PLANT MEDICINE
For centuries, plant medicine has been used in shamanic ceremonies for physical and spiritual healing and as a way to directly connect with a higher source and more of yourself.
In recent years, scientists have released research proving the positive spiritual and emotional impacts of ingesting plant medicine. Most notably, research has found that plant medicine:
- Increases Clarity, Spiritual connection
- Aids in healing
- Aids in treating addiction
- Aids in relieving depression
- Enhances creativity and imagination
- Creates ease in addressing the pain of past traumas.
- Helps with anxiety
- Decreases Suffering
- Decreases or Relieves Depression
- Unlocks creative blocks
- Decreases or Relieves Ptsd
- Decreases or Relieves Sleeplessness
- Decreases or Relieves Alcoholism
- Decreases pain from some auto immune diseases
The sacred healing power of plant medicine will expose truths, connect you to the astral plane and open your mind to different perspectives.
INTEGRATION
- Helps make sense of the powerful ceremony experiences and puts them into their proper place
- Takes the lessons and insights of the medicines and implements them into everyday life
- Clarifies what you seek to heal or grow in your life
- Gain skills for staying connected to your truth
- Nurtures your connection to your soul and to the medicine
- Focus on working through areas of life that need love, attention and clarity
- Gain a holistic view for beginning to change old thought patterns, programming, conditioning and belief systems that no longer serve; works to break down limiting beliefs
- Create a plan to make necessary life changes that bring peace, wellness, abundance and support for your highest truth
- Learn how to share your experiences
- Emotional support following ceremony
- Resources for further learning
FACILITATORS
In plant medicine ceremonies, facilitators are responsible for ensuring the physical, spiritual, and emotional safety of all participants.
They create what’s called a ‘safe space’ they hold space for participants as they break open participants think about their intention or goal for the ceremony, assist during the ceremony as needed, and help participants integrate the lessons learned during the psychedelic experience into their everyday lives.
Great Plant medicine facilitators provide what is called “Psychedelic therapy” or “White-Coat Shamanism.”
RAPEH
Before we start our full ceremony we do whats known as a Rapeh ceremony.
Rapé or Rapeh is a natural tobacco that helps to eliminate entities, energy parasites, contamination and interference in internal dialogue. After receiving Rapeh’s entrega, the medicine goes up cleaning, ordering and aligning our energy field, especially the centers or chakras of the third eye and crown, and then up and down the spine, the Tree of Life.
It is also a medicine for the body, which helps to expel mucus and parasites from the frontal and paranasal sinuses. It eliminates headaches, mental confusion and dizziness, as it decompresses the pressure of the skull.
A Rapeh ceremony in a medical circle helps to synchronize and align the attention and perception of participants in moments of opening or transition in the ritual.
It is also a medicine for the vision of the spirit, helping us to free the mind and stop the inner dialogue, to be truly present so that we can see beyond our mental interpretations.
To take the Rapeh in the traditional way you need two people. Your ritual partner uses a bamboo or bone pipe (called “Tepi” in Brazil) to blow the mixture into your nostrils. There is another type of pipe called “Kuripe” that is used for self application. The Kuripe is V-shaped and connects the mouth to the nose, so you can blow your own medicine.
How is it Administered
The Rapeh is blown with a pipe in each nostril, balancing the two hemispheres of the brain, our feminine and masculine side, yin and yang. To receive the medicine we must be receptive, calm and hold our breath.
The closure of the glottis prevents the powder from falling down the throat and the bronchus. The Western practice of inhaling tobacco is a distortion of the original scheme of this type of medicine. When inhaled, tobacco does not reach the frontal cavities or sinuses and penetrates the lower respiratory tract causing irritation. In this way it does not fulfil its essential purpose of cleaning up the mind and upper canals.
The entrega of the Rapeh (i.e. the act of receiving the blow in each nostril) helps us to heal from individualism and reminds us that we need each other, that some medicines are taken by ourselves and others are received by the hands of a brother or sister.
Those who blow the Rapeh must be centered and empty, moving from its energy center, not to put anything of themselves and simply to be a channel, knowing that the work is done by the ancestors, by the spirit of the plant. In this way, those who receive the blow can let themselves go to medicine, put themselves in its hands as their ancestors have put themselves in ours.
The use of Rapeh produces a strong stimulation of the mucous membranes, which can be experienced as a hard internal hit. This intense hit opens the mind, allowing the stated intentions to do their job. The Rapeh helps the person to free himself from emotional, physical and mental diseases. It frees the person from negative energy and confusion.
Healers of the Amazon rainforest use Rapeh to balance their energy and connect with their higher self and universe. The ritual of the Rapeh is also considered a form of purification and detoxification of the body. Tobacco dissolves the mucus and eliminates bacteria, thus helping to combat inflammation and various diseases.
BENEFITS OF RAPEH
- Helps focus and sharpen the mind.
- Clears a person or space of distracting, bad energies in preparation for intention setting.
- Detoxes both body and mind and clears your energetic field. Because of this, rapé is often used in conjunction with ayahuasca ceremonies.
- Clears sinuses of mucus and bacteria, thereby helping to combat colds and respiratory ailments.
- Provides a calming, grounding effect on the emotions that lasts much longer that the initial sensation.
- Can be used in conjunction with other treatments for addiction and mental illness.
PLANT MEDICINE FAQ
Absolutely!
Our facilitators are responsible for ensuring the physical, spiritual and emotional safety of all participants.
