Grounding Plant Medicine

Hello, Friends!

We made it to the final episode of this 6-part series! We've been exploring Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling over the last 6 weeks. After today's episode, I'll return to a potpourri of topics, thoughts, and ideas to nurture your soul. 

If you're just joining, welcome, and thanks for finding me! This journey has been a series of bitesize insights. These insights build upon each other. And they're structured, so each episode stands on its own. So if this is your first episode - I got you.

Today I'm talking about plant medicine ceremonies. I'll start by sharing a bit about what they are (for those new to this healing). Then I'll share how Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling are alike, different, and complement a plant ceremony. Wherever you fall on the plant medicine spectrum, I promise you'll leave informed.

So let's dive in!

Plant Ceremony

So shamanism is the study of the Earth. It's earth-based wisdom meaning the Earth offers teachings. And traditionally, the shaman's role is to bring you into a deep understanding of this intelligence. The work of Shamans has been in existence for hundreds of thousands of years. They go back to Aboriginals in Australia.

Plant medicine is used for medical and ceremonial experiences. Shamans have a special relationship with the spirits of nature. And I believe that the natural world around us is an important source of wisdom. It's also the tip of the iceberg of a larger, more powerful world of the unseen. In this unseen world are teachers in plant and animal forms. There are many ways to alter your state of awareness. Today, we'll focus on Depth Hypnosis, Shamanic Counseling, and ceremonies where hallucinogenic plants are ingested. We'll look at ways they alter your state of consciousness to help you connect with the subtle, unseen world.

Traditional Setting

Traditional ceremonies rely on Shamanic traditions to protect the entryways into the subtle, unseen world. They also have respect and humility and lack excessive pride in holding these processes. In this setting, there's a ritual in how you prepare by cleansing your body. And the integration afterward is culturally woven, so there's no danger of the insights getting lost on someone. This kind of support is natural and is just there. It's not something that needs to be cultivated.

Modern Setting

Today, there's a renewed interest in plant medicine. And people leave a plant ceremony in confusion even though they feel stirred and changed. This is because modern ceremonies in today's culture have lost respect for plant traditions. These ceremonies have become more about consumption and commercialization. And more people cannot grasp or understand the experience. So they do not appreciate the unseen wisdom of the Earth that the plants show them. And when this happens, they're often disordered in how they approach the medicine. As a result, they have a broken or shattered experience. 

Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling

Both of these healing modalities rely on Earth-based wisdom to help you remember the depths of your soul. And when you return, you feel more whole, alive, and awakened. 

Plant ceremonies, Depth Hypnosis, and Shamanic Counseling move you into altered states of consciousness. Plant ceremonies do this through the psychoactive qualities of the plant. Depth Hypnosis uses guided meditation. Shamanic Counseling relies on drumming or a rattle with the shamanic journey. All three methods allow you to become more aware of things moving in the subtle, unseen world. 

You might ask, "why would I want to alter my state of awareness?". One reason is to learn about yourself and the world around you. When you work in an altered state, you dissolve boundaries. And when you dissolve boundaries, you access parts of the self you normally wouldn't. You may even soften the boundaries between the self and the divine.

Where Depth Hypnosis differs is that it's a more controlled experience. You go into the guided meditation on a specific issue or feeling. And you receive contained information about that issue. This allows you to process, absorb and integrate manageable downloads.

Plant Ceremonies cast a wider net. As a result, you tend to access more insights and experiences. This is generally advantageous. Yet, without proper preparation, it could also be completely overwhelming.

Complementary

This brings me to how Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling complement plant ceremonies.

So. preparation and integration are the keys. Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling help you prepare for a plant medicine ceremony. They also help you integrate the insights afterward. 

Let's break this down and look at how Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling help you prepare for a ceremony.

• Set your mind's environment. Prepare your mindset for how you go into the ceremony. Revisit the need to approach the plants with respect and humility. When you appreciate what the plant offers you, then the plant's effect tends to be mutual and enlightening. 
• Frame your intention. Helpful to get clear on your reasons for taking in the plant. I also help you frame the issues you want to work on through the teaching of the plant. Then I allow space to address any concerns in working with the plant. You'll want to work through your fears beforehand for a more controlled experience. Intentionality is everything.
• Connect with a spiritual teacher in plant form. Your connection with a spiritual teacher supports you beforehand plus helps you process and integrate afterward.

Then after your ceremony, Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling help you in ways like...

• Integrate and embody the insights. When you reconnect with your spiritual teacher of plants, you see how the plant medicine created an opening or download for you to work with. The plant is always working in your psyche. And with conscious work with your spiritual teacher, you can further absorb and integrate the plant's wisdom.
• Access to ongoing support. You need an ongoing spiritual and counseling practice with someone who understands a plant ceremony. That way, I (or they) can help ground the experience and bring it into your everyday life. This processing offers the possibility for lasting growth. 

