Harm Reduction in Plant Medicine Ceremonies
By Neil Kirwan
It’s no secret that many people have experienced harm during plant medicine ceremonies. From the millions of stories of healing, there are also examples of horror stories relating to sexual abuse, emotional manipulation, guru worship, spiritual harm, and physical harm. A small percentage, however, but it’s real, it happens and is something we should all be working hard to minimize in this space.
I use the word minimize as opposed to eradicate, as I like to think I’ve moved beyond some of the naiveté that would be behind such a statement. The harm caused in plant medicine containers is a result of the human condition. You can find this harm in workplaces, homes, social settings, and religious centers worldwide. Maybe one day, but for now, we do our best.
What makes harm in plant medicine containers feel more shocking and outrageous at times, is that these are containers in which people come to heal from those exact same wounds.
If the energy of the space holders cannot create a strong enough container for people to heal from these energies, it’s likely they will raise their heads in the space and play out in real-time as they have always done.
So, How do We Create Truly Safe Spaces?
Well, there’s harm that occurs from neglect and carelessness, and then there’s harm that occurs from neglect and carelessness. I’m yet to see anyone in the plant medicine place set out to intentionally harm, although no doubt that also happens. More often than not, it comes from a lack of care and attention not necessarily just for the people in the space but for the space holders themselves.
Without having the correct mentors, teachers, and sound boards around them, a space holder can easily run away into la la land where abuse and manipulation are justified or hidden beneath a spiritual pretext. Therefore, having a code of ethics in place and some kind of supervision in the form of a teacher or mentor is the first anchor that keeps the space holders from doing no harm.
Unless you’ve been doing this work for decades, I’d say that this is a must. And then, with decades of experience, it’s important to have some kind of peer-to-peer accountability. Even those with high levels of experience can lose their way at times.
From there, the container of safety can be built in the knowledge that the space holder(s) are on the path of continually working with their shadow aspects to bring greater awareness.
Plant Medicines are Not for Everyone
The first important consideration to make is that certain plant medicines are not always the right fit for certain people, and certain ceremonial leaders and ceremonial containers are not the right fit for certain people. This is where the journey begins with every participant. We must first of all establish if our medicine is right for them. If they are ready to receive it, if they are safe to receive it.
A robust and detailed screening process can ensure this is the case. This can include a physical questionnaire that goes into details including medical and mental health levels, current emotional support and any history of abuse or trauma a person may be dealing with. The screening must be thorough and intelligent enough to highlight potential issues the person may be unaware of.
This is with the caveat that most plant medicines by their nature highlight the things we are unaware of.
A face-to-face interview beforehand, thanks to the advances of modern technology, is also a great way to ensure that we are the right fit for the participant. From here, we can establish as much as possible if both carrier and medicine are the right course of action with minimum risk of harm.
Preparation is Essential for Safety
Once a person agrees with us to embark on this sacred journey, our next job as medicine carriers is to ensure they are as prepared as possible. This includes ensuring they understand the significance of certain dietary restrictions, energetic preparation, emotional preparation etc.
There can be a lot of nerves, particularly for first-timers. Butterflies are fine as long as we can get them to fly in formation. Our role is to provide reassurance, a sense of calm and safety, helpful tools, and a regulated nervous system for participants to anchor in with. This is not an easy task, and usually these conditions can only be created after years of experience working with the medicine and other experienced practitioners.
We must also find the balance between enough information and too much information or information overload, which will be different for every person. Having the space and time to treat people as individuals with different needs within the context of a solid container with strong boundaries is another art form to be mastered. There has to be choice and free will, we are here to empower people, not take their power away from them. Perhaps the greatest differentiator we have from the current mainstream system of healing.
The dance between holding the space cleanly whilst supporting people as individuals becomes crucial to the safety of the ceremonial container.
Trauma Training
Trauma often correlates to an incident where a person felt they had no choice. They had no autonomy, and this sent the body into feelings of overwhelm that short-circuit the nervous system. The choice then becomes one of our greatest gifts in ceremony. Being clear that all is a choice. A lot of emotional and psychological abuse comes in the form of manipulating people to feel like they have no choice in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
It’s therefore crucial we keep our spaces free from this. We can be encouraging, but let’s ensure we fully support an individual’s free will within the boundaries created.
Being well-versed in the roots of trauma and how it works can go a long way to creating safety in the ceremonial container. Being trauma-informed is a minimum standard for ceremonial space holders. This information gives us the knowledge and awareness to recognize trauma and how it shows up in different ways. It teaches the importance of titration and guiding the ceremony in a clear and supportive way.
Self-Care in the Aftermath of Plant Medicines
Like most things, it begins with us. Our outer space is an extension of our inner world. So, too is the space we hold in ceremony. A shadow of this for those working with healing modalities is overwork and overstretching our capacity. This can be costly for those who place their trust in us and detrimental to our own health. Being prudent with our rest and recovery ensures we can maintain a high standard of work, which is what everyone deserves.
As Passionflower reminded me in master plant dieta recently, rest is not the opposite of work; it is the precursor to your best work. Replenishing our batteries regularly and coming back to our work refreshed and ready is an act of service. Taking care of ourselves so we can deliver our best work is to be in service.
Martyring ourselves and acting from obligation is a sign of misaligned intentions and suggests that we must check back in with ourselves on a deeper level.
And sometimes it’s simply a mistake, we are allowed to make mistakes. We’re not perfect. Sometimes, we do push a little beyond our limits to support the courageous souls who come to sit with us and drink these sacred brews.
Working with plant medicine is hugely rewarding; it takes a certain kind of person, as most professions do. With plant medicine work, there is very little room for error. It’s soul work, and for that kind of work, the responsibility is high. And when we’re taking that responsibility seriously, we’re always looking at how we can create a safer, more supportive container.
Read more about harm reduction and safety in my blog, “What it Takes to be a Safe Ayahuasca Guide” to learn more.
About the Author
Neil Kirwan has many years of experience behind and in front of the altar, apprenticing with Ayahuasca in the Shipibo-Conibo and Huni Kuin traditions. He has completed multiple Master Plant Dietas, including work with the potent, transformative Noya Rao tree. Neil is a trauma-informed, highly compassionate shamanic coach and guide, with an expertise in helping folks prepare for and integrate challenging Plant Medicine ceremonies, as well as leading Master Plant Dietas with dreamy, psychically connected Mugwort.
