Today I’m excited to share a conversation with Dr. Joe Tafur. Joe is an integrative family physician, curandero, author, and speaker. His acclaimed book, The Fellowship of the River, explores the role of spiritual healing in modern healthcare. And this is the book I recommend most for folks new to ayahuasca.

Joe is a pioneering figure in the psychedelic field, renowned for his efforts to unite the worlds of indigenous shamanism and Western allopathic medicine. His perspective was informative early on my path and ultimately helped inspire me to work in this field. In other words, I’m a total fanboy.

In this conversation you can expect to learn:

* What Joe, who is both a medical doctor and shaman, would tell a rationalist who is curious but skeptical about ayahuasca

* Why indigenous traditions teach us to “not get ahead of the medicine” and avoid the trap of turning life into a game of optimization

* Understanding that the Psychedelic Renaissance, despite its shadow side, is ultimately doing an excellent job of getting people started on a path of spirituality and personal growth

* How Joe came to understand that emotions are always at the root of journeys that truly heal and create lasting change

* Joe’s interpretation of one of my most mind-bending ayahuasca visions

* A definition of “faculties of the soul,” which are universal traits that resist commercial exploitation, such as forgiveness, gratitude, and grace—and how we can attune to these frequencies

* How spirituality should always be rooted in practicality, meaning its success is measured by how individuals contribute to their communities, ecosystems, and society, as well as by the quality of their relationships

* Why plant medicines can be so helpful for people struggling with addiction, offering an alternative treatment model that, counterintuitively, doesn’t require ever-escalating doses of medication (suggested further reading)

And without further ado, I give you Dr. Joe Tafur.

Listen to the episode on Substack, Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.

Hosted by Alex Olshonsky.

My website: https://deepfix.co/

My substack: https://deepfix.substack.com/

Natura Care Programs: https://www.naturacareprograms.org/

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