Episode 93: Curious About Sacred Plant Medicine? with Alexis Ward, LMFT

Welcome back to the Soul Care for Therapist podcast. In this episode, host Dawn Gabriel invites special guest Alexis Ward, LMFT, to talk about sacred plant medicine and its integration with therapy. Alexis Ward shares her background as a transpersonal psychotherapist and her journey into specializing in working with men's issues and sacred plant medicine integration.

About Alexis Ward, LMFT

Alexis received her master's degree in counseling psychology from Sophia University in Palo Alto. After receiving her license in Marriage and Family Therapy, she opened a private practice in Los Gatos, CA. Alexis moved to Colorado in early 2014 and eventually opened a practice in the DTC area. She specializes in working with spiritual emergence/emergency, plant medicine integration, men's therapy, EMDR, individuals, and couples.

Introduction and Background

Dawn introduces Alexis Ward, a therapist specializing in sacred plant medicine integration. Alexis talks about her practice and her background as a transpersonal psychotherapist, explaining how she integrates existential concepts, spirituality, and religion into her work with clients. "I recently relocated down to Castle Rock, as you said. Um, but I've been in practice for a little over 15 years now, and, um, more recently have come to specialize in working with men's issues, um, and then also with sacred plant medicine integration."

Exploring Spiritual Emergence and Plant Medicine

Dawn and Alexis discuss spiritual emergence and its connection to sacred plant medicine. Alexis defines spiritual emergence as a point in someone's life where they are exploring the deeper meaning of their own existence. They also touch on the potential challenges and overwhelming experiences that can arise during spiritual emergence, especially when working with plant medicines.

"Spiritual emergence really just being, you know, a point in somebody's life where they are looking at the deeper meaning of their own existence. Um, so that can be after a, like a near-death experience. That could be through a plant medicine experience, that could be through getting divorced, um, or just kind of reaching a point in life where they're questioning more of those things for themselves."

"Sometimes even a more difficult outcome is the sort of disappointing experience. Cuz sometimes nothing happens, or from the life perspective, nothing happens. Or sometimes it's just kind of minimal and it's not the life-changing event that they were hoping that it would be."

Types of Sacred Plant Medicines

The conversation shifts to discussing different types of sacred plant medicines and their psychoactive properties. Alexis mentions some commonly known psychoactive substances such as psilocybin mushrooms, cannabis, and ayahuasca. She also explains the distinction between natural derivatives and chemically altered versions used in clinical settings.

"The more commonplace ones that are psychoactive are psilocybin mushrooms, um, cannabis, we all know that one. Um, there is iboga or Ibogaine. So iboga is, um, it comes from a shrub that grows in Africa, and the natural bark of that is something that you can ingest and have the psychoactive experiences from."

"For a lot of these substances, there's a natural derivative and then there's like a more, um, chemically altered type version of it. And often it's that second group that's used in the, um, like the clinical trial settings or in ibogaine clinics, in ketamine clinics and things like that."

Therapeutic Applications and Integration

Dawn and Alexis explore the therapeutic applications of sacred plant medicines. They discuss how different substances can be beneficial for various conditions, including trauma, depression, PTSD, and addiction. Alexis emphasizes the importance of psychedelic integration work and the role of therapists in helping clients process their experiences.

"A lot of times, people are very excited about going into the experience, but they don't necessarily think about what happens afterwards. And sometimes, um, you know, there can be things that kind of come up that maybe didn't during the experience that need to be processed, need to be integrated into the daily life, you know, sort of things like that. And so, you know, therapists who do this work are often there to help with the integration process."

"So a lot of times, we're doing integration work after the fact. Sometimes I will work with clients prior, uh, to kind of set the stage, and then we continue on afterwards. Sometimes it's just afterwards. Um, but there's a lot of times when, um, you know, people will come in and we're talking about, okay, how do I take what I learned in this space and apply it to my daily life?"

Plant Medicine and Spirituality

The conversation delves into the intersection of plant medicine and spirituality. Alexis discusses how plant medicine experiences can deepen one's spiritual connection, even for individuals with a religious background. She highlights the potential for transformation and a shift in priorities based on direct experiences during plant medicine journeys.

"You know, that doesn't feel in any way in conflict for me because that you've already got a running start in a way, because there's some valuation there of there being a connectedness to all existence. There's some questioning of like, who am I beyond my little human personality and what's my relationship to everything that exists?"

"And so I think a lot of times these things lead to an even deeper experience of, uh, religion or spirituality, or sometimes even a shift in what their spiritual priorities are. Um, it's not uncommon for somebody to, you know, have a deep spiritual practice and then have a psychedelic experience, and then their priority becomes a little bit more focused on, you know, sort of a direct relationship with the divine rather than the more structured kind of religious perspective."

Ethical Considerations and Safety

Dawn and Alexis address the ethical considerations and safety measures associated with working with sacred plant medicines. Alexis emphasizes the importance of thorough screening and preparation before engaging in a plant medicine journey. They discuss the significance of setting intentions, ensuring a safe environment, and having a trusted guide or facilitator to navigate the experience.

"In terms of the ethics of it, you know, one of the biggest things is that this is not something that should be done recreationally. You know, I think there's a big difference between somebody going to a festival and just kind of having this experience, and somebody who's working with a guide, somebody who's doing integration work, somebody who is just a lot more intentional about the process."

"And then, um, you know, just safety-wise, it's really important to have a good set and setting. Um, I think there's a lot of people that want to go off to the jungle and do ayahuasca, and it's like, you know, maybe I should make sure that I'm, you know, safe and I'm cared for in a way that, um, isn't, um, potentially dangerous."

Conclusion

In this episode, Dawn Gabriel and guest Alexis Ward delve into the topic of sacred plant medicine and its integration with therapy. They discuss spiritual emergence, different types of sacred plant medicines, therapeutic applications, ethical considerations, and the importance of integration and therapeutic support. Listeners gain insights into the potential benefits and challenges of working with sacred plant medicines and how therapists can play a vital role in this process.

 

Links and Resources

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Podcast Production and Show Notes by James Marland