In fourth grade, a police officer came to my class to conduct the D.A.R.E. program. I remember sitting at my desk thinking, yeah, I know drugs are bad, but I’m going to try them anyway. I never got into opioids or depressants (besides alcohol), but I was always curious about psychedelics. Even when the officer explained …

 The first time I heard about sananga was during my second ayahuasca ceremony. Sananga is another powerful plant medicine from South America. Sananga comes from the roots and bark of a shrub called Tabernaemontana undulata. It’s ground into a fine powder and extracted into a liquid, which you distribute into your eyes.  Traditionally, Amazonian tribespeople …

 About two months ago, I went to a hapé circle (pronounced “ha-peh”) and had another eye-opening experience. Hapé is sacred tobacco from South America. Shamans use it in ceremonial practices for medicinal purposes and to cleanse the body. It’s also called rapé and shamanic snuff.  I understand this Amazonian tobacco is much stronger than the …

 I had a dream in May of 2021 that instructed me to go to a “group ceremony” the week of my birthday, specifically that Sunday. I didn’t know what type of ceremony, and I wasn’t planning on retaking ayahuasca anytime soon. Two months later, I had reiki done by the same woman who introduced me …

 I was way more nervous about my second ayahuasca trip than I’d been for my first one. My sister said it was because I knew what to expect this time. But I knew it couldn’t be as harsh as the first time because I’d gotten the worst out of the way… right? So why did …

 I packed about six pairs of underwear for a weekend trip. I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was what I saw on a show called Drug Inc., and I was ready to purge! I felt I’d done all the healing I could do on my own and needed some assistance with the next layer. …