Patterns of Healing & Potential for Trauma within the Plant Medicine Experience

 

Part 3 of a 4 part conversation on plant medicine.
Questions presented are in bold italics.

 

 

Mark — I certainly don’t see plant medicines as harmful necessarily.  Obviously Ayurveda is based a lot on the medicinal value of plants.  It’s just that in this context, plant medicines are used to create more balance in physiology which is a separate thing to promoting transcending/contacting the divine.  

 

Bruce — Yes I see what you’re saying. Yet other perspectives see the two aspects of physiology and transcendence as inexorably linked. People drink a tea called Ayahuasca, but in reality are consuming a combination of Aya & Add plant (Often Acacia in Australia). Aya as the teacher, healer and purger contributes both spiritual and physical aspects to the experience. The Add plant providing DMT, the spiritual gateway. So from the ground up, the framework for how the ayahuasca experience operates is geared as a unison of compliments, often if not always healing the physical whilst expanding the spiritual. In my experience they’re both interwoven, and in context of the medicine journey always harmonised where one supports the other.

It might be worth touching on the nature of our evolving relationship to our physicality on the spiritual path. Specifically, I notice at times I perceive life through the lens of the old spiritual paradigm – a collection of beliefs (rules) whereby transcendence is understood to be a process of elevating to spirit whilst unknowingly minimising the body. This fosters beliefs that spiritual ascendence necessitates vacating the body en route to more perceivably valuable ‘external’ realms not accessible within the confines of form. Inevitably there’s a subtle invalidation of our physicality as if it presents a restriction to expansion, the body somehow less important to the formless aspects of divinity, let alone acknowledging the body as a fundamental aspect of divinity.

The new spiritual paradigm invites us to embrace our physical and spiritual aspects equally. To explore with curiosity how our greatest spiritual expansion occurs as we intentionally bring the limitless radiance of divinity into our finite physicality. The body experienced as the mechanism within and through which our spiritual expansion and connection to heavenly dimensions is facilitated. Our perception opens to acknowledge the perfection of form, and presence of the highest divinity in each of our physical parts, equal to aspects of the formless.

Whatever the collective agreement in place for previous generations, such beliefs don’t feel in alignment with the paths of greater expansion now a days. Harmony with all our parts (including body and indeed shadow) is essential. I don’t feel the physical aspect can be easily compartmentalised as independent to the spiritual in regard to the evolution of our consciousness towards greater connection with the divine. One won’t abide without the other at an appropriate and equal frequency.

Common examples of this unified approach to healing occur with psychic surgery in its various forms. Ie energetic non invasive healing procedures. In my case often received as a mechanism which up-levels capacity of the body to facilitate greater flow of subtle higher frequency energies. I see this process as a tangible physical upgrade which then facilitates greater capacity to flow with and process increased frequencies of light. The net effect is often times recognised as an upgrade through the acknowledgement of matured emotional states etc. That which wasn’t possible before, now occurs free of effort. One manifestation of this healing I’m familiar with, as similarly experienced by many others, feels like a cosmic laser treatment of sorts. Mid journey I’d receive instructions to lie down and be still. Then feel lasers repeatedly fire into my body in a systematic grid like fashion working from toe to head. (Think in terms of energetic lines within subtle domains of body, much like, or maybe within the chakra system – or energetic lines acupuncture uses. So much healing seems to be tied in to the allowance of flow of subtle energies through the body.) This type of healing is infinitely varied, this but one example. I’m not sure of details, been so long since, but my experience is that such processes are often done in communion with the presence of other beings which may assume some degree of physically descriptive form. The nature of the form or how such a being presents is unimportant. Its the energetic resonance of the consciousness within the form which is well worthy of attention. Certainly in my experience given the wisdom of hindsight and further inquiry into such arenas in and out of the medicine sphere, ive come to understand such intersections of alien species (ie foreign consciousnesses not of planet earth) with humans in journey are far from an empty hallucination, but the manifest expression of cosmic love gifted from one species to another. Interestingly I’ve since contacted alien species outside of journey and felt the same benevolence and devotion to human betterment.

The concept of psychic surgery is now common to me human to human too, in the context of intentional energetic density (pain body) removal as a variation to physical up-levelling as experienced during Aya journeys. The Cacao shaman in Guatemala routinely dedicates time to the experiential teaching / training of this modality given his understanding this presents the future of medicine on earth.

 

Notes on Aya as a physical healing modality.

Aya will commonly address physical imbalance or illness through facilitating shifts of perspective and emotional state. It makes sense right because physical imbalance is always emotional at its core. Hence what appears physical is actually an energetic imbalance. I had amalgams out in 2013. Was advised I needed to go on a naturopathic cleans following. I chose to sit an Aya journey directly following the procedure rather than standard cleans protocol such was my connection with Ayahausca at the time. Naturally this wasn’t the dentists preference.

People commonly sit with Aya for the sole reason of resolving chronic physical health issues, for some to heal digestive challenges, chronic disease… you name it. Does it always work – far from it from what I’ve seen. It’s only a facilitator for what is in alignment with the greater good, the human journey still needs to play out what it needs to play out irrespective of our wants and desires. Worth noting, depending on the condition, there are numerous specific plants which tailor to specific physical ailments which people diet with. Unexpected side note after 2-3 months of sitting with Aya, extensive food allergies largely gone (still gone) for myself and Willow.

