why work with a psychedelic facilitator?

Psychedelics are powerful tools for healing, growth, and change.

The context of their use (mindset and setting) as well as proper preparation and integration tools may make the difference between a bad trip and a healing journey.

A trained facilitator can provide safety, support, and perspective during an intense experience. Facilitation also elevates the experience, keeping a focus on healing and growth.

While you and the medicine are in charge of where the journey goes, facilitation helps if you get lost or overwhelmed along the way.

Contact me if you would like support with your next psychedelic journey.

what if I have a bad trip?

Maybe you’ve had difficult or overwhelming experiences with psychedelics in the past, or you’ve heard horror stories from others about the worst that can happen.

Maybe you’re worried about going crazy or have mental health concerns before, during, or after the journey. Or maybe those around you believe that only addicts and dangerous people use drugs of any kind.

For thousands of years, substances like psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca have been used for ritual, healing, spiritual exploration, and community building. The modern psychedelic movement owes so much to indigenous practices of medicine circles, shamanism, and all traditions surrounding sacred medicine use. It is with such context that we can begin to understand psychedelic medicines as one part of a larger tapestry of tools, connections, practices, and meaning-making from which healing can come.

Bad trips, just like other forms of challenging and traumatic experiences, are a possible risk of an adventurous life. If this is not a risk you want to take, that is completely reasonable. I believe that psychedelic journeying, or medicine work as it is sometimes called, is of use only when the participant is ready to say yes to whatever deeper knowing is possible for them. Knowing that challenges, pain, and angst are a risk of most worthwhile endeavors in life, my attitude is to prepare folks for the possibility that this may come up, and with tools and support to navigate. Even in carefully controlled environments with skilled professionals and prepared participants, some amount of fear, anxiety, or panic is still a possibility. (Here is a clinical research study that explains further about the emotional and mystical experiences possible with psilocybin use.)

If you have already experienced a bad trip in the past, I would love to work with you on unpacking and making meaning of that experience. Bad trips can be digested by the system like any trauma, and lingering emotions can be difficult to move through on your own. I have had hugely challenging psychedelic journeys that have given me perspective on my life that I am ultimately grateful for. However, it is the amount and quality of support that I received from loved ones and professionals that helped me through my recovery from these intense, revealing, and difficult experiences. Please reach out here for integration support.

What populations of clients do you work with?

In general, all participants must be over the age of 21 and pass a safety screening.

I am passionate about working with those who have practice exploring their inner world and traversing their healing journey. I am also passionate about working with people who give a lot to others, including parents, healthcare workers, and all forms of care professionals. I love working with all genders and identities of people looking to explore safety, expression, and meaning in their life.

Knowing that my lived experience and chosen identities will inform the spaces I hold, I am always looking for participants with whom I share a spark of similarity and shared life force. This might look like a desire for ultimate self-discovery, a shared love of communication and authenticity, a plaguing sense of existential wondering, or a self understanding as an intellectual and interdimensional embodied animal. If some or all of this resonates, I would love to hear from you.

Will I be a new person after a psychedelic journey?
Will I be healed?

In today’s world rife with instant gratification, spiritual bypass, magical thinking, and the popularity and media coverage of psychedelic healing modalities, it is extremely important for us to practice expectation management. While I believe in the power and value of this work, it is not a cure-all, nor a magic pill to solve all of your problems. It is one tool, one step on a lifelong journey of discovery and healing. I am looking forward to discussing your personal goals, needs, and expectations, and providing genuine feedback for what I personally believe is possible in our work together.

Are you a therapist? Can you be my therapist?

I am not a licensed therapist, no. While this work includes some overlap of skills and practices of more traditional talk therapy, psilocybin facilitation is, importantly, non-directive. This means my role is to support you in your own self-discovery and the wisdom of your own unfolding process. I may ask questions and have deep conversations with you during our preparation and intake, but during the administration session, you and your inner healing intelligence are in charge of directing the session. I will be there with you for safety and to be a compassionate witness.

I highly recommend that you already be working with at least one other healing practitioner (therapist, counselor, doula, life coach, or others) before, during, and after our session to help with maximum integration and support with your experience.

Where do I get the psychedelics?

Legally, I am not allowed to provide access to controlled substances. Outside of the state of Oregon, where therapeutic use of psilocybin is permitted in controlled environments, I am a resource for harm reduction. This means that for people who are already deciding to participate in psychedelic use, I am able to provide support and expertise to minimize the possibility of harm.