Plato's Cave Allegory Explained: Awakening, ADHD and Masking
Plato's cave allegory explained simply: prisoners chained in the dark mistake shadows on a wall for reality, and the one who is pulled into the sunlight can never see the cave the same way again. In this Campfire Story, Jeremy Van Wert retells it and reads the chains as masking, perfectionism and people-pleasing, and the return as the hardest part.
Letting Go of Old Patterns: Why Success Did Not Satisfy Him
Letting go of old patterns, according to coach and ceremonialist Michael Peterson, starts with asking how you want to be rather than only what you want to do. After two master's degrees left him searching, he turned to energy work and plant medicine. In this conversation with Jeremy Van Wert, he explains emotional armor, failure and what a short coaching session looks like.
Brain Health: Neural Retraining, Nutrition and Taking Agency
Brain health, in the view of coach Onjae Malyszka, rests on foundations like food, sleep, movement and community, not on any single tool. He tells Jeremy Van Wert how a sudden illness at 22, a later diagnosis of Lyme disease and mold toxicity, and a method called neural retraining shaped his approach. He calls microdosing and plant medicine tools, not cure-alls.
Lyme Disease Patient Stories: One Runner's Fight for Answers
Lyme disease patient stories often involve years of searching for answers, and AC Bourne's is one of them. A former Nike-sponsored runner, she tells Jeremy Van Wert about a tick bite in 2002, roughly 40 doctors, years of antibiotics and a wheelchair. She describes what she tried next, why she says remission instead of cure, and how she turned the story into a way to help others.
Catholicism and Psychedelics: Can Faith and Plant Medicine Coexist?
Catholicism and psychedelics can seem like opposites, but Dr. Andrew Del Rossi, who directs a spirituality and retreat center at a Catholic abbey, says faith and plant medicine can meet when a person arrives with a foundation, an intention and humility. In this first public conversation on the subject, he tells Jeremy Van Wert how his experiences deepened his sense of Christ.
Plant Medicine Retreat: What to Expect, Screening and Integration
A plant medicine retreat weekend, as two founders describe it, starts with letting go of expectations, includes screening and preparation, and ends with integration. In this live Mindful Mutiny event, Jeremy Van Wert talks with the co-founders of Pachamama Sacred Paths about safety, setting, facilitator training and what they say matters most after a ceremony.
What Happens at an Ayahuasca Retreat: A Therapist's Account
What happens at an ayahuasca retreat varies from person to person. In this episode, Jeremy Van Wert describes his first weekend with Pachamama Sacred Paths: the ceremonies, what he saw about his parents and his wife, and the changes he made afterward. Andrés Yael Villa, the organization's founder, asks the questions and explains what integration means to him.
Does Cannabis Affect People Differently? What Your DNA May Say
Does cannabis affect people differently? Len May, CEO and co-founder of Endodna, says yes, and he believes your DNA and your endocannabinoid system are a big reason. He tells Jeremy Van Wert how genetic testing may point to differences in stress reactivity, metabolism and dosing, and why he sees the goal as avoiding adverse effects instead of chasing a high.
Generational Trauma: Why One Healer Says Psychology Wasn't Enough
Generational trauma, in the view of Dr. Anna Luna, is something psychology as she was trained in it does not fully reach. A counselor with a doctorate in counseling psychology and about 15 years in traditional indigenous healing arts, she tells Jeremy Van Wert how ceremony, rites of passage and safe community shaped her work, and why she calls disconnection our biggest wound.
Plant Medicine Ceremony: Why We Become the Story We Tell
A plant medicine ceremony is not only about the medicine, according to facilitator Manuel Padilla. The co-founder of Pachamama Sacred Paths tells Jeremy Van Wert, in a conversation translated live between Spanish and English, how he came to this work, why he says we become the stories we tell about ourselves, and what being seen and heard in a circle can do.
What Happens During an Ayahuasca Ceremony: Three Stages Explained
What happens during an ayahuasca ceremony? According to Andrés Yael Villa, founder of Pachamama Sacred Paths, it unfolds in three stages: a physical reaction, a visionary stage and a surrender into a new state of flow. In this conversation with Jeremy Van Wert, he also explains initiation, why he cautions against depending on any medicine, and why integration matters.