Psychedelics can open the soul—but only if your nervous system feels safe enough to receive the medicine.
Plant medicines are powerful. There’s no denying their growing reputation for facilitating healing, awakening, and deep emotional release. Ayahuasca, psilocybin, San Pedro, and others have been revered for centuries in Indigenous traditions—and now, they’re being researched for their potential to heal trauma, depression, addiction, and more.
But what’s often missing from the glossy Instagram posts and spiritual buzz is the real talk about what can happen when these sacred tools are used without the right context, safety, or integration.
And I know this deeply—because I’ve lived it.
My Experience: A Spiritual Awakening Turned Crisis
I turned to plant medicine seeking healing after years of anxiety, grief, and depression. I wasn’t new to spiritual work. I’d already begun peeling back the layers of my pain. But the container I stepped into for my first ceremonies wasn’t trauma-informed. The facilitators weren’t equipped to hold the intensity of what was coming up for me. And the depth of the experience cracked me wide open—too wide, too fast.
What followed was a spiritual emergency. I experienced psychosis, panic, identity unraveling. I was untethered, overwhelmed, and misunderstood by both the medical system and parts of the spiritual community.
This chapter of my life, though deeply painful, taught me everything I now bring into my work: the need for discernment, integration, and safety in altered states of consciousness.
The Problem with Psychedelic Bypassing
Plant medicine isn’t a shortcut to healing—it’s an amplifier. It brings your subconscious, your shadows, and your truth to the surface. If your body and nervous system aren’t prepared to hold that… it can lead to re-traumatization, confusion, or even mental health crises.
In psychological terms, this is called a spiritual bypass—where we seek transcendence or emotional release without doing the foundational work of resourcing, grounding, and integration.
Red Flags to Watch For in a Facilitator
Not all facilitators are created equal. Before entering a ceremony, ask yourself:
- Does this person have psychological or trauma-informed training?
- Are they familiar with mental health conditions (like psychosis, dissociation, PTSD)?
- Do they offer aftercare or integration support?
- Are they respectful of the cultural and spiritual origins of the medicine?
- Are they charging ethical prices, or exploiting spiritual seekers?
- Are they holding the space sober, grounded, and in service—or feeding their own ego?
If something feels off, trust your intuition. Not every space is meant for you. And no healer should ever claim to “fix” you.
Who Should Pause Before Using Plant Medicine
If you’re navigating:
- A history of psychosis, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder
- Unprocessed trauma or PTSD without a solid support system
- Lack of grounding practices or integration tools
- Current medication like antipsychotics or SSRIs (some combinations can be dangerous)
Then it may not be the time. And that’s okay. Your healing isn’t on a timer. And you don’t need to rush your awakening.
There are other portals—breathwork, shamanic journeying, somatic therapy, inner child work, dreamwork, meditation. Healing doesn’t always have to be explosive. It can be gentle, sovereign, and just as deep.
The Role of Integration
The real work begins after the ceremony. Integration means:
- Making sense of what you saw or felt
- Grounding the insights into real life
- Working with a therapist or guide who gets both the spiritual and psychological sides
- Nourishing your body and nervous system
- Setting boundaries and making aligned changes in your life
If the ceremony opened the door, integration helps you walk through it with clarity and stability.
The Invitation
If you’re called to plant medicine, answer that call with respect, reverence, and education. Don’t give your power away to the medicine—or to any facilitator. You are the healer. The plants are allies. Sacred mirrors.
And if you’ve been harmed by unsafe use of psychedelics or found yourself in a spiritual crisis like I did, know this:
You are not broken. You are not crazy. You are waking up in a world that doesn’t always know how to hold awakening.
But you can learn to hold yourself—and you’re not alone.
Intuitive Souls 