Destiny Mates

“Soulmates. One experience is that they usually recognize each other almost instantly, no matter if they are biological, transformational, or transcendental soulmates. A second quality is that they have removed all barriers to love and come from a sense of fullness instead of need or lack. A third quality is that they are devoted to facing all challenges in life and avoiding nothing to live together/procreate, to learn, heal, grow, and awaken together, and to make the world a better place.”

The above is from Martin Uciks’ introduction to this movie as part of his teachings on Integral Relationships:  

Module 24 - Grace and Grit (2021)

 “…this movie that is based on Ken Wilber’s book Grace and Grit: Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killam Wilber”

https://integralrelationship.com/irgf-movies/

I very much resonate with this description as to what unfolded within my wife’s and my relationship…  

However, I have written before about my difficulty with the term “Soul”  

Just seems to be so poorly defined:

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2017/12/soul.html

I won’t go back into my difficulties with this term here, I outlined them quite well in my that blog... 

So, I will, as usual, be a Heretic and propose a new term to replace “Soulmates” with “Destiny Mates.”  

A few comments:

1-We did recognize each other immediately…  

 However, we met later in life and agreed to be friends, before exploring physical intimacy…  

Additionally, there is a strong feeling of having met before, actually, to have been in a significant intimate relationship…  

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/05/we-have-always-been-together.html

To feel that we were destined to be together, yet, holding that, when we first met, this was not quite yet the right time…  

And, to be honest, I thought she was so attractive, that she would have been whisked away by some other being, before I was ready to be in relationship with her…  

2-We came together only after being as close as we could to “come from a sense of fullness.” 

This is most important, I see this as taking the time to grow yourself as an individual, first in relationship to yourself, particularly, to become self-aware of your projections, emotional reactivities, and personality tendencies…  

3-I very much resonate with this passage:  “devoted to facing all challenges in life and avoiding nothing to live together/procreate, to learn, heal, grow, and awaken together, and to make the world a better place.”  

You are each dedicated to your own personal growth and evolution, only then can you be dedicated to your partner’s growth…

Additionally, by phone and letters, we discussed at length, wishes and desires within a mindful relationship.  

We used this book as a basis of pre-intimate relationship exploration:  

Hogan, Eve.  2000. Intellectual foreplay.  Questions for lovers and lovers to be.  Hunter House, Alameda, CA   

Additional references on Conscious Relationship here:  

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/03/conscious-relationship.html

I actually wrote a 5-part blog on Conscious Relationship, Part 2 here:

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/03/conscious-relationship-part-2-radical.html

Thinking about our relationship on this Mother’s Day, because we met in mid-life, we did not get the chance to procreate together…  

However, we have the blessing of grandparenting together, as well as the gift of mentoring students together…  

I do not expect anyone to change their minds about their own definitions of “Soul” or “Soulmate”…  

It is my own Heretic Nature to be as precise as possible…  

While also not falling into the black pit of scientism, that is, preserving the Mystery of Spirit:  

http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2014/11/gurus-surf-where-schizophrenics-drown.html

As for me…  

We will see if the term “Destiny Mates” ever catches on…  

As I blogged before:  

Perhaps it might be best just hold the unfolding of a beautiful relationship in the words of Iris DeMent’s song used in the second season of “The Leftovers:”

“I think I'll just let the mystery be…” 

Namaste

Sanctioned versus Unsanctioned Psychedelic Therapy

We are entering a new era:    

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin_decriminalization_in_the_United_States#:~:text=In%20May%202019%2C%20Denver%2C%20Colorado,with%2050.6%25%20of%20the%20vote.

“The movement to decriminalize psilocybin in the United States began in the late 2010s, with Denver, Colorado becoming the first city to decriminalize psilocybin in May 2019. The cities of Oakland and Santa Cruz, California, followed suit and decriminalized psilocybin in June 2019 and January 2020, respectively. Washington, D.C. followed suit in November 2020, as did Somerville, Massachusetts in January 2021, and then neighboring Bay State town Cambridge, near Boston, and Northampton, in western Massachusetts, in February 2021 and March 2021, respectively. Detroit Michigan in November 2021. Seattle, Washington became the largest U.S. city on the growing list in October 2021.

