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Discussion => Off topic => Topic started by: elmo00 on June 04, 2013, 03:05 am

Title: How to find a local healer! Experiencing spiritual healing with psychedelics!
Post by: elmo00 on June 04, 2013, 03:05 am
How can I find someone that can spiritually guide me? I am not looking for power through crystals/religious healers/ random homeopathic type wackjobs (though I have a tolerance for many alt. beliefs).  I want to experience healing through trust and psychedelics because I am afriad there isn't going to be any other way to heal. I don't have money to see a competent pdoc or therapist and even those who I have spoken to don't incorporate a holistic way of healing in their treatment.

I feel pretty torn up emotionally. I am tired of rampant materialism, my neuroses, and social anxiety. Traditional therapy hasn't gotten me very far in the past few years, and pharmacology has really set me back. CBT hasn't really worked for my self-image, but I do try to view things in a positive light.

I struggle with general motivational issues as well as symptoms of ADHD. I am selfconscious of my deficits whether perceived or grounded in reality. I used to be agoraphobic, but have consistently worked on pushing myself out of my comfort zone, but I don't feel safe around people. I don't feel like I can trust people, mostly because of a lot of personal experiences I have had growing up. I know I have a lot to work on inside because I feel pretty self-centered and dysfunctional in ways.

I have focused on my nutrition, started working out, and take supplements, however, while certain things such as depression and anxiety have become manageable because of this effort I still feel emotionally messed up.

I have all the ingredients for a ayahuasca brew, but I don't want to waste such an amazing therapuetic brew without guidance. I have smoked change (DMT) and had a very nice introverted session where I processed some things on my mind.

I want to let go and give myself back to the world, but I am so scared. I navigate the world in a very rigid, analytical, fearful way.
Title: Re: How to find a local healer! Experiencing spiritual healing with psychedelics!
Post by: elmo00 on June 04, 2013, 03:15 am
I love the work MAPS is doing, but I don't think I could find a counselor with an open mind that would be willing to help me. I am not going into this with the mindset that I'll be taking drugs every session, but I don't think I'll beable to confront some of my issues without them.

I have experiemented with MDMA and a few psychedelics, and overall I think the experiences have been mostly positive. LSD has always given me mad anxiety though.

I am also pretty standoffish to new people, which is an issue that I struggle with. In the past I have been so scared of what my therapists might have thought of me that I eventually avoided sessions. It feels like I am in a perpetual loop of anxiety, and I know it is because I can't let go of my ego.

I wish I had anough money for a retreat to Peru, but I couldn't cover airfare AND  the price of most of those retreats.  :-\
Title: Re: How to find a local healer! Experiencing spiritual healing with psychedelics!
Post by: moonflower on June 07, 2013, 01:45 am
unfortunately, it's not really feasible to find a psychedelic guide in this society. i have had to become my own guide and my own healer, as western medicine cannot help me. while it can be quite scary, it is also incredibly liberating to take your health into your own hands. my best advice is to take up daily meditation... this is essential for clearing the muddy waters of the mind. i'd also highly suggest doing some in-depth research on shamanism and the entheogenic use of psychedelics. there is an immense amount of information available that can help you on your journey. healing begins with love, so the most important thing you can do is focus on loving yourself! :)
Title: Re: How to find a local healer! Experiencing spiritual healing with psychedelics!
Post by: PsychedelicSphere on June 07, 2013, 01:52 am
There are some place in south america that do ayahuasca ceremonies for free, though you would still have to pay to get there. I have seen a lot of positive things coming from ayahuasca experiences.

You could also research how to make your own ayahuasca brew and maybe you could do a kind of self help workshop/trip.

Best of luck to you.

~PsychedelicSphere
Title: Re: How to find a local healer! Experiencing spiritual healing with psychedelics!
Post by: Horizons on June 08, 2013, 06:56 pm
A proper therapist-patient relationship depends on three things: the patient being pen and honest, the patient trusting the therapist, and the therapist being open-minded, receptive and non-judgemental. He's not there to fix you, he's there to guide you towards finding your own answers. It's a maieutic process.

