Book Appointments by Calling
Mental health is important at every stage of our lives. It includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and impacts how we think, feel, and act. When we have good mental health, we can handle stress better, have better interpersonal relationships, and make healthier choices. Yet today, we are at a crossroads. Despite the advances in therapy, medicine, and healthcare delivery, mental health issues continue to be at epidemic proportions, from addictions to anxiety and depression to eating disorders and PTSD. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental illnesses are among the most common, as the statistics reveal:
- More than 50 per cent of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime.
1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year.
- 1 in 5 children, either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental illness.
- 1 in 25 Americans lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.
Root Cause
These three pathways of psychedelic medicine, dreams, and rituals can help us find the root cause of our pain and suffering and a new perspective from which to live. This is not a one-size fits all solution—everyone must find their own path and can potentially learn to do so. From my experience counselling people, we have lost touch with time-honoured rituals and ceremonies—and even quite simple things like connecting with one another on a personal level by sharing our stories. Therefore, so many of us have all sorts of mental health issues from which we simply cannot seem to escape. Many seek relief from the pain without getting to the root cause. Some seek numb out with alcohol, shopping, social media, sex, food, gaming, overworking other means to simply fill the inner emptiness and not feel anything at all.
Community of Travelers
The triune pathway of psychedelics, dreams, and rituals is about community. Taking the psychedelic, dream, and ritual journey together when possible, with a community of friends. If there is trouble on any one of the pathways we will prevail and get through it when we travel together. One alone on the psychedelic journey may feel overwhelmed or overpowered. But two can withstand what one cannot do alone and three together can withstand even more.
The community of travelers on the psychedelic pathway makes an enormous difference. We give attention to who we invite to be on our journey. There is a vulnerability. We are taking the journey together into our interior world, understanding non-ordinary states of consciousness, and valuing our innermost life and transcendent existence. My recommendation is to journey together with a therapist, facilitator, or trusted community of friends. Psychedelic medicine is traditionally a non-directed approach. However, being non-directed does not necessarily mean we are supposed to do this deep inner work alone without any directions, support, or guidance. Always remember, we do better and are safer when we travel together. Psychedelic Integration Circles are also a part of many communities now, look in your area.