Supporters of the movement have cited emerging research that indicates potential medical uses for the drug. Oregon voters passed the 2020 Oregon Ballot Measure 109, making it the first state to both decriminalize psilocybin and also legalize its supervised use.[1][2] Colorado followed with the 2022 Colorado Ballot Measure 122.[3] The use, sale, and possession of psilocybin in the United States is illegal under federal law.     …    

  

In March 2022, Colorado activists picked a psychedelic reform initiative (Proposition 122) out of three other similar initiatives and started a signature campaign to place the measure on the state's 2022 election ballot. By July 2022 the reform initiative made the Colorado ballot for the 2022 midterm elections.[45] The ballot initiative was passed in November 2022 by over 50% of those who voted. It decriminalizes the possession, growing, and sharing of five psychedelics for personal use; these being: psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline, for those aged 21-years-old and over. The initiative will also legalize "healing centers" that are licensed by the state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies, where those aged 21 and over can buy, consume, and take psychedelics under supervision. This healing center programme is expected to begin in 2024. It will at first only include psilocybin but allows for expansion to include DMT, ibogaine, and mescaline in 2026.”

Additional details here:  

https://www.psychedelicpassage.com/colorado-prop-122-a-complete-guide-to-legal-psychedelic-therapy/

There seems to be some worries about the board members chosen to make the rules and costs associated with Colorado licensing clinics and individual sitters and therapists:  

https://doubleblindmag.com/colorado-psilocybin-board/

My wife heard scuttlebutt about charging $10,000 for clinic and $1,000 for individual licensing, however, that could just be grousing and speculation, I have not been able to document this information using online searching.  

We do know the cost of training for individual psychedelic medicine therapy facilitation can run into the thousands of dollars, and there are a myriad of training courses…  

To be honest and revealing, my wife and I have been associated with the CIIS training program…  

I do not know the quality of the EMBARK program, but they have some good people I know who are affiliated, and it is currently offered for free!

EMBARK Open Access course:

https://embarkapproach.com/?ref=psychedelicscourses

We were part of a Phase 1 trial of psylocibin when we were in Wisconsin, my wife was the lead trainer and lead guide, I was a supervising physician and guide.  We loved working together as guides.  

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7751062/

We moved to Colorado in 2016, in part, because we were considering doing psychedelic medicine therapy in our retirement years, perhaps using cannabis, since it is legal here.   

Now there will be the possibility of practicing psychedelic medicine therapy using psylocibin!  

However, psychedelic therapy practice is not necessarily an easy road.  

Marc Aixala outlines a “cartography of (possible) adverse effects” in his book on psychedelic integration: 

https://synergeticpress.com/catalog/psychedelic-integration-psychotherapy-for-non-ordinary-states-of-consciousness/

My wife and I have continued conversations about the current unfolding of psychedelic therapy, often with much dismay at the increasing corporatization of therapy, and training for being a therapist.  

I was thinking about what may unfold as “Sanctioned” versus “Unsanctioned” psychedelic medicine therapies.  

In Colorado I am defining sanctioned therapy as clinics and individuals licensed by the State, DORA, just as I am a licensed physician, my wife a licensed RN.  

Unsanctioned therapy as those practicing psychedelic medicine therapies without State licensing.  

From my understanding, anyone can grow psilocybin mushrooms, the client can grow their own, or the therapist can grow and give the mushrooms away for free, you can probably charge a client as a therapeutic visit, or label yourself a psychedelic sitter, and it (probably) would be all be legal.  

I was wondering about those sanctioned corporations that will cater to the well to do, most would set up luxurious spa-like accommodations, and will charge an exorbitant fee.  

On the other end of the sanctioned spectrum, there may be those who might organize a non-profit, perhaps use a group therapy model, and use sitters and facilitators, perhaps even using nonprofessionals trained “on the job.”  A sliding scale fee system can be used.  This might make psychedelic therapy available to those who are not as well off financially.  

As far as unsanctioned individual therapy, well, there has always been so labeled “underground” therapists...   

The unfolding question is how will unsanctioned therapy change, as the use of many of these psychedelic medicines are now legal, or at least decriminalized?  

Then what happens when there are adverse outcomes? 

Will there be legal challenges to both sanctioned and unsanctioned clinics and therapists? 

Will the big corporations try to shut down the non-profits and unsanctioned therapists?  

If these medications are illegal at the federal level, will practitioners and corporations have similar problems with the financial system as those selling cannabis?  

It is my view, from personal experience and widely reading the existing literature, that psychedelic medicine therapy could transform for the better mental health treatment around the world.  

I am hopeful that these possible perils and pitfalls will not get in the way of helping people in need.   

Namaste