On Choosing A Psychedelic Facilitator

I remember once, years ago, I attended a San Pedro ceremony facilitated by two women who were very experienced medicine guides. During the ceremony, I experienced something that reminded me of my childhood, and was suddenly brought back to a time and place in my life that was very disorienting, lonely, and scary. All I could say to my facilitators was, “I’m overwhelmed.” I was unable to function, and I felt like I was going to die. All I could do was lie on the floor. Because no one seemed to understand what was happening for me, I was left alone, to lie there until I felt better. It was awful, and took me many hours to calm down and become basically functional again. 

I share this story because, sadly, stories like these are incredibly common in medicine spaces. In retrospect, with years of training in trauma healing now under my belt, I can see clearly what was happening: I was triggered (one of my mentors calls it “having a somatic flashback”) and no one was able to identify what was going on with me or what I needed. 

At the time, I didn’t know anything about the importance of working with trauma-informed guides, and my facilitators were not trauma-aware, even though they were highly regarded healers. During my somatic flashback, I did not need the shamanic healing techniques that they used with me, and I did not need to ground, as one of my facilitators suggested to me. What I needed was what any distressed five year old needs – calm, attuned attention and some help regulating my nervous system. I did not receive that, and in the end this experience was traumatizing in and of itself. So, not only did I not get the healing I was hoping for in the ceremony, but I actually gained more trauma from that experience.

This is not to speak badly of my facilitators. They were (and are) very powerful, adept healers in many ways. However, it is now clear to me that I will never again sit in a medicine circle with facilitators who don’t know how to recognize and work with trauma.

The thing is, during medicine work, our trauma is extremely likely to show up. Whether or not we, or the facilitator(s), can recognize it is another matter. It might show up in that subtle but consistent fidgeting, or in the clenching of the jaw, or in incessant talking that, unbeknownst to both us and to our guides, is distracting us from a deep well of grief.

To be the kind of facilitator who can help us to identify our trauma when it appears in a medicine journey, the facilitator must be trauma-informed. This means that they must have training that allows them to understand what trauma is and how it shows up. It’s not always obvious. 

Ideally, that facilitator would not just know how to recognize the trauma but would also know how to support their client if and when the trauma emerges during the journey.

Trauma that emerges during a medicine journey is actually a great opportunity; it is emerging in an attempt to achieve some measure of resolution or healing. If we can hear its cry for help, we can respond and take advantage of a possibility for healing that is appearing right before our eyes. Far too often, facilitators miss this opportunity, simply because they cannot recognize the trauma that is present and asking for attention.

Choosing the right facilitator or guide (I am using those terms interchangeably here) is incredibly important, and a huge responsibility for the would-be journeyer. Because the field of medicine work is almost completely unregulated (much of it still being underground at this point), the would-be client must approach their choice of facilitator with a huge amount of discernment. Facilitators who are not adequately trained will, at best, leave a lot of what could have been real healing on the table, and at worst, do real harm to their clients.

Many people, especially those who are new to medicine work, don’t really understand the level of vulnerability that occurs for participants in a medicine session. Suffice to say; you will be extremely open to the influence and energy of your guide mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This is just the nature of the work. It’s important to be thoughtful about who you choose to open yourself to so deeply.

So, without further ado, I present to you my GUIDE TO CHOOSING A PSYCHEDELIC FACILITATOR a.k.a.

MY GUIDE TO CHOOSING A GUIDE:

First of all, I suggest that you have an interview with the person you are considering working with. Hopefully, they came recommended by someone you trust. However, even if they do come to you that way, it is best to sit down with them and ask them some questions about themselves.

Here is what you might want to ask them:

• How much training do they have? A good guide will have YEARS (not weeks or months) of training.

• Who trained them? Some guides are self-taught or will claim that the plants taught them. While learning from plant spirits and/or one’s own experiences is not invalid, I also would recommend that they have at least some additional training with actual human beings as well.

• Are they trained to work with trauma? Do they know how to recognize trauma when it shows up in a journey?

• Do they currently have a “supervisor” or someone they consult with regularly regarding their work?

• How much professional experience do they have? Do they have experience working with clients who have your specific challenge(s)?

• What do they do to take care of themselves emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and energetically? Medicine facilitation is very demanding and a good guide will have solid self-care systems in place. Watch out for guides that are burnt out, exhausted and/or have poor energy boundaries.

• How much personal experience do they have doing their own medicine work for their own healing? A good guide will have many years of personal experience using medicine work as a part of their own healing path. It’s hard to believe, but there are people out there who are guiding folks who have never done medicine work themselves, or have only done it once or twice.

In addition to asking your potential guide the above questions, I suggest noticing how you feel in your body when you are in their presence. Do you have a general sense of safety and ease? Or does something feel a bit off?

Many guides will give you the opportunity to work with them beforehand, outside of the medicine journey. If this option is available, I highly recommend taking it.

That’s all for now. I hope you find this guide helpful! 

Whoever you choose to guide you, please choose with care. 

You’re worth it.