Psychedelics aren't enough...

Here’s a controversial statement from a psychedelic integration coach. 

I don’t think taking psychedelics is enough. 

Are they transformative? Absolutely. 

Are they the only way to change your life? Not even close. 

They’re accelerators. They can give you access to realms, frequencies, information, dimensions that take a looooong time to access otherwise.

The problem is… access itself it’s not enough.

What we do with that access is more important.

Let me tell you a story about my first access experience.

I was 16, at a Rush concert. We had all dropped acid, I was having an amazing time. There was a Renaissance Fair next to the concert venue - which made everything a little more surreal, and only got funnier as the day went on. Have you ever seen a knight in armor huffing a nitrous balloon?

During the second set, I had a moment of realization (I’ll spare you the esoteric details but it was connecting the lyrics to the imagery being projected on stage).

Anyway, something clicked and all of a sudden I was blasted into a different dimension.

I knew everything - I literally had access to all kinds of crazy knowledge. I guess I would call it being connected to the Akashic Records (although I didn’t have that context at 16).

But one of the things that was painfully clear, was that I lacked the capacity to hold the experience - and I wouldn’t be able to stay long.

It was like the elevator doors had opened on the wrong floor and I was too amazed to do anything but stare as the doors closed.

That metaphor seemed appropriate because one thing that was really clear in that moment was the reasons why yogis have to meditate for years and years to get to these higher dimensions (and this was years before I discovered meditation or knew what that actually meant).

So I had this taste, this glimpse, and then bam, I was back at the concert.

And that’s it. That’s all I remember besides for knights huffing balloons and an amazing drum solo.

That moment has stuck with me in small ways (maybe it’s why I’m so diligent now with meditation) but it’s hard to say how that moment, as cool as it was, transformed me.

And this is why I say that plant medicine isn’t enough, because if it was, experiences like that would be rapidly pushing people like me towards ascension, without any other work or effort.

But I’ve been in a lot of integration circles with people who feel confused about why things didn’t change even after another ceremony.

Frustrated because they feel like they haven’t made any progress, talking about the old habits and behavior that reemerged as the afterglow faded.

And this was me as well, for a time. I felt that frustration (well I still do sometimes). But I’m not confused anymore - because I understand that access and experience aren’t enough. When I accelerate my growth through psychedelics I need to make changes that support the acceleration.

So you had an awakening.

Now what?

You went into a higher dimension, talked to elves and angels, maybe even the spirit of the plants. They probably gave you some messages.

What's next?

Because you’ve still got to come back here.

You've still got to chop wood and carry water. You've still got to go back to work.

How do you carry the bliss and downloads and visions you received in ceremony into the rest of your life? How do you make sure that these experiences don’t fade? How do you work with the places that psychedelics have accelerated you into?

When I first started this current chapter of transformation, these were all questions I was asking myself. I wanted to figure out how to use these medicines to really change - to do something different than all my recreational experiences.

I was at least 50 pounds heavier, compulsively consumed sugar and alcohol, and smoked pot every day.

I was also in a broken marriage, had a dysfunctional relationship with my best friend and was carrying a lot of somatic armor to help me cope with a bunch of dysregulation in my nervous system that I wasn't ready to deal with.

Saying there was a lot to figure out was an understatement.

And there's still work to be done - it's a journey, a process of alchemy. Despite multiple journeys, visions and enlightenment experiences that make that first one seem pretty tame.

And I have changed a lot about who I was and what I was carrying. My health is much better, I don’t rely on alcohol or cannabis to help me cope. I’ve developed other resources that support my health and well-being.

What’s helped me develop these resources is creating a daily practice that supports the higher visions that I receive in ceremony.

A practice that supports me in doing the work to become the best version of myself.

Having a daily practice is one of the keys to personal transformation.

Not only is it key for integration, it’s one of the best ways to prepare for more work. And it helps you to handle the shit that comes up as you are changing, because this is your journey, your alchemy - not a static destination .

This daily practice looks different for everyone, there’s no one size fits all solution. But there are common areas that need to be addressed, and suggestions that have worked for me and for my clients that can help you as well.

I can teach you about this process of creating a daily practice in my workshops.

Because access alone isn’t enough.

Hope to see you there. And if this resonated, I'd love to chat about helping you set up a daily practice that helps you integrate and expand on the experience you've had.

With blessings,

Jonathan