Magic Mushrooms And The Power of Letting Go
Alex reached out to join us for a retreat. He had tried antidepressants for over a decade without too much luck. Seemed as if he was somehow just slightly numbing the manifestations of a trauma but without actually processing the trauma itself. His wife had ended her life suddenly, and this left a deep mark inside him following depression and a dark pessimistic internal tone of voice. He also had to raise their kids alone which was quite admirable.
On the first day he arrived to the mushroom retreat in mexico he seemed to have little hope, he said not to worry too much about him, that we were very kind but that we need not worry as he had tried everything to relief the depression but rather had not succeeded. I am much of the belief that when there is a will there is a way, and when someone focuses all of his intentions and efforts to achieve something, ends up achieving it at some point.
The Journey
It seemed quite a challenging case to hear about this man whom after ten years on medications and therapists had not been able to process yet the trauma of loosing his life partner. Seldom I hear about a case where I feel a little doubt if we will be able to achieve a remission, this was one of them. I only know that we always try our very best to help everyone, and I personally go any extra mile to get there. So the journey started with our first two sessions being somewhat too light to achieve the drastic results we were seeking; there are now many studies showing that antidepressants can make the brain receptors a little numb or unresponsive to the psychedelic medicine, on the other end we must care to prevent serotonin syndrome, hence it can be a little tricky to estimate resistance on an individual basis and get just the right dose in a five day period, yet so far we have done it for every participant, and so this was the case too. It is important to remain calm on your sessions and trust the process, yet always communicate your process with your facilitators so they can adjust your dosage accordingly. So when we reached the right dose for Alex we just saw him relax and cuddle with the pillows, with his headphones and a little playlist he made and asked to listen privately.
The Result
After the ceremony was finished our facilitator Sadi asked for everyone to share anything they wished with the group. When it was his turn to speak he said “I am happy to share that I accomplished what I came here for”, and it was a moment when I got literally goosebumps on my skin and a deep joy for him to have found peace. It was a couple of weeks after the retreat that he was texting me asking for a call to give me some feedback about the retreat, but also about his experience. He said that he was at first seeing snakes, which was a phobia that he had, but there was the presence of a powerful deer, in which he felt his wife spirit. The deer was keeping all the snakes at bay, he said. He then had a long conversation with the deer in what seemed to be a closing conversation that he missed to have, about life and the kids, among other personal things. It seems that this closing conversation was more powerful than a decade of medications and therapists.
Some people achieve a permanent remission, though in some cases people achieve a 4 – 11 month remission of anxiety/depression without any medications. If you are currently taking any antidepressants or medications that affect serotonin consult your doctor about the possibility to wean off at least three weeks before a psychedelic treatment or retreat, to make the best out of it. Feel free to join us for our Mushroom Retreat in Mexico, it has been considered one of the best mushroom retreats in the world.
