Change. Transformation. Healing. Those are some of the reasons that people come to plant medicines and begin a spiritual journey. Sometimes it is motivated by curiosity. At other times it is motivated by pain, need or desperation. I personally think that it is in our very human nature to change. Growth is built into the fabric of our being since we begin learning in the womb.
Whatever our motivation for ending up on the plant medicine path, we are sometimes unprepared for the process of change. Where we often get stuck is in the integration stage. What do we do with what we discovered? “Did I just completely dissolve as a human being into being one with Source and all things? Now what do I do with that? Did I see another world altogether or were those entities that spoke to me even real? How does this fit with my religious background? Now that I can see clearly the root of my pain and smile about it, how do I make sure that the euphoria doesn’t fade away and pull me back into the same emotional pattern?”
Plant medicine sacraments can align us on multiple levels and lead to wholeness. Sometimes the simple activity of the medicine to quiet the brain’s default mode network, the area of the brain that it is theorized to give us a sense of self identification, is enough to align us to wholeness. The sacrament works with the neuro-plasticity of the brain and leads to neurological communication and connections that reframe our past. In some instances it can also give us a view of ourselves that almost immediately shifts us into a place of mental or emotional health. In this case, in rare instances, it is a very passive change.
In other experiences the door is opened for understanding that serves as an invitation for involvement in the process. For instance we might discover the source of our emotional pain, but not yet know how to process it. Integration here is vital.
What one researcher is discovering is that entheogens open up critical windows for change. The mind-body connection biologically creates certain windows of time where, for instance, learning a language is easier as a child. Once that window has passed we can still learn a language but it is actually with a different part of the brain and with different processes. So the holy grail is to find a way to re-open critical windows for change. There is emerging evidence that entheogens are able to do that. So we need to be conscientious about the fact that we are given a gift of time where we are susceptible to change through the use of entheogens and that means making sure we don’t waste the opportunity. That means we can be intentional about preparation, set and setting, and integration.
For our purposes here, I simply want to point the reader to various resources for healing and integration in their lives. I don’t mean just integrating an experience, which is important, but incorporating balance and harmony into this human experience in general, too. In other words, what are we going to “do” with what we discover? How will we continue to “be” that new person? Are we going to move from experience to experience hoping that an accumulation of unincorporated experiences will magically change us, or will we have intention in participating in the process?
I was helping my son-in-law recently with some plumbing work on a rental house and because we had the right tools for the job it saved us hours of frustration and time! Tools are just that. They give us healthy shortcuts to get the job of healing and wholeness done safely and much quicker. There are so many amazing tools out there and so I wanted to give the reader a resource to help find what works to support the process.
A person may give me a book and tell me it was the most amazing book they have ever read, then I start reading it and can’t get past the second chapter. A year later I might pick up that book and find that it is riveting! Why? Timing. I wasn’t ready for it at that time. It is the same with the tools below. You may find one is great for a while and then transition to another one. So here are some resources for integration and transformation that may be helpful for you:
- Meditation and Energetic Quantum Healing (books/meditations by Dr. Joe Dispenza). Dr. Joe began a journey of understanding the mind-body connection after he healed himself of a broken back in which doctors said he would never walk again. Through understanding ancient practices of meditation, the sciences of epigenetics and quantum physics plus being armed with expertise in human anatomy, Dr. Joe trains people to change their physical bodies, restore health, manifest desires and enter into a “supernatural” lifestyle. Thousands of documented healings have accumulated out of incurable diseases. You will learn how to bring harmony to the whole person through his work. His meditations include visualization, quantum state access, feeling the end result and kundalini energy. He also teaches how to embody those states in his walking meditations.
- The Work (Inquiry by Byron Katie.) Byron found herself sleeping on the floor at a recovery center because she didn’t even feel worthy of being in a bed. She woke up and saw a roach crawling past, and in that moment in the oddest of places, she had an enlightenment experience that transformed her life spontaneously. She realized her oneness with all and eventually started helping others deal with their problems with a very simple process of asking a series of questions that proved to relieve inner stress and lead some to their own awakening in the process. I have her questions saved on my phone because they are such valuable tools. We question our thoughts by the following:
Is it True,
Are you sure it is true?
What am I like when I believe these thoughts?
Who would I be without that belief/thought?
Turn it around.
Ignoring thoughts may just keep them looping, but to question them empties them of their negative emotional power.
- Letting go/Releasing (Lester Levinson/The Sedona Method/Hale Dwoskin). Lester Levinson, was sent home to die by his doctors with so many sicknesses and diseases in his body that there was no hope. As he confronted his own mortality he realized that all the problems in his life were not caused by the world “out there” but by his own feelings. He also realized that fighting against his emotions/feelings was the thing that ruined his health. As he searched within, taking responsibility for his inner life and as he let go of everything holding him back, he was surprised to find that every sickness and disease in his body vanished. He lived another 40 years with emotional peace and teaching others the principles of letting go.
Choose to let go of the unwanted feeling.
Welcome the feeling, to allow the emotion just to be.
