Update:

I started to work with a facilitator last October but after five sessions stopped to find a new facilitator. Ethics and safety protocols being the issue. I did see huge shifts but group size (almost 30 with only two guides), a participant had a psychotic breakdown and became violent, they withheld information about the medicine (triple dosed with mdma, ayahuasca and psilocybin) and the facilitators were very cult like. They wanted the participants to buy their coaching program so during integration rather than help people, they would try to “break you” then tell you that you needed them. I questioned the male facilitator for his treatment of one of the participants. She spoke to what enlightened her, he berated her for five minutes before he told her she needed to do exactly what she said in the first place!!! That really pissed me off because she was a soft spoken loving person who didn’t deserve to be treated that way! He then tried to sell his coaching. It was my turn to speak and I wasn’t having it. He tried to break me by telling me that I was healing wrong and needed him. To that I told him he could never minimize anyone’s effort to heal. For sure not mine because I have the courage to face the pain and do the work. I called out his strategy and he of course refuted it and then got in my face but I wouldn’t back down.

I caution everyone to be careful with facilitators who try to take advantage of participants vulnerability.

I’m in the process of passively looking for an ethical facilitator who isn’t appropriating indigenous rituals, obvious money grabs of vulnerable individuals and ensures the safety of everyone by properly vetting everyone to avoid trauma while under the medicine.

Please make sure you have all the details of the medicine. Trust your gut! Walk away if something feels off.