I’m Finally Completing My Psychedelic Framework…

For the past several years, I have been fine tuning a healing framework that incorporates my principles and philosophies around introspective healing work. I envision this framework being the backbone of a curriculum to be used to educate facilitators and practitioners interested in psychedelic medicine, but also be robust enough to stand alone without the addition of psychedelic medicines. I’m excited to share that my team and I will be releasing this offering as a digital resource, online course, and modularized to be able to offer various workshops and retreats. 

Throughout my career in medicine, I’ve had the distinct privilege of helping and healing those in need for over two decades. I’ve been a conduit in the saving of human life, and witness to the compassionate ending of it as well. Felt the spilling of blood from people touched by the hands of hate and trauma. My experience as a trauma surgeon has greatly informed this healing framework, and has shown me, to the highest degree, what the physical manifestations of psychological and emotional traumas lead to.

It was throughout this time I also experienced and endured the greatest challenges of my life. Silently suffering; leading a duplicitous life with no exit in sight. Until one day, when it all fell apart. Confronted and exposed, I was forced to choose between living a lie or reclaiming my life. Stripped of my maladaptive coping strategies and conditioned behaviors, I struggled to answer two perennial questions: Who am I? What is my purpose? This personal tragedy ultimately became a gift, an opportunity to face and heal my own trauma. A chance to reclaim myself and my life. It was my hero's journey.

I was called to put the scalpel down and find a new way to heal. Accepting and surrendering to this reality, I got to work transmuting my suffering to wisdom to serve humankind. Along my journey, I was able to reclaim my life and integrate myself through The Conditions: integrity, nurturance, play, stillness, and connection. Before I could explore the conditions, I had to establish the prerequisites: safety, transparency, and trust. This foundation became the bedrock that allowed my love and light to shine. In healing my soul, I claimed my inner abundance and honored my perfectly imperfect self, eventually finding enough stillness, clarity, and intuition to hear and channel my purpose. This was, and still is, my wholehearted journey of self-healing.

These conditions are the pillars of the healing framework and curriculum for living a more deeply interconnected, passionate and purposeful life. Love remains the energy that animates it all.

Why put this curriculum out into the world for clients, facilitators, practitioners, and interested humans? Because life is a contact sport that is meant to be played. We can’t sit on the sidelines watching the game pass us by. We need to strap on our shoes, get ourselves ready, compete, play, and enjoy ourselves. We are in desperate need of something simple, adaptable, and digestible. I want this framework to be both an instruction manual and a permission slip to live, love, and laugh; to light up the world with your unbridled joy. 

I have dedicated my life to the art and science of medicine because I, like many other doctors, practitioners, and therapists, want to bring healing into this world. The psychedelic frontier is an exciting place, but it is one that yes, is quite literally still lawless – the existing laws are so outdated, politically biased, and ignorant of the abundance of science, research, and mysticism. (Is legalization and westernization the answer? Some have very different opinions on that matter, but if you’ve been following The Container for some time, you know that I personally am in favor of legalization for the advancement of psychedelic studies and wider access to treatment in a variety of contexts – medical, therapeutic, hybrid, and indigenous). There are so many talented facilitators, healers and shamans who are bringing this work to those in need, but just the same, there are unfortunately far too many enthusiasts operating under the guise of “expert,” causing more harm than good, more stigma than understanding, and more trauma than healing. 

As a psychedelic facilitator and a doctor with medical licensure who has taken an oath to operate with integrity, this is no small splinter to me. In fact, it’s my opinion that psychedelic enthusiasts, even assuming the best intentions, offering healing journeys under the guise of expertise is one of the largest threats we face in this community. A threat to our practices, legalization, and to our fellow humans.

“Psychedelic enthusiasts…offering healing journeys under the guise of expertise is one of the largest threats we face in this community.”

I consider it a responsibility to educate our community on the differences between experts and enthusiasts. I would consider it a great privilege to share my curriculum with future facilitators and practitioners who want to learn more about the art of psychedelic facilitation.

This unique curriculum integrates my knowledge of western medicine and how it operates (rather, how it should), my studies across numerous psychedelic institutions, insights from over 500+ healing journeys I have facilitated, over two decades of experience healing people heal in a variety of contexts, and lastly, how my own transparent healing journey has been my greatest teacher. Altogether, these experiences have allowed me the privilege to dance in the nuances of medicine and mysticism, art and science. I hope you all will feel inspired to join me on this wild ride.

With love & light,

Soul Surgeon MD