Awakening the Soul: Cannabis and its Role in Spirituality
Study demonstrates therapeutic potential in the spiritual and psychological characteristics of 66.1% of participants
Published on 06/06/2023
By João Negromonte
For millennia, cannabis has been used in spiritual practices in different regions of the world, mentioned by Hinduism, Islam, Rastafarianism, and among Asian, African, and even Brazilian indigenous tribes. Despite this, little is known about how modern adults use this plant in a spiritual manner.
To better understand this relationship, a study conducted by the California Professional School of Psychology in the USA, found that among the 1,087 participants in the research, 66.1% reported feeling spiritual benefits from using cannabis, while only 5.5% saw it as an obstacle.
The participants were divided into two groups, one living with some type of psychological disorder linked to spiritual problems and the other without any disturbances. "The results suggest that spiritual reasons for using cannabis may be widespread and typically sought by younger people," the study highlighted.
The discriminant analysis revealed that expansive motivations, daily non-theistic spiritual experience, frequency of meditation, and mindfulness were the main distinctive factors among the groups that reported spiritual benefits from using cannabis. These results indicate that spiritual motivations for using the plant are common, however, researchers emphasize that more research is needed to explore this relationship.
