I’ve been cancelled!
I recently decided to share two things with the alumni of my coaching school on a group feed. I thought it would be interesting and relevant to other coaches. Call me naïve. Or maybe call the school’s director out-of-touch?
I shared with my alum group that…
- I’m currently in a one-year certification program to become a Psychedelic Integration Coach. I want to help those that experience plant medicine in safe ceremony to integrate and activate their learning through coaching; and…
- I have a new blog about my own experience with plant medicines. These substances are amazing tools to foster growth and transformation. They can be a useful companion to the work we do as coaches!
The school’s director promptly posted in reply (loosely quoted here): “We do not promote illegal activity on this feed. Please cease discussion immediately.”
OUCH!
After rolling my eyes, I had a flashback (non-psychotropic) to the 70s and Nixon’s “war on drugs.”
Nixon tragically contributed not only to the rise in mass incarceration of minorities but also the shutting down of valuable research on the therapeutic properties of many substances including psychedelics.
After being so summarily cancelled, I got snarky — not aloud of course, but the voice in my head was indeed rude: You’ve got to be kidding, sir! Did you even read the news today? For example:
Why psychedelics produce some of the most meaningful experiences in people’s lives
NJ looks to make magic mushrooms legal for recreational use and to treat mental health
Inside America’s first mushroom school
Psilocybin, its power, and its welcome-to-the-party status are omnipresent. (And of course, the change in the social and legal status of cannabis is long past being news.)
But there are literally thousands of other magical plants, many used for centuries in cultural and religious ceremonies globally. Are they legal? Well, it largely depends on jurisdiction. And the legal landscape is evolving so quickly that something that was criminal yesterday could be celebrated tomorrow.
It’s a big mistake to cancel me. What you’re doing is canceling the opportunity to open your mind to the potential of something both ancient and new. Research is revealing that substances, that were once verboten in some communities, are quite valuable.
And if that’s too scary to contemplate, Professor, at least watch How to Change your Mind on Netflix!
