ENTHEOSSISTANT
As we approach the “mid-twenties” of the 21st century, many of us feel alien and unrecognizable—not only to each other but within ourselves. The world around us seems driven by forces beyond our control, leaving us fractured, overwhelmed, and afraid. Our stories, histories, and the burdens passed down through generations have scattered us into wounded fragments—angry, uncertain, and disconnected. “Togetherness” has become polarized, with tribal identities clashing in fear and misunderstanding across the globe. Everyone is hurting, everyone longs for relief, but the pathway forward remains unclear. And yet, beneath the surface, our innate biology remains wired for something different: for peace, for love, and for a sense of belonging to deeply rooted wholeness.
However, if that innate longing remains true, why are so many still consumed by hatred, shame, and judgment? Why do we so easily blind ourselves to the shared humanity that unites us all? Could it be that what we perceive in others is a reflection—distorted by trauma—of the fears and wounds we’ve long refused to face within ourselves? Our defenses - shaped by an autonomic nervous system wired for survival - translate into misfired projections with oftentimes irreparable consequences. These projections only further cloud our ability to see the beauty in each other, and, thereby, in ourselves. In such a fragmented state, genuine interconnectedness appears impossible until we realize that the only way that we will ever be able to build bridges to reach each other is if we first build them to reach ourselves.
This is where psychedelic-assisted healing becomes a sacred and transformative practice, rooted in both science and spirituality. Entheogenic medicines are powerful keys—tools that unlock the vast, often inaccessible interior universe within us. From a neurobiological and spiritual perspective, these medicines catalyze profound change by dissolving the barriers of trauma, exposing the core of our being. As Dr. Gabor Maté reminds us, “trauma is not what happens to us. Trauma is what happens inside of us as a result of what happens to us.” It is not merely external events but how they’re absorbed and embedded into our neural, emotional, and spiritual architecture. Unresolved wounds from childhood—shaped by neglect, betrayal, or violence—are etched into our biological fabric, influencing how we relate, perceive, and react. When left unprocessed, trauma rewires our emotional blueprint and manifests physically as autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease, migraines and chronic headaches, digestive disorders, diabetes, hypertension, sleep disorders, chronic pain, inflammatory conditions, increased risk of infections, cancer, and even ADHD-like symptoms.
Scientific studies support this insight: early adversity causes lasting structural and functional changes in the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Research shows that trauma in childhood often results in an overactive amygdala—heightening threat detection—and a diminished prefrontal cortex—reducing emotional regulation and rational thought [Teicher et al., 2016; van der Kolk, 2014]. These neurobiological scars ripple through the whole organism, weakening immune responses, disrupting hormonal balance, and trapping individuals in cycles of suffering. Indigenous Latin American and Afro-descendant communities refer to this condition as “Susto,” often translated as “fright,” “soul sickness,” or “soul loss”—similar to “shell shock,” a term first used during World War I to describe trauma-related dissociation. Whether called Susto or PTSD, both underscore the phenomenology of the soul’s dissociation from the body and consciousness itself as a result of profound trauma.
To visualize this inner landscape, consider Carl Jung’s iceberg analogy. The image depicts only the small, conscious tip - what we are aware of - while beneath the surface lies the vast, turbulent ocean of the unconscious. This is where the shadow resides: those hidden, often repressed parts of ourselves—fears, wounds, impulses—that shape our actions far beneath our awareness. Much of what rules our lives is buried in shame and denial, invisible yet powerful in its influence. It’s within these shadowy depths that real healing begins, if we can summon the courage to journey inward and face what has been hidden.
The psychedelic space can then transform our journey into a sacred process of neurobiological, psychospiritual, and transpersonal alchemy - a symphony where we realize we are far greater than the mere sum of our parts. Often equated with being one of life’s most significant milestones like births and weddings, this magic carpet ride into the depths of our mystery increases the neuroplasticity that creates an extraordinary opportunity to access and integrate this unconscious material. Raw emotion and buried trauma rise into consciousness not to be feared, but to be welcomed, validated, witnessed, embraced, and only then reframed anew. With proper preparation, set and setting, skilled guidance, and post-journey integration, this process dissolves the charge of painful memories, opening the door to forgiveness, compassion, and profound self-awareness. It is here that we reconstruct the architecture of our inner world - one cute, lil’ demon at a time - turning darkness into light.