Let's unpack this a bit more. Sometimes, you feel unsettled when you re-enter life after leaving a ceremony. You may feel alone as you try to independently process the download received (big or small) on your own. And then you return to work, and you're really out of sorts. If you have a Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Practioner on the sidelines, they're ready to support you. After the ceremony, I can assist with issues that come up while the plant is still working in your psyche. The issue is addressed at the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels - which is unique to Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling.

So. With proper preparation and integration, you bring the fruits of your spiritual work into your everyday life. That way, you see and experience your life change as a result of working with the plant.

Things to Consider

Here are things to consider as you determine when to engage in a plant medicine ceremony. And when Depth Hypnosis or Shamanic Counseling may better align with you.

• Spiritual bypass. Often, people think plant medicine will take care of things for them. This mindset is called a spiritual bypass. If spiritual bypass is your tendency, consider Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling. These methods provide you with more support.
• Barrier or plateau. Let's say you've been working hard along your healing journey. You hit a wall or plateau. This is a time to consider a plant medicine ceremony. 
• Have support. When you consider a ceremony, combine it with Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling. Or, frankly, any practice with strong Buddhist or Vedic methods. That way, you have the tools to break through places of resistance in your path. Medicinal plants dissolve barriers, resistance, and denial. They're really good at getting into your consciousness and amplifying what is or isn't serving you.
• Less is more. Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling also provide you access to profound insights when in an altered state. You experience a controlled and contained download on a specific issue or feeling. This allows you to process, absorb and integrate the insights in a manageable way. So you may find a 'less is more' experience better aligns with you.
• Space and grace. It's important to fully integrate the insights and wisdom from your journey before considering another one. In a plant medicine ceremony, you're exposed to a field of intelligence that's imprinted with now. And it takes time - 4 months or 4 years - before the integration is complete. Avoid becoming a weekend warrior. Avoid going away for a month, having a plant experience, and returning without interweaving the info. When the insights are integrated, your spiritual transformation happens exponentially.

Story

Here's a story showing you why it's important to intentionally choose your path. This is an experience from my client practice. I'll call the client Adriene. Adriene completed her first Depth Hypnosis session with me. I learned about her history and noticed energetic patterns. I noted them to explore in the following sessions.

Before our next session, Adriene left me a voicemail. She explained that she participated in an impromptu hallucinogenic-induced journey and was having difficulty. She wanted help. Adriene was fractional and splayed. So in the next session, we focused on connecting her with a helping spirit. A guide that can stabilize her as she processes fear, panic, and terror. 

We tried to pick up her "pieces" and bring some kind of order to her download. I saw that the crux of her shattered self was her relationship to control and anxiety. This was an amplified reflection of the energetic patterns I noticed in our first Depth Hypnosis session. Adriene had a way of being in control. Unfortunately, she also had an adverse reaction to being out of control which surfaced as anxiety. 

The moral of the story is Depth Hypnosis, and Shamanic Counseling helps you prepare. They help resolve issues you face that may get in the way of going into an altered state with psychedelics. For example, we could've worked through her relationship with control in Adriene's case. Then when she embarked on a healing ceremony, perhaps her experience would have been different.

Wrap Up

So. Do the proper preparation and integration if you're considering a plant medicine ceremony. Otherwise, your experience is a lost opportunity. I can help you along with Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Practitioners across the globe. Also, many other healers can help you prepare and integrate a plant medicine ceremony.

And, here we are. We're at the end of our journey. We unpacked and explored Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling over a 6-part series. So to recap the series, the journey started the week of March 7th. First, I shared a general overview of Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling. Then we dove into Depth Hypnosis before unearthing Applied Shamanic Counseling. We had some fun with FAQs and then discussed whether these healing modalities are for you. And then we finished up here with plant medicine. We looked at how Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling complement these ceremonies.

Guided Meditation

Now that I wrapped up this 6-part series on Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic Counseling, you may be curious. And you're not quite sure you're ready to commit. Yet, you need and want support with friction you're experiencing in life. Maybe there's a particular issue that's coming up for you.

I'm offering you a guided meditation tailored just for you. This meditation leads you to connect with a spiritual teacher or helping guide. And with this divine support, you have help. This help can neutralize whatever rub or issue you're experiencing in life. 

This tailored mediation is held in a 1:1 session and is unique to you and your needs. I hope you consider scheduling this mediation. Visit sparkpathhealing.com/meditation to learn more and schedule your session. When you're ready to be in your authority and connect with divine support, I'm here for you.

And, I'll leave you with that… 

See you in the next episode.