Bill Wilson of AA renown, 20 years after his own recovery from alcoholism in 1935, engaged in psychedelic therapy for his chronic depression, beginning in 1955. He believed that this therapy would be of great benefit to those recovering people who could not find, or experience, God (or Cosmic Energy, Spirit, Higher Power, etc).
Deepak Chopra, the ever popular spiritual teacher, is also a strong proponent of this mind opening intervention. So are many famous therapists and healers, including Gabor Mate, Dick Schwarz, and others.
Inquiring minds want to know what are their best options for healing from trauma/ptsd, brain health, and continuous growth. The controlled, therapeutic use of psychedelics has fascinating possibilities to assist in our journey towards the truth of our existence. Indigenous peoples have used such plant medicine for thousands of years.
I am planning on attending PIR (psychedelics in recovery) meetings at the Alano Club, Portland. I attended my first AA meeting there in 1980. I literally attended a thousand meetings there in the late 1980’s, and early 1990’s. I have extensive experience and training in recovery issues. I have had a few relapses over the intervening years between 1980 and now, with the dangerous ones in the 1980’s when I was unconscious.
I have finally learned how to not fear my alcohol consumption, but, instead, to practice mindful drinking, when I choose to consume such beverages. I still enjoy long periods of abstinence from drinking alcohol, whenever my spirit calls for a break. One of my longest breaks was nearly 20 years. Abstinence, and now, mindful drinking, is part of a new understanding of recovery for me. But the biggest and most profound part is enhancing my spiritual connection.
I presently embrace and practice several approaches to spiritual realization, including indigenous/shamanic understanding, Christian mysticism, personal inquiry and insight coupled with 12 Step work ,and the Zen Buddhist approach to viewing reality.
Sharon and I have been studying therapeutic applications and the benefits of psychedelics for years.
Many, many suffering, dying people with death terrors, and addicts, alcoholics, and mentally ill human beings can greatly benefit from this form of therapy. Those on the path of insight, with a lifelong search for Truth are benefiting, as well.
I have no plans of using LSD again, having used it to great spiritual benefit several times in the 1970’s. I have another earlier blog post devoted to that journey in the ’70’s.
Microdosing of psilocybin remains a very real possibility for Sharon, and myself, as we move towards our own infinite unfolding as conscious beings.
We are now in contact, and have befriended, several facilitators of this mode of healing and insight.
All the healing potential in the world has zero value, unless we access it, and put it into real-life practice.
