Episode 27: From Bad Trip to Functional Medicine with Holly

In this episode, I spoke with Holly, a functional medicine practitioner, and her story of trauma, a bad trip — we’ll call it a dark trip. You can find Holly and her work at Harmony from Within. You can contact Holly at harmonyfromwithin8@gmail.com. You’re going to enjoy this one.

We discussed:

  • Ultimate “sisters and facilitators” in dealing with trauma: mushrooms; Ayahuasca
  • Pain, trauma, suicidal
  • Started working with psilocybin at home with friends; redwood forest
  • Safe with friends; allowed things to come up
  • Sacred container of set and setting
  • Bad trip: not ‘bad; dark; deep journey; past trauma bubbled to the top
  • Physical, social, sexual abuse and trauma
  • Started to remember and relive lost dark moments
  • Felt like something behind the scenes was holding her and keeping her safe; heard a safe voice like a mother
  • Brutal truth of having to look at these things
  • Ayahuasca took her even deeper
  • Violent purging
  • Learned to trust the process
  • Felt like a completely different person: chronic pain gone; anxiety and depression gone; not suicidal
  • The medicines know what they’re doing
  • Complexity of trauma and the brain; brainwaves; 
  • Tap into personal power and be happy
  • Getting started: not for the faint-hearted; set and setting important; who is making the brew/medicines; don’t take chances; energy that went into it
  • If you feel a pull, start doing research; books; videos; reach out to Holly
  • Integration: body’s know how to heal themselves; medicines not necessary; but they’re deep facilitators to get there faster; it’s not all external, you have to do the work after
  • Lessons can be so overwhelming that it’s hard to integrate; change is hard
  • Work with people all over the world; coaching calls; Zoom calls; modules
  • The main work is all bout the client; understanding chronic stress and other conditions that affect their lives
  • Align with how they’re programmed to live; reconnecting
  • Lifestyle; diet; mindset training