A proposed bioanthropological approach linking ritual and opiate addiction

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary conjectures about possible neurobiological relationships among seemingly disparate phenomena: religious rituals, native curing therapies, and the pharmacodynamic, psychological, and sociocultural components of opiate addiction. Central to the discussion is an analysis of the function of opiate receptors, the endogenous neurochemical that binds to opiate receptors, and the impact of exogenous opiates on human behavior. Throughout the paper a synthetic but admittedly speculative approach is employed.