sacred plants

Apostol and Max talk about the Huachma which is also called San Pedro and is referred to the grandfather medicine (compared to Ayahuasca being the grandmother). Max shares his recent experience of a 2-week Huachuma retreat in Peru and Apostol shares his one-time initiatiory experience involving Huachuma and a Temazcal (swedge lodge). They extensively talk about ancestoral trauma and how to work with it using plant medicine. At the end Max shares his comparison between MDMA and Huachuma as two hear-opening medicines.

Notes:
The social meditation practice at the beginning is inspired by similar practices created by Vince Fakhoury Horn from Buddhist Geeks.

Resources
Huachuma Wasi
The Forgotten Psychedelic (documentary)

In this episode Max and Apostol talk about the healing effect and power of MDMA. Max shares his personal experience of discovering MDMA and subsequently having a very profound and powerful healing experience on it. He shares how he felt afterwards and also his experience with two other journeys. Apostol also shares his own single healing journey with MDMA that happened recently. They talk briefly about safety and dosage.

Resources:
MAPS Treatment Manual MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD
The Secret Chief Revelead - by  Myron J. Stolaroff

Max and Apostol talk about the Secular and Shamanic approach to journeying with psychedelics and sacred plant medicines for the benefit of psychospiritual healing and growth. They go into their personal experience and recommendations on how to approach these medicines. They discuss reasons and intent for working with them, research and preparation, sourcing, preparation of the mind, body and physical space and some tips on integration and working with 'bad trips'. All of this with the strong emphasis on safety and best practices.

This episode is meant as a precursor for some future elements deep-diving into different forms of psychedelics and sacred plants. We highly recommend listening to this first before listening to any of the future episodes :).

We're starting a mini-series on the Amazonian healing disciplines in today's episode. This discipline is best known for its work with sacred plants like Ayahuasca and even the sacred frog known as Kambo. Today we'll cover the three critical ingredients which made this Amazonian traditional indigenous discipline possible, along with the High Andean Q'ero healing tradition. We'll also talk a little about how healers learn in this tradition and how healers are brought into this tradition as well. 

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In today's episode, we build the foundation to understand what Ayahuasca is. We review the basics, sneak in some neuroscience from Dr. Jordi Riba and his team in Barcelona, and review the framework these Traditional Indigenous Medicines live within, including Ayahuasca, to avoid unnecessary learning curves that can slow up progress. This is part 1 of our "What is Ayahuasca?" mini-series. 

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In this episode, we talk about the sense of duty and responsibility traditional indigenous healers from Peru feel for the earth and for humanity. Their healing and teaching, like in the case of the High Andean Q'ero  Community, have been preserved to fulfill that duty and responsibility in aiding humanity into a new era.

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This episode discusses the #1 central theme in traditional indigenous healing- a strong alliance with Mother Earth. 

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Frederick Tsao from the book Dawn of an Era of Well-Being

In our quest to overcome the challenges that stand in the way of a better future—an era of “well-being” as our program frequently makes reference—we need to consider paths to spiritual betterment which help show us the way. Our guest today is Alberto Villoldo, a trained practitioner of western medicine who has also spent decades studying the shamanic healing practices of the Amazon and Andes. Dr. Villoldo will engage our hosts with a penetrating conversation investigating how shamanic traditions of South America can inform the western thought process. At the nexus of science and spirituality lies the key to our evolution as a species, and the basis of a healing process that will make true well-being accessible. This discussion delves into the evolution of the human brain and its chemistry, and how the shamanic tradition can help reinforce our connection to both nature and a higher level of consciousness.

Alberto Villoldo, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and best-selling author who has studied the shamanic healing practices of the Amazon and Andes for over 30 years. He is the founder of the Four Winds Society, and his recent books include The Heart of the Shaman: Stories and Practices of the Luminous Warrior and The Wisdom Wheel: A Mythic Journey through the Four Directions

For more information on Shamanic Energy Medicine, please visit this link to Alberto Villoldo's organization The Four Winds Society

Dr. Villoldo's latest book The Wisdom Wheel: A Mythic Journey through the Four Directions can purchased here

The Heart of the Shaman: Stories and Practices of the Luminous Warrior can be purchased here

My co-host Dr. Akilah Martin and I discovered very quickly that one Roots Watering Hole podcast episode with Dr. Claudia J. Ford would not be enough. So we bring you part 2 of our podcasts with Mama Claudia, 

Find a few links to some of the topics covered in the podcast for deeper exploration:

The therapy website mentioned  by Mama Claudia:

https://www.therapistsforblackgirls.com/blog/283377-free-therapy-for-black-women 

Good articles on helping traumatized people:

https://www.nvfc.org/what-do-you-say-to-someone-struggling-from-emotional-trauma/

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/trauma-helping-family-or-friends

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-exactly-does-ptsd-do-to-the-brain-2797210

https://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/calming-trauma

https://www.bhevolution.org/public/blind_devotion.page

Some additional links about topics Mama Claudia riffed on:

Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany Books
Ecological Imperialism
Entheogenic Plants
Grace Lee Boggs