A Igreja da floresta: processos pedagógicos e terapêuticos da doutrina do Santo Daime como alternativas para o tratamento da dependência

Abstract

The use of psychoactive drugs is recurrent and universal, but it was only in the 20th century that the State began to systematically intervene in the drug issue, through the medical and moral authorities of society. However, there are communities that make the sacramental use of entheogens and, in this world, knowledge and practices circulate, as well as pedagogical and therapeutic processes. The Santo Daime is a religious doctrine of spiritual works set to music that makes the sacramental use of an entheogenic drink known as Ayahuasca or Daime. However, recent studies have addressed the therapeutic effectiveness of Ayahuasca as an auxiliary tool in the treatment of various forms of addiction and other illnesses. Thus, the research field was delineated, which seeks to understand how the knowledge and practices of Santo Daime tension the discourse on drugs. The monograph is mainly a case study of a religious and philanthropic institution, the Santa Casa de Nossa Senhora, a Santo Daime church located in the municipality of Franca, which offers a specific treatment for the issue of substance abuse. This study has a historical dimension, a brief review of the history of Ayahuasca and Santo Daime; an ethnobiographical dimension, in which we investigate life trajectories; and, finally, a social and analytical dimension, in which we approach treatment experiences, giving light to the research problem that seeks to be highlighted. Thus, it was possible to examine the therapeutic effectiveness of the ritualistic use of Santo Daime in the treatment of addiction and contribute to the course of anthropological practice in the study of psychoactive drugs.