Contrary to the perspective of the evangelists out there, psychedelics are not for everyone. They are for people who have a certain degree of responsibility within their life firmly set in place, or for those with a genuine desire to deepen their sense of responsibility. Psychedelics are most effective for people interested in self-discovery, broadening horizons, relating to others, and expanding creativity.

Psychedelics can help us overcome many of the chronic conditions we've been struggling with for years, or even decades. Through intentional use of these medicines it's possible to find a way out of depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, cluster headaches, and chronic physical pain, among many others. For certain others, such as terminal illnesses, or specific genetic conditions, psychedelics are not apt to be a cure, but can provide positive new ways of relating to and navigating the challenges that are associated with them.

While some medicines can provide a tremendous amount of insight, acceptance, and healing within hours, in general, focusing on the speed at which we heal our trauma will often backfire. Unleashing the floodgates of our traumatic childhood, adolescence, and adult experiences is prone to cause further trauma, and do more harm than good. Instead, if we approach things organically and take a slow and steady approach, we'll learn to develop compassion for ourself and our circumstances, gently letting these energies that are stored within our body naturally subside. In this case, the slow way, is the fast way.

There are many similarities between the two. If the therapist-client, or coach-client relationship is approached through the lens of a heart-centered practitioner, the primary focus is always on the clients well-being and finding tools to assist them along their journey.

Therapy can help identify certain mental health conditions. In doing so, therapists provide a diagnosis and framework, often accompanied by pharmaceutical medicine to address the specific outlined condition. The goal of therapy is to help clients find ease within their life and overcome the mental health conditions they're struggling with.

Coaching focuses on your specific goals, including the struggles you're facing to overcome them. Through compassionate investigation coaches reflect back the blind spots within their clients approach to moving through obstacles. The goal of coaching is to deepen a clients awareness, to break through barriers that have been keeping them stuck, and guide clients through their unique transformation.

By following this simple, 2 step model, you'll be giving yourself the best shot at moving through the challenges you're facing.

1) The person has experienced what you’re going through, and has successfully overcome these challenges.

2) You feel safe in the presence of the person you're working with. Having connection and trust within the Practitioner-Client relationship cannot be overstated.

One caveat here. If you're someone doesn't feel safe around anyone, what you're looking for is just a slight degree of feeling more at ease around this person than you do around most people.