My Background

In order to have the most beneficial experience with me, it helps to trust me as much as possible. This allows you to be more relaxed, which allows the most transformation to occur. Sometimes it's easier to trust someone when you know a little bit more about them, so here's a little bit about me!

Background

I experienced my first altered mental states as a child, whenever I spun too fast and got dizzy!

I was raised Jewish, which was a spiritual journey in itself, though I did not consciously recognize that at the time. 

I had my first experience with cannabis around 2005. In the following years I began to let go of my Jewish practice as I broadened my search for meaning.

My conscious journey started in 2009, when I was 29, with the study of Buddhism and Taoism. Over the subsequent years, I trained as a shamanic practitioner under Atlanta shamanic teacher Don Simmons, and studied a wide variety of healing modalities such as nature therapy, yoga, meditation, sound healing, breathwork, Nonviolent Communication (NVC, also called Compassionate Communication), and various forms of ecstatic & shamanic dance. 

My first experiences with psychedelic medicine were in 2012 with my partner at the time, simply with the intention of exploring altered states as a way to add novelty to already-enjoyable experiences. When she and I split up, I had no idea how to find others interested in psychedelic healing, and I needed to share my experiences and questiodns. I knew that psychedelics were useful for more than just recreational purposes, and I wanted a safe place to discuss my thoughts with other people.

Having learned about the San Francisco Psychedelic Society through the Psychedelic Salon podcast, and finding no such group in Atlanta, I decided to create PsyAtlanta, as a psychedelic education and support community.

As PsyAtlanta grew, and I continued to host regular meetings, I became increasingly knowledgeable about psychedelic medicine and skilled at holding space: simply offering my compassionate, judgment-free presence. I realized how powerful and simple this form of healing is, but that few people knew how to do it well.

I also continued to use a variety of these medicines once every month or two for my own personal healing. Each experience filled me with gratitude, revealed to me the next step along my life's journey, and showed me how in no uncertain terms, I am literally creating every aspect of my reality with each thought, word and intention. These entheogenic experiences empowered me to take ownership of my life -- to leave behind any mentality of victimhood, each time revealing to me my new highest good and realigning my goals and aspirations to it. By showing me that we are all one, they have taught me to become less judgmental and prejudiced, and to become more generous, cultivating an abundance mentality instead of believing in scarcity. My psychedelic experiences have been instrumental in helping me transform into an entirely different person, continually evolving into the next best version of myself.

A few years ago I was at the Drug Policy Reform conference in Atlanta, where I met my mentor H.R. We became fast friends, and I was fascinated with her psychedelic therapy work. As we got to know each other, H recognized me as someone who could be a very effective sitter and integration coach, due to my calm presence and knowledge of a wide variety of healing and self-help tools. As I began working with her and pursuing the work on my own, I came to see that this was my life path.

Despite the illegality of the substances I use in this work, I honor my calling to this work and continue to find joy in guiding people through their journeys. It is extremely fulfilling to watch my clients transform into better versions of themselves and let go of the limiting beliefs and habits of mind that were holding them back.

In August of 2019 I finally took the plunge and left my software job. To this day, psychedelic healing is my full time occupation, and I must say it feels fantastic to be so in alignment with my highest calling! 

At the start of November, 2020, I had the privilege of guiding my 100th session. Since then I have continued to build experience, guiding an average of 6-7 sessions each month.

Interviews

Qualifications

I have completed Wilderness First Responder full certification training twice: in 2009 and 2017. This certification indicates that I am trained to handle medical and psychological emergencies with the resources at hand, always creating a calm and grounding presence in the face of adversity and uncertainty.

I am a founding member of the Association of Entheogenic Practitioners, a vocational organization bringing together practitioners like myself in sacred ceremony and offering legal protection with instruction on best practices.

I am also an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church since 2015, and a certified member of the Oratory of Mystical Sacraments, a Native American church based on the use of psychedelic medicines as healing sacraments. 

I am a Shamanic healing practitioner trained under Shamanic teacher Don Reed Simmons.

I have been working with psychedelic medicine since 2012. In 2017 I began training under my mentor, H.R., an underground psychedelic therapist who specializes in healing trauma and rebirthing of the psyche. I have had trauma informed training through her as well as other teachers. H hand-selected me to study under her, and I continued my mentorship under her, continuously developing and refining my techniques and best practices, for the following three years.

I have been professionally facilitating sacred medicine journeys since late 2017, and this ministry has been my full-time livelihood since mid-2019.

References

If you would like to speak with someone who has worked with me before, I have plenty of satisfied clients who would be happy to share more about their experiences. If you come to one of our weekly meetings, there is usually someone there who has had a session with me, and you can ask them about their experience.