 

The other point which is what i think you’re saying is that medicines are very much ‘dose dependent’. I.e. even a healthy/perfect medicine can be harmful in the wrong dose/too intense etc … 

 

Yes

 

Totally get your points re; Maharishi & agree – those who talk to the ‘masses’ often have completely diff advice to one individual at a certain point in their evolution. Everything can be a medicine etc. 
I get your point about these being real (not artificial) experiences, but there is still in my mind the point that Maharishi (who was not just an enlightened being like other enlightened folk, but one who can actually ‘cognise’ the very laws of nature/life and thus ‘know’ by direct experience what happens to the human mind and body through various activities) was so strong on people not doing TM within 14 days of taking such ‘drugs’. 

 

Hmm interesting. I’d be interested to see what he said more fully on the topic, is it publicly available? At any rate that makes perfect sense. I would feel the residue of medicine inside my body very tangibly for a week following journey.

 

Obviously, he said people can do whatever they like, including taking hallucinogenic drugs once they’ve finished the TM course but obviously at least in the short term, there must be some impairment of the nervous system from using them.  

 

Is it an impairment or an adjustment of the nervous system? If you find out let me know. Feels to me there might be a subtle bias here. Impairment suggests a reduced or somewhat debilitated state. I’d suggest it’s probably the nervous system is temporarily wired / optimised differently by the plant, In order to facilitate a specific temporary state which has different requirements to the non journey state and indeed the optimum state required for learning TM. Much as driver of a race car will select wet weather tyres when its raining, and when the track dries, will revert back to slicks. Neither tyre is inherently better, rather each has a specific use case which makes its particular nature preferable during specific circumstance.

Note: Matt is very clear that no one goes near any plant medicine before seeing him, during retreat etc.

 

You said initially “the I only thing I have splendid clarity over re hallucinogenic medicine is that it doesnt work for me:)” – but most of what you’ve written indicates you’ve had great insights & growth / positive experience ….

 

Thanks. Yes, that’s true, it’s been a gift for sure. However whatever maturity ive embraced has largely come to fruition post journey, and whilst it seems like it may indeed be a function of destiny, I credit interaction with my human teachers for my current state of clarity, not the plant medicines themselves. I know people who would comment similarly, except in favour of the plant being their primary teacher, and some who’d sit in the middle.

 

So why do you say it doesn’t work for you?

 

I respond best to the gentle impulse. Anything more causes a degree of contraction and hence shut down. Again, as I see it the shut down is a function of conditioning not the medicine, which is in this light neutral. Medicine illuminates only what the journier’s broader intention sets as the playing field to be experienced. Is the gun at fault for hurting someone or is the person who wields it responsible?

 

‘I sometimes ponder did the benefits of plant medicine outweigh the trauma experienced?” & “The balance of this is the trauma and shut down of the nervous system the medicine journey initiates which can be very real. However, there are two sides here and it’s difficult to pronounce for anyone else where they’ll fall.” This implies that for you at least there was trauma from using the plant medicine & therefore there is some downside that needs to be balanced with the positive side?

 

Yes.

Trauma, because I pushed too hard. Wanted to heal everything I perceived was wrong, get to an external future state free of fault. rejecting significant parts of myself as less-than and wrong. And… again the nature of the journey is to amplify human conditioning so we can see it more clearly. So a considerable part my journeys often included a magnification of my self hate.

Yes, and as I reflect in this moment, more downside than upside. There are some portions of the journeys which I still can’t revisit without excessive terror surfacing. Other parts that simply confuse and unground me. If I’d known there was another path, I’d never have gone there. I only went there because it seemed like the only thing that had the punch to break through, and I was desperate. Current wisdom says the expansion would have happened anyway when the time was right.

The last couple years ive had 2 friends enquire about sitting with Aya. Eddy I let know I was concerned he’d experience trauma. He brushed that aside, seemed only interested in the potential expansion. My guess is he’d be fine. Dont know if he ended up sitting. Then Peter my neighbour. Willow and I were genuinely concerned it was a potentially bad idea for him. Allot of unprocessed pain, very sensitive guy. Don’t know if he chose to proceed. Guess he didn’t cause I never heard about the intolerable nightmare which wouldn’t end despite the begging for release. Mind you can never tell what the journey will deliver.

 

Also, some level of risk, as one wouldn’t know going in if the plant was too powerful for them or their fractured ego self would be traumatised yes? (So potential benefits yes, but also potential negative side-effects yes?)

 

Yes that’s right. Some plants just too much for (most?) people.
To clarify my current view, and I realise im contradicting what I said earlier: In my experience (which directly opposes what some others feel about their journeys) Aya specifically doesn’t push a journey too far causing trauma. It only gives what a person can handle. Feels more accurate to say its human conditioning which is the inflammatory component which holds on, refuses to let go, thus causing trauma. Its a subtlety. But the plant medicine simply amplifies the frequency of whats internally being processed and isn’t the villain.