An important post about Plant Medicine Ceremony with plants such as Ayahuasca, San Pedro, Peyotes, Mushrooms, Frog Medicine etc .
I’m a member of a Peruvian group where this post below caught my attention. It addresses the rising trend of plant medicine ceremonies, which personally concerns me greatly. The quoted guidelines provide valuable insights for those considering partaking in such ceremonies. However, there are additional factors not covered in our group discussions that have troubled me for some time. I’ve hesitated to broach this topic with others, but now feel compelled to raise awareness about these overlooked considerations.
I’ve witnessed a troubling trend where people are drawn to plant medicine ceremonies due to FOMO or the misconception that it offers a quick fix to life’s challenges. However, this is far from the truth. The mainstream medical approach of taking medication for instant improvement often masks underlying issues rather than addressing their root causes. Unfortunately, many individuals seeking assistance from indigenous healers, shamanic practitioners, and plant medicine ceremony facilitators bring this same mindset, unaware of the depth of the healing process. True healing is a journey that requires substantial personal work—confronting uncomfortable truths, revisiting past traumas, and reshaping belief systems and lifestyles. It’s an ongoing process that extends beyond singular ceremonies. It’s crucial to scrutinize the qualifications of plant medicine servers, especially concerning their ability to handle trauma. Many claim to be “trauma-informed” (which are often short low quality workshops on trauma) without the necessary expertise, risking harm to participants. Personally, I’ve dedicated years to studying somatic trauma release therapy under the guidance of renowned psychologists like Anodea Judith, and yet, I continue to learn and don’t claim to know what to do in every situation.
Additionally, the issue of cultural appropriation looms large, as many individuals administer sacred ceremonies without permission from indigenous peoples, stripping away the sacredness of their traditions. Furthermore, the commercialization of these medicines and ceremonies by unscrupulous individuals mirrors historical exploitation, akin to the abuse of tobacco and cannabis. Let’s learn from history and approach these sacred plants with reverence, guarding against addiction to fleeting trends. Furthermore, since 2012, plant medicine ceremonies have sadly evolved into a lucrative industry. Those who conduct these ceremonies without permission, appropriating them from indigenous cultures, are deprivinSg the communities who truly depend on them, namely, the indigenous tribes, of their rightful abundan
Here is the post I mentioned by Sean West of Oklahoma…..
Hi everyone, I just want to address some issues that are popping up. Please be very discerning about who you take plant medicines with. There are a lot of younger people offering medicine around the Valley who do not have experience and though they may have good intentions are not equipped to deal with emerging trauma. We have had several psychotic breaks recently due too conditions like this. Huachuma / San Pedro is a very powerful medicine and can be as intense as Ayahuasca, there seems to be a real issue with people taking both of these medicines for a year or two and thinking they are ready to offer them in ceremonies. This is actually happening with mushrooms and Bufo also. Be careful please. Make sure you know the real name of the person your trusting your sanity with, know the server of medicine well, Google them, check them out ask them questions. Be very careful of mixing medicines, any mix can have extreme results. Even mixing breathwork with strong medicine can be very extreme. I have always been supportive of people who want to serve to serve. But I really check them out closely before I allow them on this page. I try to use my 30 years of experience in the plant medicine realm to make sure the offerings on my pages are safe. I feel responsible for the content on this page. Be safe out there, Peru and other areas of the world is a bit of a Wild West when it comes to plant medicine, be discerning, trust your inner voice about who to sit with.
Here is a list of red flags for medicine.
- Do not trust people who say they can heal you.
- Trust your first impression of a medicine server.
- Be careful of the person who knows everything and talks at you, true healing involves listening carefully and learning from the person seeking help with their healing.
- Do not pay large sums of money up front for a retreat center if they do not have a very clear refund policy, you can arrive there and get the no vibe, you should be able to get a refund if this is the case.
- Be careful of charismatic medicine servers, especially if they are creating a strong physical attraction.
- Never listen to a medicine server that tries to pressure you into taking medicine with them, or for that matter anyone who says you “need” to take medicine.
- Medicine is not an “experience” for a bucket list, its called medicine for a reason.
- Clothes and feathers are not a replacement for real experience with trauma work and the understanding that connection and compassion are what contain a space for medicine work.
- It is very important to be able to be able to talk to whoever is serving the medicine, whenever you desire, whether through a translator or directly, this should be a norm.
- Its better to integrate than to create fear in healing, beware of getting involved with the entity, impurity paradigm, its a paradigm based in fear and not useful for true healing. Empowerment and integration are the way. Integrate your demons, face your fears.
- Be careful at high altitude, carry proper equipment if your gonna go into the mountains in general and on medicine.
- Sex is a bad idea on medicine unless its your partner, its a complete no no for a server or therapist to facilitate sex in or around ceremonies.
- Be careful of taking medicine in large groups. If you think you are sensitive or doubt this is a good idea then maybe you should listen to yourself. Large groups of un filtered un interviewed strangers taking medicine together is the main cause of trauma in medicine ceremonies. The next main cause of trauma are servers that are sexual predators or ego driven guru types that seek to make you dependent on them for your healing.
- Medicine can traumatize you, this is fact not an opinion, be aware of this.
- You are going to heal you, medicine only facilitates this, medicine will not heal you, it just wants to show you how to do it.
- Any kind of healing requires your proactiveness, your willingness to change life style, mental contents and your routine. Wrestling with your habits for example.
- Healing is not a destination, it is a way, a path and an infinite onion!
Blessings everyone.” Sean West
If your still feeling these plants are calling you after reading this do your homework and be cautious. Also be patient I have found that when you are truly ready for the medicine, it will find you and you wont have to seek it out. When it does come to you keep these things in mind before choosing to do these medicines with someone in particular. After reading this article, I ask you to please look more within at your why. Also consider the fact that other practices can get you into transformational and healing altered states of consciousness just like these medicine ceremonies, without taking anything external, without spending thousands of dollars, or partaking in all these risks mentioned above. Things like: a regular breath work, meditation, and shamanic journeying practice. Even things like ecstatic Dance and mantra meditation/kirtan. Plant medicines are not meant for you to become dependent upon them and do them over and over again, as many people do. They are teachers of frequency and teachers to help you see who you really are. Once you learned the frequency of the medicine and learned from what it’s teaching you, you can live that frequency all the time sober and don’t need to partake in the medicine anymore. I have had very similar experiences, benefits, and transformational experiences as ayawaska through native american ceremonies that do NOT have plant medicines but focusing on fasting, singing sacred songs and prayer, like Hembulcha vision quest Ceremony and Sundance Ceremony. If you can stimulate your natural processes within you that gives you the same affects as these plant medicinces, then why wouldn’t you?