Emerging from this neurobiological and spiritual recalibration, scientific studies by Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris and colleagues demonstrate that psychedelics like psilocybin dramatically increase neural connectivity. This is especially true within the brain’s default mode network - a system involved in ego boundaries and fixed thought patterns [Carhart-Harris et al., 2016] from which that ego spews its self-criticisms, guilt, and shame. This surge in neuroplasticity allows suppressed memories and beliefs to surface, re-evaluate, and be integrated, opening our hearts to fresh perspectives, empathy, and understanding. When we heal internally, we forge bridges—first within ourselves, reconnecting with our core Self, and then outward, extending compassion and interconnectedness to others.
From the ancient wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh’s concept of “Interbeing,” we learn that as we awaken to our true nature, we realize our profound interconnectedness with all of life. Healing ourselves becomes an act of healing the collective - our ripples of compassion and understanding extend outward, mending the fractures of our divided world. Journeying with a trained and trauma-informed guide who knows how to approach the most vulnerable and otherwise hidden corners with reverence, heartful intention, humility, and grace can often provide the reparative experience deeply yearned for by the soul. The shadow and the light break out in song and dance, catalyzing both personal liberation and a collective awakening.
The inward journey is the foundation—a sacred act of reclaiming our divine essence. As we practice interbeing—knowing that our healing is interconnected with the healing of the world—we build bridges of compassion, love, and unity. Our heart, once confined by fear and trauma, expands to embrace the truth that we are all woven into the sacred web of existence. The healing of the Self is not just a gift to oneself; it is a beacon for the collective. From this inner sanctuary, we become the catalysts for the creation of a new world—one rooted in compassion, abundance, love, and peace.
This is the greatest journey—an internal revolution that radiates outward, transforming not only our life but the fabric of collective consciousness. The path begins within, where our deepest truth resides. As we tend to our inner world, heal our wounds, and awaken our highest Self, we affirm the timeless truth: When we heal ourselves, we heal the world. And in that healing, the impossible becomes possible.
Diving into the depths of consciousness reveals that much of our suffering and repetitive patterns are rooted not merely in personal history (our personal conscience) but also within the vast, unseen layers of both our individual and collective unconscious. According to Jung, we predominantly live in a small fragment of awareness, while beneath the surface, a powerful reservoir of ancestral and personal traumas shapes our behaviors and perceptions. He called this the “Shadow” - the disowned parts of ourselves harboring unresolved wounds and fears, often inherited through family loyalties that continue to influence us unconsciously (Jung, 1964). These hidden forces, fed by the collective unconscious, compel us to stay locked in old relational and behavioral loops, despite our desperate desire and intention for change.
Why do we often find ourselves caught repeatedly in the same toxic relationships or making the same choices that contradict that tiny, little voice that we call “our gut?” Despite its nagging whispers, we remain determined to beat the ancient rhythm of time by going back into the same exact arena. Jung would say it is because our unconscious - driven by unresolved family wounds - directs us much like invisible puppeteers. These ancestral wounds - where love was lost, denied, or displaced - create loyalties that seek resolution through a hamster-wheel type of repetition. “This time will be different!” we proclaim with a shaky sense of forced hope but often to no avail.
Trauma further fuels these unseen forces, shaping our perceptions and choices as if we are caught in a looping karmic cycle of suffering (Jung, 1964; Whitmont, 1991). We often yearn for change and freedom but are conflicted by the opposing pull of our familial bonds and birth-given, neuro-wiring for Belonging as a primal way to guarantee survival. (Yes, we need each other to live!). But by the time a lot of those inherited loyalties are permanently tattooed into our psyches, they have been snowballing through time and space, rippling across the perceptions and choices of those who came before us.
This is where the work of Catholic-priest-turned-German-psychotherapist Bert Hellinger (1925-2019) and the Field of Family Constellations offer profound insight. In the early 1990s, he embarked on a life changing, spiritual journey to the Amazon jungle where he immersed himself in learning indigenous healing traditions and ancestral wisdom about the deep interconnectedness of family and lineage. Returning to Europe around 1990 with these insights, he integrated this knowledge into a new therapeutic approach that became known as Family Constellations.