Some would add a fourth factor, the therapist's knowledge of psychology, neurology, etc. That's not strictly necessary except in extreme cases. Humanity has done very well for thousands of years with shamans, witch doctors and priests who knew nothing about the brain helping people through their troubles.

You can learn a lot by doing psychedelics and MDMA on your own, but having someone nearby to play the role of therapist will make the experiences much more productive. You'll be hard-pressed to find a professional who is open to incorporating these drugs into therapy, but a close friend will do just fine. Having been in both roles a few times, I can say that an intimate friend whom you trust, who has done a small dose of the same drug as you and who knows a little about psychedelic therapy, can be a wonderful therapist. There's a whole higher level of empathy when two people who know and trust each other take psychedelics together. You'd take a high dose, but not so high as to be overwhelming. They'd take a smaller dose, just enough to get into the headspace and connect with you in a meaningful way. The ego softening and sense of calm euphoria that comes with low and medium psychedelic doses will help to make your friend open, receptive, empathic and willing to listen and help. With that friend to ground you and nudge you in the right direction if you lose focus during the trip, and especially to talk to about what you feel throughout the experience and provide emotional support if necessary (how powerful a hug can be during a difficult trip!), you'll be surprised at the results you can obtain.

It's crucial that you and your friend talk beforehand about what you want to do. You'll both be tripping for your sake. He has to agree to that and do his best not to get lost in his own trip - hence the smaller dose. But he also needs to understand that his role will be like that of a kindergarten teacher: he can't force you to learn, he can only hint at where to go - but he also has to give you a proverbial slap on the hand if you refuse to play nicely. Not too hard, and not too soft. So this friend needs some preparation before fulfilling this role.

There are two great books that the would-be trip-therapist should read in order to know what to expect and how to behave for such a session: The Psychedelic Experience by Tim Leary, and LSD Psychotherapy by Stanislav Grof. The latter is much longer and more complete, and contains a bit of technical language, but even as a layman, I learned a lot from the reading. If possible, the patient should read both books as well. They have very different approaches (Leary's is mystical, Grof's is that of a psychotherapist), and complement each other nicely. Reading just one is fine too if you're in a hurry to get down to practice, but it's important to have *some* ground in theory, otherwise the trip can very easily go off on an unproductive tangent.

Finally, my four greatest tips for such an undertaking:

1) Take some time before the trip to calm your mind and prepare. Do some exercise, like running or swimming or cycling. Stretch. Meditate. Do whatever works for you in order to lower or eliminate the background noise of thoughts, memories and imaginations that is usually bouncing around inside our skulls during the day-to-day. If you go into a trip with a noisy head, that noise will amplify. If you go into a trip with a calm mind, silent like the unbroken surface of an underground lake, then what is beneath the surface will more easily come to light.

2) Hold nothing back. Shout if you feel like shouting, have some old broomsticks handy if you feel the urge to break something, cry to your heart's content, laugh until your cheeks hurt. If you feel the urge to act out in some way during a psychedelic experience, it's because you need to act like that for some reason. Obviously, have some sense not to harm anyone or yourself, or do anything that might get you in trouble. If you feel like punching your friend, punch a pillow or mattress instead. Don't jump ut the window or run naked into a schoolyard. If you feel any emotion, good or bad, surging up but not quite breaking the surface, take deep, heavy, fast breaths to help it along the way. Do NOT lower your breathing and tense up your body, as that will block the emotion.

3) Don't try to force the experience. Just let it happen, and remember that whatever does happen is what needs to happen. You might end the trip believing that it wasn't productive at all, but many times you need an apparently useless trip to get rid of some blockage or pent-up energy. Your friend will be there to keep you on track, so you don't need to worry about guiding the trip anywhere. Just let it be.

4) Don't narrate your trip to your friend. When the time comes to feel something, feel it. You'll have time to chat later, and talking is a common unconscious defense mechanism to distract you from actually experiencing the thing you're talking about. Time after the trip to discuss and integrate it is just as important as the trip itself, maybe even more.