------------------- My apartment in New York was on Perry Street, a five minute walk from the White Horse. I often drank there, but I was never accepted because I wore a tie. The real people wanted no part of me. - The Rum Diary
Edited by TuneInTurnOn (11/30/07 11:15 PM)
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