Dive into the very core of the emotion.
Dissolving the opposing polarities we all carry.
Seeing through the feeling to the effortless Awareness that is right behind it.
- Somatic Therapy. Many animals can “shake off” excess energy in the body that arises from trauma. Often humans tend to store that energy in the body resulting in physical and mental health issues because the body is energetically out of alignment because it feels like the problem has never left us. This kind of energy work is led by a skilled practitioner who helps the client explore the physical sensations of the body, and discuss the problem in a way that helps ground them which also teaches them to release trapped emotional energy instead of compounding it by suppression
- Pure Non-Duality. This is less a tool and more an experience or frame of reference which also deals with our suffering. Some in the plant sacrament community mistakenly think “ego death” is a goal, but the only time the ego dies is when our physical body dies. Instead, enlightenment is a shift in perspective to a sense of knowing all is One. For some this is instantaneous and permanent, and for others it is a process. There are extreme forms non-duality that portray “Maya” aka, the illusion of reality, in a way that makes it practically dysfunctional and disconnected, but if one understands that the world is real, just not in the way we have traditionally understood it then non-duality offers a very powerful perspective on our experiences. Recently Rhonda Byrne, the author of The Secret, had an enlightenment experience and wrote a fantastic book called The Greatest Secret, that I highly recommend (especially the audio version). In addition the book Being Aware of Being Aware and videos by Rupert Spira are priceless and very clear.
The enlightenment/non-dual experience is knowing “I am” the Universal Consciousness within which all things exist.
The resulting understanding creates an awareness that this experience of life is similar to a dream in its ultimate nature therefore dissolving problems into their proper ultimate frame of reference.
Another result is losing the fear of death because we know the true Self was not born and therefore does not die.
- Become the Dispassionate Observer. This technique is what started my journey into deeper self-knowledge. I “randomly” chose to read a book called Present Moment Awareness by Shannon Duncan which shifted my vantage point of the self. Of course I loved The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. The simple act of being present as the non-judging observer of your thoughts, body and life is powerfully transforming if habituated. This is also the first stage in the “enlightenment” process. It gives a healthy distance from problems instead of a reactionary stance toward them. When we find our “center” we can:
view thoughts as passing invisible wisps;
question them (Byron Katie Method);
realize we are not our thoughts, and rest into who we really are;
observe our bodies/sickness/pain as forms of energy to be transformed
- Dietary Changes Can Result in Mental and Emotional Clarity
Many traditional entheogenic groups teach the importance of a certain kind of diet before partaking in an experience for both health and spiritual reasons.
Fasting has both physical and spiritual benefits.
Gut health is becoming a very important part of the conversation about how we feel, as studies are showing that the gut “brain” biome plays a role in mental health.
- Who and what will be in your circle of influence?
Modeling/Imprinting is the idea that the human brain gets impacted by human relationships in the same way a baby bird is imprinted that the big bird is mama. Who we allow ourselves to bond with and the bonds we break are important to our overall health and well-being.
Pay attention to the impact of other people’s example or message to us and about us.
We are changed by how our parents’ embodied a message of love or how they invoked fear. As we heal we may want a family systems understanding to help discover our limitations and integrate into a new way of seeing.
The impact of beauty and nature on the soul is incalculable.
The Church of The Sacred Synthesis offers a supportive community for your journey.
- Breath work, Yoga, Massage, Nature Walks, etc are all helpful tools as well.
Any activities that ground you, or help you feel at home in your body, or facilitate your connection with nature are helpful. There is really no end to the list here. These are just a few. What tools resonate with you?
Ultimately I encourage you to remember these things:
How do you process ideas/truths? Not everyone approaches the discovery or integration of life-giving truths the same way. Some start with research gathering facts and information/research. Others start with the feelings as they are arising in the body. Some process truths by trusting authority figures while some want the experience first then the change of belief. Know your starting place to help your journey.
Take advantage of the resources available at The Church of The Sacred Synthesis. We have monthly integration meetings, and those can be found on our Member Services Calendar.
Real lasting change integrates eventually at all levels, body, mind, spirit. That is energetically in the body, beliefs in the mind and a deeper sense of Self. If you are not making progress it could be that the focus has become too narrow on just one.
I love the message. You are such an enchanting inspiring speaker, Dr. Chuck. I admire you more than I can say for having the awareness to accept truth, your truth, and move past the dogma and fear interwoven throughout Christianity. I will only say that guilt attached to what I believed, what people I loved were trying to force me to believe, almost killed me; my spirit, my body, my life here. I’m talking about decades.
And, perhaps that’s exactly what I needed to find another path, to realize the truth is inside myself. I am the truth without denial. Isn’t that amazing?
I really appreciated the service Sunday, as well as the previous service about DOGMA and how damaging those imprints can be for some. You apologized for the church, and that brought tears to my eyes. I needed that so much, and I had no idea. Thank you for your service.
You are the message, the “I am” evolving, expanding…along w/everyone I’ve been privileged to see on these productions.