The psychedelic coming-out

On the 20th of February there will be a lot of stories about (natural) psychedelics and weed popping up and making its way to the surface of social media. The non-profit organization #ThankYouPlantmedicine (TYPM) encourages people around the world to share their story about their experiences in this field. Because let’s face it, coming out the psychedelic-closet is way more frightening alone than as it is together.

To activate & inform

During the world ayahuasca Conference in Girona (Spain) in June 2019, David Grillot and Jonathan Glazer spoke about how sharing their story helped more people break a little of the stigma when it comes to (natural) Psychedelics and weed. A little while later the organization #ThankYouPlantMedicine formed itself and now has 400 volunteers divided over 55 countries. They have organized a meeting on the 20^th of February on which they would like to share some messages and video’s. They also would like to remove some misunderstandings about the substances and to inform people correctly and extensively by providing the extensive information on their website. TYPM does not want to encourage people to experiment with substances without proper knowledge.

A countermove

Plant medicines like ayahuasca, psilocybin and Iboga (the alternative Voacanga is available in our web shop) are illegal momentarily. In Holland the magic truffles and mushroom grow kits are legal. ‘’Mostly because these medicines contain a psychedelic effect they have become stigmatized’’ the founders of TYPM write on their website. But the tide seems to turn around because of a growing worldwide studies that are making its way to the surface by the hand of researchers and academics that are trying to show us the therapeutical sides of these plant based medicines. Until now It has been proven that depression, anxiety, PTSS and heroin addiction can be treated. ‘’But what is evidently more powerful is the variety of stories of multiple people who experienced these effects first hand.’’ the founders write.

Do you want to know more about Magic Truffles and which kind suits your needs? Read this blog.

Coming out stories

So how does a personal story look like, you might ask. In the Podcast of The Entheogenic evolution, David and Jonathan share their own coming out story. These are (next to the beautiful stories of other people) not on their website, and that’s why I would like to share them here with you.

Jonathan Glazer’s Coming out:

‘’A little over a while ago I told my coming out story to my family. This was going to be a difficult topic to introduce since my brother and sister are both doctors that have no idea about how plant based medicines could help. When I Started talking to them about it I started to feel how weird it was to discuss things like that with my family. At a certain point they asked me if it was dangerous And that is where I started realizing that they had taken a certain view toward psychedelicswhich was not based on science. I told them that after 14 years of practicing meditation I still had some blockages inside me. Those blockages I could only express through my music. I always had plenty of room to make music in my life, but it was always so ‘dead’. During my ayahuasca ceremony last year something started to move. After I had completed the ceremony I felt that it started to ‘move’. Other trauma’s came to the surface and I finally could heal those too. The way in how I began to see and hear the world changed for me completely.’’

David Grillot:

‘’I haven’t completely stepped out of the closet just yet – Only my immediate family knows. I have always been self-aware and I never dared to speak in front of an audience. When I participated in a ayahuasca ceremony I went back to when I was a 5 year old boy. I had just switched schools and I remember standing in front of the class and was wondering; How am I ever going to make friends? Then I decided to do what others wanted to see, a perfect picture, the fun friend. That became my standard strategy and it worked. By going back to that little boy I was able to let that go. Now I do things I usually wouldn’t do. My mother who spent the majority of her life battling depression said she was interested  to see what psychedelics could do to aid in her desired solution. At first she wasn’t supportive of it until she heard the stories and started to get curious to find a solution herself.’’

What can you do next to sharing your story?

On the 20^th of february there will be multiple readings and talks about Plant medicine. We will also be present at the Bufo/5-MeO-DMT research day in Ruigoord. This is a psychedelic which belongs to the tryptamine-catogory. This substance is found in various other plant kinds, but is also present in the discharge of a specific North-American toad. If you like to know more about this substance or about this day you will be able to read more on our website!