Optimal Performance 157: Spiritual Healing in Modern Healthcare with Dr. Joe Tafur
I've done Ayahuasca around 25 times, but never with a shaman who was also a Western medical doctor.
Until recently.
Dr. Joe Tafur is a fascinating human being and author of a new book called The Fellowship of the River - A Medical Doctor's Exploration Into Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine. Dr. Tafur and I dive into a deep conversation surrounding the power of psychedelic shamanism.
Highlights:
• How we need to take care of our emotional bodies in order to #liveoptimal
• The interplay between western medicine an Amazonian Plant Medicine
• Spiritual states, flow states and how optimal performance depends on our "soul health"
• The emergence and importance of psychedelic research i.e. MAPS
• The importance of spiritual healing in modern health care i.e. Modern Spirit
• The difference between experimentation with psychedelics and entheogenic healing
• The power of plant medicine retreats like the ones at Nihue Rao in Peru
Lets take a step back though. What is Ayahuasca? Ayahuasca is a lot of things. It's a plant vine found in parts of Central and South America. It's sometimes called to the vine of souls, or spirit vine. It's one medicine in a vast array of plant medicines from the deep and ancient practice of traditional plant medicine.
Think about it this way. Most of the compounds we take in our supplements are derived from plant sources. These plants are powerful additives to our diets and allow us to live and perform at higher levels. Ayahuasca is the same, but instead of the value resting solely on the chemical components, it's the visionary, transformative properties of the plant that have the effect. That, coupled with the skill of an experienced shaman, healer, is the basis of the amazonian plant medicine. Of course...it goes deeper than that.
But what does all of this mean for you?
A lot of us deal with varying levels of emotional distress. Depression is now the number one mental illness on the planet and depression has a high co-morbidity rate with anxiety (meaning they usually come hand in hand). And that's why Serotonin Brainfood is such a popular supplement. I know I prefer a natural open source supplement for improved well-being over some pharmaceutical with WHO KNOWS in it. But, beyond supplements there is deeper work we can do in order to live more optimally.
Here are a few ways you can help nourish your emotional body
• Connect in nature. GO OUTSIDE, sit by a tree, or take a forest bath.
• Cultivate or connect with a community.
• Take time to do simple things that connect your inner-self, floatation therapy, meditation, walks etc.
And if you're in need of something stronger to get yourself back on track, take a look at a Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine.
If anyone has questions about this work, or wants to pick my brain about it - email me - sean@naturalstacks.com
Optimally,
Sean McCormick
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