.For years I worked as a journalist covering psychedelic therapy for MINDCURE Health where I had the privilege of interviewing the world’s top scientists and researchers in this field. The interviews inspired my own journey with psychedelic medicines. I began by undergoing a dieta with a Shipibo shaman in the Peruvian Amazon. There, I lived in silence in a simple hut only returning to the shaman every few days to drink ayahuasca. During this time, I “dieted” bobinsana (a flowering tree native to the Amazon: calliandra angustifolia, which means not only did I drink the juice of this tree’s bark each day, I also spoke with it and studied it. I made bobinsana my ally to further open my heart and deepen my experience with ayahuasca. Since this initial experience, I’ve returned to the jungle countless times for psychedelic medicines, have experienced myriad modalities from ketamine to yopo, led retreats in the jungle, and have studied psychedelic experiences and integration through the Centre of Applied Jungian Arts (applying Carl Jung’s depth psychology to psychedelic experiences). I am certified in Medicinal Plants from Cornell University and am working on a documentary series on the topic with Peabody Award winner Bob Hercules.