Prayers For Healing
Songs of Praises
Sometimes, I deeply feel that prayers for healing really, truly have a profound positive impact. Other times, I think it's just something we do to make ourselves feel better. And sometimes, when I really stop to consider it, I realize that I can't really know either way. The intricacies of prayer are above my pay grade. Occasionsional, with medical assistance, I might get a glimpse of inner metaphysical workings, but it's fleeting and incomplete. What I can say for sure is that the feeling is better. We might call it a vibe. Prayers for healing definitely create a better vibe. My skin tingles, and it feels like millions of tiny tensions are released in excellent succession. My breath deepens as if I'm drawing in breath for everyone I hold in my heart for the prayer.
Wishing others well is a sweet practice. One of my teachers once told me that every second spent in this activity is a second that we're not wrapped up in ourselves. And boy, do we get wrapped up in ourselves. And that vibration isn't as much fun at all. It doesn't feel nearly as good as the prayerful, meditative, or compassionate. It reminds me of the philosophy behind reiki. It is said that when one practices reiki, they are acting as a channel for that healing energy, so they get the benefit of it as well. They feel the reiki energy as it flows through them, as well. It's a weird paradox, isn't it? That by dropping your own self-interest for a moment and focusing on the benefit of another for a few moments ends up being one of the most healing things you can do for yourself. It works on many levels.
It's a powerful way to re-orient the mind. A training, in a way. If you meditate, you might consider mindfulness practice to be your primary mind training. And that's fantastic. We train ourselves to stop thinking. We might train ourselves to notice what it is we're thinking. Prayers for healing suggest that we can not only train ourselves to stop thinking when we want to, but we can train ourselves to start thinking in ways that we want to as well. And we see that it doesn't even take that long to feel the benefit.
Most of you have felt this in medicine space, I bet. I know I'm preaching to the choir. Maybe I'm preaching to myself. I need to be reminded to plug into the great grid in the sky, the one that makes our prayers worth a damn. Writing this helped. I got distracted a few times, but I also plugged in a few times, too. I've got a better chance of staying plugged in for the rest of the day.
So I wish you well, and I wish you healing, and I hope you get a chance to pass it on.
Hermanos Gutiérrez
These guys have been everywhere lately. It seems I can't walk into a coffee shop or a bagel place without hearing the Hermanos.
Sam Gandy's Survey
Our Friend Sam Gany recently released a short, anonymous survey seeking to net some feedback on people's experiences with different psilocybin mushroom species. He says:
Attention all mycophiles & psilonauts…launching a new survey study focused on systematically investigating the subjective effects attributed to different psilocybin mushroom species. The survey is anonymous and should only take a few mins of your time.
Our goal is to enhance the scientific understanding of these experiences and their potential variations across species, with a focus on commonly-used, psilocybin-containing mushrooms.
Research Objectives: This study seeks to identify patterns and distinctions in the subjective experiences elicited by various psilocybin mushroom species, addressing questions such as: Do different species cause different subjective effects? Do certain effects always co-occur? Are there a set of clusters into which we can group species depending on their effects? And many more! Your input as an experienced user is critical in enabling us to discern these patterns, contributing to a more nuanced understanding in the field of fungal psychopharmacology. This is especially the case for those of you experienced with species that are less frequently used.
Your Participation: In the following, we will present you with a list of psychoactive mushroom species/varieties and ask you to select those species that you have used at least once in the past 12 months. For each of those species, we will then ask specific questions to capture the qualitative aspects of your typical experience with this species. This includes sensory perceptions, cognitive changes, and emotional responses you associate with each species.
Are there any risks? What happens to the information I provide?
We do not expect that your participation in the study will expose you to more psychological distress than you experience in your daily life. You will not be asked for information that would identify you beyond reasonable doubt. Demographic information assessed will be minimal, and you are free to skip these questions. To ensure full anonymity, no further identifying information (e.g., IP-addresses, operating system, browser info) will be saved by Qualtrics. If you change your mind about participating in the study, you are free to leave the study at any time (by closing the browser window) without providing any reason.
Your responses may be used by the research team for data analysis, shared with other researchers, or made available to other researchers in an online data repository. Please note that once you have fully completed participation in the study, your data cannot be identified and therefore cannot be withdrawn. If you have serious concerns about the ethical conduct of this study, please inform the University of Zurich Ethics Committee in writing, detailing your concerns.
Link to survey is below...all & any feedback is much appreciated. Please consider reposting to help get the word out if you think this might be of interest to your networks 🍄🙏🙂
Contribute to the Survey Here
Here is Sam Gandy Ian Bollinger's talk from our last integration jam - Myco-musings on Different Mushroom Species
Upcoming Events
Tam Integration Coaching Training Info Session
April 15th, 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern
Link to Register
We want to invite you to attend an exciting event where you can learn about the world of psychedelic integration coaching. This event is designed for individuals who are passionate about supporting others in their healing and growth and are interested in becoming highly skilled and competent coaches.
Tam Integration Coaching Training
October 2024
If you're interested, please take a look at the info page and click the link to watch the videos:
https://circle.tamintegration.com/psychedelic-integration-coach-training/