We provide a safe physical, spiritual environment. We are here to help guide participants and assist during the ceremony as needed. The following day we also do an integration to help you ‘integrate the ceremony, and how to continue along your path to keep doing the work.
Drugs are commonly used to numb pain and help users to escape. During this ceremony Plant Medicine will be administered in a safe space, with intention and guidance to help see, uncover and release whatever is needed at that time.
The plant medicine Psilocybin typically takes 10- 30 minutes to kick in.
The immediate effects of the plant medicine typically last 4-6 hours.
Nausea is a possible side effect of ingesting plant medicine. However, it typically lasts for a short period of time (average reports of up to 30 minutes.)
No! Several studies have shown that generally people who use mushrooms don’t develop typical patterns of addiction.
Most likely, yes. The plant medicine can induce hallucinations, however, our facilitators will be present to guide and protect you through any difficulty.
The plant medicine is more effective when ingested on an empty stomach because food absorbs the mushrooms.
Yes, recent studies have shown plant medicine can actually aid in decreasing anxiety.
But if you get anxious our facilitators are trained to guide you thru it.
According to ongoing research conducted by NeonMind, yes.
Bioscientists have found “that psilocybin activates the 5-HT2C receptor, which is a validated target for weight loss by the FDA; stimulation of these receptors will often lead to patients eating less and feeling fuller.”
You can find more information on their studies here
Integration is a process of assessment and reflection of the journey experienced with plant medicine. This is the most powerful part of the experience as it allows us to apply lessons and insights gained to one’s everyday life. Integration is the real work necessary for transformation.
There are infinite sources on the internet. Please google Healing with Psilocybin or Magic Mushrooms.
A good source is Mushroomreferences.com is a good source for scientific references.
Participation in any psychedelic ceremonies should be avoided if the following is applicable:
-A history with a psychotic disorders (characterized by hallucinations, delusions, manic or erratic behavior)
-Epilepy or seizure disorders
-A history of heart attacks or a heart related illness
-Inability to be off prescription or recreational drugs and alcohol for 1 day
If you have any questions please contact us.
- NoTricyclic antidepressants or lithium, SSRIs, haloperidol, or MAOIs (some of these increase psychedelic effects, some of them reduce effects).
- No 5-HTP, St John’s Wort or any other supplements that “as it may affect serotonergic function”
- Noe cannabis or dronabinol for at least 24 h before a session.
- No Ritonavir/Indinavir
Tricyclic antidepressants include:
- Amitriptyline
- Anafranil
- Asendin
- Aventyl
- Elavil
- Endep
- Norfranil
- Norpramin
- Pamelor
- Sinequan
- Surmontil
- Tipramine
- Tofranil
- Vivactil.
Taking psyilocybin while on an MAOI can dramatically increase the effects of the experience.
MAOIs are most commonly found in the prescription anti-depressants:
- Nardil (phenelzine
- Parnate (tranylcypromine)
- Marplan (isocarboxazid)
- Eldepryl (l-deprenyl)
- Aurorex or Manerix (moclobemide).
Check with your doctor if you are not sure whether your prescription medication is an MAOI.
SSRIs are not reported to cause a dangerous interaction, though they are reported to substantially decrease the effects of psilocybin.
Research recommends against using cannabis or marijuana with psilocybin.
There are some other medications which may interfere with psilocybin:
- anti-convulsants or anti-epileptic medications such as
Neurontin(gabapentin) and Topamax(topiramate). The exact mechanism by
which topiramate works, for example, is still unknown, so it is
impossible to even guess whether or not it will interfere with
psilocybin. - medications which are either synthetic analogs of certain
hormones or which regulate hormone production: Prednisone and
Synthroid, for example. There is no direct evidence to suggest that
these drugs will interact with psilocybin, but hormones have a very
complex and inter-related effect on numerous body systems. We have
seen a few reports suggesting that thyroid levels play a part in
cluster headaches - * tranquilizers and mood-altering medications such as Xanax,
Valium, Prozac and Wellbutrin. - Ondansetron (Zofran) and Compazine(prochlorperazine)
- Imitrex (and associated triptans):
In relation to migraine headaches based upon many reports, triptans are one of the most likely
medications to block the clusterbusting effects of psychedelics. In our opinion, they should be avoided both before, during and after,
beginning psychedelic treatments for cluster headaches.
- sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Imigran®) injections
- sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Imigran®) tablets
- zolmitriptan (Zomig®) tablets
- sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Imigran®) nasal spray
- naratriptan (Amerge®, Naramig®) tablets
- rizatriptan (Maxalt®) tablets and rizatriptan orally dissolvable
(Maxalt-MLT®) tablets - zolmitriptan orally dissolvable (Zomig-ZMT®) tablets
- almotriptan (Axert®) tablets
- frovatriptan (Frova®) tablets
- eletriptan (Relpax®) tablets
Our plant medicine ceremonies are Powerful for those in search of
- Inner Transformation and Growth
- Deepening your relationship with yourself, others and the earth on a multi dimensional level.
- Connecting with your inner child and remembering who you are
- Healing
- A boost in creativity
- Expansion of clarity
- a space to release or connect to repressed emotions
Our ceremonies may not be suitable if:
- You are in a very dangerous emotional or psychological state
- You have a diagnosed psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar, clinical depression or a personality disorder
- You are currently on psychiatric medication
- You have a personal or family history of psychosis
- You are dealing with serious addiction or have lethal substance abuse issues
- You are contemplating suicide or suicidal ideation
- You are Pregnant
Additional Resources
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/11/health/psilocybin-brain-changes-life-itself-wellness-scn/index.html