The following is a record of my psychedelic journey, and lessons learned. If you want to read about my journey in the order in which I experienced it, please scroll down to the first post. While psychedelic “drugs” are often stigmatized, and misused for recreational purposes, I strongly believe in their therapeutic use. The potential exists for a significantly positive emotional and spiritual awakening, and likewise a frightening or damaging experience if used recklessly. Psychedelics should be approached with respect, caution, and good intentions. When used in the proper setting it can be a very rewarding experience. As with any other form of therapy, the real work must be undertaken by the individual. As such, a substance like DMT might only show you a path to take or a way to reflect on what is happening in your life – It is the individual’s choice to interpret and act upon the thoughts, feelings, and images they are presented with. The big question about what a DMT experience is cannot simply be put into words, let alone a few sentences. My own ‘trip’ is a real experience that I witnessed personally. But I’m often questioning what it is exactly that I am communicating with. Is it my own subconscious that is wiser than my outward self? Is there an intelligent energy in our world that people have forgotten how to have a relationship with? I don’t know. What I do know is it requires an open, willing, and flexible mind, and a willingness to accept what you are presented with without pulling away, but instead have the curiosity to keep asking and looking further into the trip. Disclaimer: I am not a professional, nor a doctor, nor a therapist of any kind. I do not distribute or administer any substance to anyone but myself. These are my own personal experiences.

Sunday, March 31, 2024

The Shaman

 February 16

This wasn’t my first interaction with a Shaman. After my first experience seeing a Shaman, and hearing stories of other peoples’ experiences, I feel like the Shaman in the DMT experience is the heavy lifter. He’s the one doing the dirty work. He isn’t there to show you pretty colors or explain the meaning of love. When you encounter him, he’s all business.

Be polite. Show him love and gratitude. Now, sit down, shut up, and do as you’re instructed.  

The purpose for my visit was to address this fear of heights that has gradually affected me more as I have gotten older. As a child and young adult, it never affected me. At some point in my life I started to feel very uneasy at heights. It’s not so much the height or distance above ground as much as it’s like vertigo and I feel too dizzy to stabilize myself and I start to freeze up. I can normally just avoid these situations and put on a cool face, but with my new job I have to use ladders and work on tower decks at heights. I’ve worked so hard to get here, I have to find a way to address this fear.

As the vision began, I approached a golden brick structure with a doorway. The same as I had seen in a previous experience where Ganesh met me at the doorway. This time it was a Shaman waiting for me. He told me I could not enter yet. First I must give in order to receive. I wasn’t sure what to give him. I began to think about how much love I have been shown in my all my journeys, and how grateful I am for the experiences. I realized that love and gratitude are the true currency of the universe.

I told the Shaman I offer him my love and gratitude. He gave me an approving look and the doorway behind him opened. He motioned for me to follow him in. As we travelled and searched these long corridors with multiple rooms, the Shaman told me the golden structure represented my body. Each brick, room, corridor represented a different part of me – All my feelings and experiences.

We stopped in a room, which looked like every other room we had already passed. The Shaman said he found it. The source of my fear of heights. He grasped the end of a brick and began pulling it from the wall. Simultaneously I could see the same brick being pulled from my chest. Just as he was pulling the last of the brick out, he told me fear is a choice. Then he held the brick high above his head and started yelling something in a language I didn’t understand. That’s when he gave me a big spartan kick and I fell backwards and landed on the back of a lion.

Apparently, his work with me was finished.

The lion ran fast back to the golden doorway. As I looked back at the Shaman, he still had the brick raised in the air, and was still yelling or chanting loudly. He faded away in the distance. 

This was a rare case of experiencing what I had intended to see.

In the following days and weeks I have noticed a change in my fear of heights. My first day back at work, I chose the tallest structure in my unit and climbed straight to the top. It hasn’t been a sudden change and has not disappeared overnight. I have become less uncomfortable and keep reminding myself fear is a choice. I’ll continue working on desensitizing myself.

 Was it really the work of a Shaman, or was it all in my head? Does it really matter which?