Psychoactive substances in religious context

experience and meaning among CEBUDV youth in Ceará, Brazil

Abstract

This paper proposes an examination of experiences and meanings shared by young Ayahuasca tea consumers, regarding the use of licit and illicit psychoactive substances nowadays. It is a socio-anthropological study among young people 18-29 years old, affiliated to the Spiritist Center União do Vegetal (CEBUDV), a religious entity arising from the Amazon region in Brazil. 51 young people were consulted in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, through a multiple approach with questionnaires, focus groups, individual interviews and field research concerning social and ritualistic activities along 2015 and 2016. We conclude that young people surveyed develop a differentiated conduct in relation to the psychoactive substances, characterized by spiritual guidance and structuring ethical values, whose main foundations are ritual experience and community life.