For as long as humans have existed, healing and cleansing have been an integral part of man’s life; including many varying strategies used to achieve proper health and balance in life. Across many cultures, one of the most commonly adopted methods is the use of plant medicine and Shamanic healing.

At some point in their lives, nearly everyone feels that familiar need to find a part of themselves that was lost or connect to their inner beings, but often this cannot be achieved by clinical medicine alone. A more holistic and personally profound method must be used to achieve such a level of connection. And, for many individuals, plant medicine is the best option to facilitate this “soul retrieval”; providing the proverbial vision quest needed to lead us back to ourselves.

What is Plant Medicine?

Plant medicine refers to any plant used in a ritual, or any plant that is used for its therapeutic ability and also the ability to help reach the true inner self. Often these include entheogens… plants known for their psychedelic or visionary properties. However, many traditional shamanic medicines have no inherently psychoactive properties at all. The plant ally you choose depends largely upon your healing intention.

What is Vision Quest?

Vision Quest is a ritual undertaken by individuals to achieve passage into a new phase of life, to initiate a significant change, and call us back to our ultimate purpose. Typically, a vision quest is either supervised or conducted by a spiritual guide, such as a Shaman. The three integral parts of the ritual are Serenity, Nature (including the setting used and the plants used) as well as fasting.

What is Soul Retrieval?

Through trauma or other life events, we often lose sight of ourselves. Soul retrieval refers to the process by which we reclaim our sovereignty and return to the truth of our identities that are stolen or surrendered during such moments. Usually, a ritual or ceremony is used to help you restore the connection you have lost with your true self. Individuals who resort to soul retrieval report results so outstanding that they feel complete, whole and have a better sense of connection with themselves

For soul retrieval to be achieved, the recipient must be in a receptive state of consciousness. Often plant medicines are used to achieve the shift in consciousness necessary to undertake BOTH the vision quest and soul retrieval. The plants most frequently recommended for this practice/ceremony have psychedelic effects that transit your mind from its normal state into an altered perception of reality where you are allowed to explore the depths of your mind without boundaries, reframe negative experiences, and rejoin with the lost/surrendered parts of your soul.

Plant medicine is the crucial component upon which many shamanic healings depend. They are the very essence of many ceremonies and are used to control the way healing procedures take place. Other measures such as the Frog Medicine (Kambo) also hold its importance in the ceremonies… both on their own and as preparatory rituals to prime the individual for plant medicine.

Plant medicines carefully selected and combined in the right proportion can help you reach the state of mind needed to heal at a soul level. And when you heal at a soul level, it sticks. It’s permanent.