Exploring Your Inner Landscape: Plant Medicine & Community

I want to begin by saying I love and believe in plant medicine as a path to healing, conscious shifts, and transformation. I’m called to share because I have had both positive and negative experiences on my journey. Im being called to be more open and sharing about my experiences to support others in discerning but also creating communities that hold more awareness and safety. 

Plant medicine has long been revered as a potent bridge between the tangible and the mystical, offering pathways of profound healing, insight, and transformation. Whether it’s through ayahuasca ceremonies deep in the rainforests or the sacred rituals involving Santa Maria, Peyote, Psilocybin, Kana, or San Pedro, plant medicine acts as a guide, bringing us closer to our authentic selves and illuminating the intricacies of the human experience. We are nature but we have forgotten. These experiences can help us see our wholeness and the oneness of all.

When we choose to step into this world, it is an act of openness—a willingness to surrender to the unknown, to face our shadows, and to embrace our growth with the humility of a student. However, with this openness comes the need for discernment. Not all experiences are created equal, and if the container in which we seek healing is not one of safety, integrity, and true community, the very openness that serves us can lead to disconnection or a sense of retreating inward, rather than blooming outward.

Plant medicine journeys will almost certainly bring back memories and triggers for your highest good. Lessons often come up for experiences and trauma to be healed and integrated. This is one of the ways plants support is in seeing fear and past experiences from a new perspective for healing.  

A trigger is an experience that brings back painful memories or feelings associated with a past trauma, while retraumatization is a more powerful experience that causes someone to re-experience the trauma as if it were happening again. 

During any life experience but also very possibly a plant medicine ceremony, a smell, sound, or the vulnerable act of being open might act as a trigger for someone who has experienced trauma involving a lack of safety, abuse, or a chaotic and distressing environment. These sensations could transport them back to a specific traumatic moment, causing a surge of anxiety or panic as they relive the emotions associated with the past experience.

This underscores the importance of facilitators being aware of potential triggers present in the environment, as well as the emotions and unexpected experiences that may arise for participants. Facilitators must be prepared to offer support and adjust the ceremony as needed to maintain a sense of safety and grounding for all participants.

Retraumatization occurs when someone is exposed to a person, place, event, or situation that causes them to relive the trauma as if it were happening in the present. For example, if a participant in a plant medicine ceremony feels overwhelmed and is experiencing a situation similar to a previous traumatic event without proper boundaries or support, this could lead to retraumatization.

The person may re-experience the trauma as if it were happening again, feeling trapped, helpless, or emotionally overwhelmed. This emphasizes the importance of facilitators being trained to recognize and respect participants’ limits to prevent harm and support healing.

Retraumatization can cause someone to experience the same feelings and reactions they had during the original traumatic event, such as helplessness or exploitation. It can also cause additional harm beyond just triggering the past trauma. I have experienced both triggers and retraumatization beautiful integration and suicidal ideation after a journey. If I was a different person or if I had not had the training I have as a therapist I might not be here now. And I want to make sure there is a space to talk about this and for others to receive support.

This delicate balance between exploring, experiencing, and supporting is why my commitment to creating community is evolving. I’ve witnessed firsthand how vital it is that each space, each gathering, is more than just a moment in time; it is a sanctuary where every individual feels seen, held, and empowered. It’s not simply about offering access to plant medicine or the role for monetary gain but about fostering the kind of community that supports healing as a collective endeavor, grounded in trust, understanding, and respect for the sacred. Safety and intention must be an essential part of the commitment for both members and facilitators.

In choosing to guide or to partake in these experiences, the environment—the physical, emotional, and energetic space—must be built with intention and safety held and cleared consistently in a way that promotes accountability but also steps in when safety is needed. The wisdom of plant medicine asks for more than just your presence; it asks for your vulnerability, your authenticity, and your courage. And to meet this call, the circle in which you sit must be a space where boundaries are honored, trauma is recognized and held in safety, and spirits are nurtured.

This is why my vision for community is shifting. I am dedicated to co-creating circles that celebrate individual journeys while reinforcing a shared sense of belonging. Here, healing is not transactional; it is a shared experience where stories are told, hands are held, and the medicine serves not only as a guide but as a testament to what it means to truly show up for oneself and each other. Creating lasting connections that go beyond a single ceremony or season. To anyone considering the path of plant medicine, I invite you to reflect deeply on not only what you are seeking but also where and with whom you choose to embark on this journey.

Remember, the spirit of the plant and the spirit of the community are intertwined, and it is within the safety of this union that the most beautiful, transformative experiences can unfold.

This commitment to safe, aligned spaces ensures that openness becomes a tool for expansion, not retreat, and that we are supported as we courageously step into a journey of profound connection, not just with the medicine, but with ourselves and each other. You will always get what you need from the medicine and the field, but is your humanness and experiences truly held and supported?

One of the reasons I am being called back to my role as a therapist with a foundation in Mindfulness and Transpersonal Psychology. I truly believe I had the experiences of triggers, retraumatization, not being able to recognize what was happening or ask for support.

So I could work with the energy and experiences form the inside out. I’m here if you need to process or integrate what arises in any big life transition, or if retraumatization occurs working with therapy, plant medicine or other healing experiences know there is support. It is ok to reach out to unpack what has transpired and is coming up. I do not facilitate plant medicine but I do offer plant medicine facilitated by beautiful pracittioners at my gatherings and in private work.

To work with me please book an ‘Exchange Session’ or connect with me to see the best path to take and see if our goals and this work aligns with your path.