A Changing Tide
My neurologist pursed his lips. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I’d just announced to my doctor I’d decided to taper off Neurontin, the medication I’d been taking for a seizure disorder and only a slight improvement from the anti-epileptic Dilantin I’d been prescribed before that…. Both prescriptions had failed to prevent my seizures, and also came with a hefty slate of negative side effects. Yet, here we were.
“How does Dr. S feel about you going off?” Dr. S was my psychiatrist and part of the professional squad working to quell my disorder. Every other week in our sessions she’d scribble notes on a pad emblazoned with pharmaceutical logos and I’d leave feeling exhausted and worse after re-hashing my childhood, again. This route didn’t seem to be helping much either.
Since 19, I’d been having grand mal seizures that would leave me unconscious, flopping around like a fish out of water, frequently left with a head injury, and terrifying anyone who happened to be near me at the time. After years of testing: wires taped to my head, various and sundry poking & prodding with no biological source of the seizures uncovered, I was finally turned over to a psychiatrist and pills to hopefully lessen their frequency.
“Oh, she’s not happy about it either!” I answered. In truth, not only was she unhappy about it, but she refused to see me anymore if I discontinued the drugs. Ouch.
It took me a decade more to heal my seizures completely - they ceased immediately and permanently when I began microdosing - and prior to that I was able to reduce them to the same extent as pharmaceutical interventions through natural healing modalities like bodywork, hypnotherapy, Reiki, meditation, yoga and lots of hiking in nature. But boy - to take that route was swimming against a strong tide, and to do so required I ignore a wall of resistance from medical professionals and authorities 30+ years my senior.
There is so much resistance - subtle, and not subtle… spoken, and unspoken - against true, innate, natural healing. Our families may unconsciously want us to remain unhealthy like them. The mainstream media bombards us with quick fixes, pills & passive cure-alls. The pharmaceutical lobby controls & directs our physicians & lawmakers. Our culture glorifies lifeless toxins like alcohol & sugar that coarsen our humanity rather than bring us to vibrant, attuned life. Need to lose a few pounds? Take this shot. Feeling sad? Have some nasal spray.
It can often feel lonely, isolating and super-weird going in a different direction… to want to get underneath the symptoms and heal the source.
But the tide is turning.
More & more individuals are opening to a different path and swimming in a different direction. Curious rather than fearful. Open rather than closed. Experimental rather than certain. Re-discovering that so many of the pillars of health are free and abundant: sunshine, the earth, clean energy, harmonious frequency, the breath, living foods, fungi medicine, community & connection, fresh air, love, laughter, kindness, generosity and affection. These are the medicines of the Future.
Over the last three years in our microdosing community, we’ve witnessed scores of individuals heal from a variety of ‘un-healable’ conditions, illnesses & limitations they had worked for decades to heal — they’d diligently taken prescription medications, dozens of classes and trainings, and attended years of talk therapy. But in the end, NATURE was the missing ingredient. Nature was the catalyst that lit up, integrated and enlivened all the years of dedication and effort toward their own healing. Nature was the wise, timeless ally, greater intelligence and essential presence required. Over and again I have witnessed - if we bring the intention and will - nature will find the way and point us toward our potential & our healing.
Are you ready?? I invite you to explore more about nature’s medicine and microdosing on our website, complimentary 101 workshop and podcast HERE. Applications are open for our next six-week Winter Immersion Programs that begin January 26, 2024. This will be our 20th cohort of our flagship program, and we’re celebrating with expanded programming, extended community connection, enhanced resources, new partnerships and heaps of passion for this life-changing work & practice. See you inside!