Hellinger’s approach recognizes that individual struggles seldom exist in isolation and are, instead, complex constellations of unresolved family loyalties and entanglements. As he states, “The soul cannot be deceived. It knows what must be acknowledged” (Hellinger, 1998). Family Constellation work maps these unseen influences, uncovering where love, loyalty, or trauma have been misplaced, disavowed, or broken over generations. It reveals the original points of rupture - those critical nodes where love was lost or fractured - and helps to reestablish the natural flow of connection and belonging.
This sacred energetic field works in mysterious ways, facilitating profound healing at the ancestral, emotional, and spiritual levels. It unveils the otherwise invisible threads that have kept us tethered to family, culture, and our family’s systemic repetition of trauma. We begin to see our own sense of belonging and how deeply woven we are into the very fabric of our ancestors. We pay homage and thank them for having contributed to our very existence. We tap into their stories with deep compassion and learn to understand possible reasons for their choices across their micro and macro contexts that serve as backdrops. Their “why’s” help us understand ours.
Mapping out our constellation can also guide us to just the spot where the familial link was broken and where the love was lost. This becomes essential in recognizing our own wounds as echoes of an ancient disconnection that may have not even been our own! Mapping out this web gives us an actionable visual of where these wounds have been hidden and what they need for repair. This creates space for love, forgiveness, and shows us the steps forward. When integrated with psychedelic journeys where ego defenses dissolve and unconscious material surfaces, this mapping accelerates transformation. Psychedelic medicines can light the way, amplifying our capacity to resolve, reconcile, and release long-held entanglements (Hartogsohn, 2018; Carhart-Harris et al., 2016).
Ultimately, the Family Constellation field aligns us together along the never-ending continuum of Interbeing where we are inseparably connected to one another across all time and space down to the depths inside the veins and curves of our ancestral roots. (We are mycelium!)
Approaching systemic wounds with reverence, compassion, humility, and grace creates ripple effects that transform personal trauma into collective liberation. It remains the gift that keeps on giving long into the future and long after we are gone. This sacred journey of authentic healing allows us to release old wounds that no longer serve us or our lineage.
We witness the unacknowledged wrongs; say what has been choking up inside our throats that the others so badly need to hear; and then we step away into that magical place of radical acceptance as our path back to our most authentic Self. We find the mirror right before us. We see our people right behind us.
We smile and humbly fall in Love.
The psychedelic medicine space is a sacred sanctuary—a realm where the mysteries of consciousness unfold to evoke a sense of awe that defies ordinary understanding. It is a place where the veil between the known and the unknown dissolves, inviting us into an experience of profound wonder and reverence. As Stanislav Grof famously said, "Psychedelics are to the study of the mind what the microscope is to biology and what the telescope is to astronomy." The sacred purpose of this space becomes clear as it magnifies the depths of our inner worlds, revealing intricate, often astonishing patterns and archetypes that reside beyond the reach of everyday perception. Just as the microscope unveils unseen worlds beneath the surface of life, and the telescope expands our view into the vast cosmos, psychedelics open portals into the uncharted territories of the psyche—transforming internal exploration into a holy voyage of discovery.
Within this celestial space, each journey becomes a spiritual pilgrimage - a dance with unseen forces and divine dimensions that connects us to the universe’s most profound truths. The mystery resides in the realization that our inner worlds and the outer cosmos are “interbeing reflections” of one another. As we venture inward, the boundaries between Self and Source blur, revealing the interconnected web that unites all of existence. Every insight, every revelation about ourselves, becomes a mirror of the collective, an acknowledgment that our personal healing and awakening ripple outward, awakening consciousness across the collective web of humanity. In this way, the exploration of the inner landscape becomes an act of universal discovery, healing, and love.
Living authentically and consciously shifts us beyond mere survival to a state of alignment with our highest purpose. It is a conscious awakening - a willingness to shed masks, illusions, and limiting beliefs - embracing our true nature as eternal, interconnected beings. This awakening invites us to live with integrity, compassion, responsibility, and presence where authenticity is not a goal but a state of being.
In this wild and sometimes even disruptive dance of exploration and expansion, we come to understand that the universe itself is a reflection of our highest Self. Every moment of insight and awakening becomes an act of sacred communion and an alignment with the Infinite. Through this process, we are reminded that we are not separate from the cosmos but an integral part of its eternal mystery, called to live consciously, boldly, and compassionately, as co-creators of a more awakened and interconnected NOW.
