The Sacred Healing Library of the Meehl Foundation
The Research and Wisdom Traditions That Inform Our Work
Healing from trauma and restoring emotional well-being requires more than a single technique or therapeutic model. The work of the Meehl Foundation is informed by decades of research spanning trauma science, neuroscience, psychedelic studies, and indigenous healing traditions.
These fields are increasingly converging around a shared insight: human suffering often emerges when the nervous system becomes trapped in survival patterns, disconnected from safety, meaning, and relational support. Healing occurs when individuals rediscover a sense of safety in their bodies, connection with others, and purpose in their lives.
The books and researchers highlighted below represent some of the most influential voices shaping our understanding of trauma, consciousness, and healing. Together they form the intellectual and spiritual foundations that inform the approach used within the Meehl Foundation.
Psychedelic Science
Over the past two decades, scientific research into psychedelic substances has experienced a profound revival. Universities and medical institutions are increasingly studying how compounds such as psilocybin may support healing from trauma, depression, and existential distress when used in carefully guided therapeutic settings.
One of the most widely respected guides to this emerging field is The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide, which explores the psychological and therapeutic potential of psychedelic experiences.
Clinical insights from decades of research are also documented in Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, where participants often report experiences of profound unity, compassion, and emotional insight.
The broader resurgence of psychedelic research within psychiatry is described in The Psychedelic Renaissance, which traces how modern science is rediscovering the therapeutic value of these substances.
Additional perspectives appear in Good Chemistry, which explores the neurochemistry of psychedelic substances and their potential influence on emotional openness and empathy.
Together, these works help illuminate how altered states of consciousness can sometimes help individuals reconnect with meaning, purpose, and emotional depth.
Trauma and the Nervous System
Modern trauma science has transformed how we understand psychological suffering. Trauma is no longer viewed simply as a memory stored in the mind; it is increasingly recognized as a physiological experience held within the nervous system.
One of the most influential works in this field is The Body Keeps the Score, which explains how traumatic experiences reshape the brain, body, and emotional regulation systems.
Complementing this perspective, Waking the Tiger introduces somatic approaches that focus on helping the body release unresolved survival responses.
Building on modern nervous system research, Anchored offers practical insights into how individuals can learn to recognize and regulate their autonomic nervous system states.
Together, these works emphasize that healing trauma requires helping the body rediscover a sense of safety and regulation.
Shamanism and Ceremony
Long before modern psychology existed, indigenous cultures developed ceremonial traditions for healing emotional suffering and restoring balance within individuals and communities.
Anthropologist and shamanic practitioner The Way of the Shaman documented many of these practices and helped introduce them to Western audiences.
In Women in the Shaman’s Body, the role of women within shamanic traditions is explored, revealing the depth and complexity of indigenous spiritual practices.
Similarly, Shaman, Healer, Sage describes healing practices rooted in indigenous cosmology and energetic medicine.
These traditions remind us that healing is not only psychological but also relational, spiritual, and communal.
Consciousness and Meaning
Another important dimension of healing involves understanding the nature of consciousness itself. Human beings are meaning-making creatures, and emotional suffering often arises when that sense of meaning becomes fragmented or lost.
In The Master and His Emissary, the relationship between the brain’s hemispheres is explored in depth, suggesting that modern culture may overemphasize analytical thinking while neglecting relational and intuitive awareness.
A complementary perspective appears in The Hidden Spring, which places emotional experience at the center of human consciousness.
Earlier pioneering research from Realms of the Human Unconscious explored expanded states of consciousness and their potential role in psychological healing.
Together these works expand our understanding of how consciousness, emotion, and meaning shape the human experience.
Relationships and Emotional Healing
While trauma often originates in relationships, healing frequently occurs within relationships as well.
Attachment research presented in Attached demonstrates how early bonding patterns influence adult intimacy, trust, and conflict.
Meanwhile, nervous system research described in Polyvagal Theory shows how our bodies continuously scan for safety or threat within social interactions.
Understanding these dynamics helps individuals recognize that many relational struggles are rooted in nervous system protection rather than personal failure.
When safety is restored, relationships can become powerful environments for emotional repair and growth.
Integrating Science and Sacred Wisdom
The Sacred Healing Library reflects a growing convergence between modern science and ancient wisdom traditions.
Trauma research, neuroscience, psychedelic studies, and indigenous ceremonial practices are all pointing toward a shared understanding: healing involves restoring connection—to the body, to others, and to a deeper sense of meaning in life.
The work of the Meehl Foundation continues to be informed by these insights as individuals explore pathways toward emotional freedom, relational healing, and greater wholeness.
A Note on the Foundations of Our Work
Our approach to trauma healing and psilocybin ceremony is informed by decades of research and sacred traditions.
You can explore the books and research that guide our work in our Sacred Healing Library.
Influential Researchers and Thinkers
The Sacred Healing Library is also shaped by the work of pioneering researchers whose contributions have expanded modern understanding of trauma, consciousness, and psychedelic healing.
The neuroscience of psychedelic states has been significantly advanced by researchers such as Robin Carhart-Harris, whose work on the entropic brain theory explores how psychedelics temporarily reorganize rigid neural networks and allow new patterns of thought and emotion to emerge.
Clinical psychedelic research has also been profoundly influenced by Roland Griffiths, whose groundbreaking studies at Johns Hopkins demonstrated the potential of psilocybin to produce lasting psychological and spiritual insights.
The field of transpersonal psychology owes much to Stanislav Grof, whose early work investigating non-ordinary states of consciousness helped open new perspectives on healing trauma and exploring the deeper layers of the human psyche.
Trauma research itself has been transformed by the work of physicians such as Bessel van der Kolk and somatic pioneers like Peter Levine, who revealed that traumatic experiences are not simply memories but physiological patterns held within the body.
Within the field of nervous system regulation and relational safety, the work of Stephen Porges and therapist Deb Dana has helped illuminate how emotional healing often begins when the body rediscovers a sense of safety in connection with others.
Together, these researchers represent a growing interdisciplinary movement exploring how neuroscience, psychology, and consciousness studies intersect in the healing process.
Why This Knowledge Matters
The work represented in the Sacred Healing Library reflects a powerful shift occurring across multiple disciplines. Science, psychology, and ancient wisdom traditions are increasingly converging around a shared insight: healing is not simply the removal of symptoms but the restoration of connection—connection to the body, to others, and to meaning itself.
At the Meehl Foundation, these insights inform our commitment to creating environments where individuals can explore healing in ways that honor both modern scientific understanding and the deeper spiritual dimensions of human life.
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