The Unique Struggles of Neurodivergence and Master Plant Dietas
Doing a Master Plant dieta can be one of the most beautiful, profound experiences of our lives, AND it can also be one of the most challenging and vulnerable experiences you may have as well. Having to let go of so many of our supports/comforts and “safe” allies during a dieta is likely to bring to the surface old shadowy aspects that we have hidden from for years- ‘stripping us down to our Soul’.
As a neurodivergent person with addictive tendencies, letting go of these old allies and supports has been up there as one of the most potent experiences I have moved through. Even as one who has walked through many portals of shadow and light, and has completed many years of teaching and healing, it took me many dietas to find a greater sense of peace with them- and even still, it’s an ongoing process.
Neurodivergence, Perfectionism, and Separtism
When I entered this world, I realized how much I still carried the fallout of my CPTSD and deeply programmed Christian/martyr-like issues with perfectionism and dissociation. Prior to working with the plants on this level, I focused most of my life on supporting others, playing to that old paradigm of sacrificing myself to please others, only showing aspects of myself that I felt were “acceptable”.
The more I hid the darker, muckier aspects of myself, the more I became separated from others AND all the hidden, messy beautiful aspects of myself. I often sought out modalities that could help me escape from being fully here, in this body with all these emotions and mess. Through my discovery of the term/concept of neurodivergence, and aligning with viewing my “idiosyncrasies”/my wild mess through a Shamanic lens, I began to move towards a much more empowering perspective that has given me a greater sense of confidence to BE all that I am - even if it does not fit neatly within the constructs of our society.
Still, in doing dietas, I was determined to “do it right”, often going to the extent of playing out this militant and dominating parent to myself - always pushing myself to “do better, be better, be stronger…” There have been many times where shame & disappointment held me in its grasp when I did not follow protocol. I felt embarrassed that I could not do it “right”, and I wanted to keep it a secret for fear of being judged. I was supposed to be this guide, so I should be able to do it “better.”
Neurodivergence from the Perspective of the Plants
Choosing to side with the “shoulds’ and keeping that which we are ashamed of a secret keeps us separate from each other and supports the old patriarchal paradigm. The beauty of it though, is that even if we spend much of our time fighting with ourselves, the Plants always make their way through. They don't judge us or have “expectations”; they don't carry any kind of agenda. They just are. They reside within the whole - the place of unity consciousness and interconnection, as they have not lost themselves to colonization and are completely free of the constructs of the conditioned ego mind.
They show us how to get out of our own way, to re-member who we are BEYOND the patterning and conditioning of our lives, each one guiding us back to our own unique beauty, worth & power through their own unique beauty, worth, and power.
What if we chose to stop giving our power to the mind and instead trusted that we are perfect, whole, and beautiful just as and where we are? What if we chose to honor and trust our own unique gifts and processes; our own unique rhythm and perfection of who and how we are within the Whole?
The Way of the Plants: Tips for Working With Neurodivergence Rather Than Against It
Plan your menu a week before the dieta begins, and ensure you have all necessary ingredients on hand, decreasing the potential feelings of anxiety that may rise from not knowing what to eat while on the dieta.
Before the dieta, begin to slowly release those things that you have a habit of reaching for when you feel restless and unsettled
Create a visible & accessible list of alternative practices & affirmations to help you when your mind begins to “spin” and you can’t remember any of your tools, resources or strategies, eg.:
Breathe. Practice deepening and regulating your breath using sound (singing, chanting, roaring, screaming).
Choose short, clear, rhythmic affirmations. Ie:, “I can handle more than I can handle” or "nothing is too much for me”. Find ones that work for you and repeat them daily to anchor them in your body.
Gentle parent yourself to respond to the scary, dark things that swell up from within. If you were your own gentle parent, how would you respond to the you that is struggling/wanting to resist, run, or hide?
Somatic techniques help us move through and regulate our emotions, learning to be WITH what is rising rather than resisting definitely eases the pain of the struggle.
Set the “stage” for your day by pulling one Tarot card each morning - asking what the most important thing is for you to know that day.
And of course - Join a Group Master Plant Dieta, work with a Coach or reach out to your community for support.
Neurodivergence Is A Gift, Not a Failing
As we practice working with our neurodivergence, we become stronger, learning to honor our own internal capacity for feeling and being with and in our relationships - with all parts of ourselves. As we learn to love our ‘beautiful mess’, with the Plants, with others, with love, power, pain -we connect with the entire spectrum of Love as a beautiful fractal of Great Mystery.
You’re not meant to do any of this alone. For further support in learning to love your own ‘beautiful mess’ and how the plants can aid you, please visit: https://www.plantmedicinepeople.com/coaches/sage-ravenstar.
About the Author
Sage RavenStar is a shapeshifter, following this mission through many names: Plant Medicine Coach, Shamanic Guide, Healer, Mentor, Mystic, Tarot Reader, Facilitator, Hag/Crone, Hedgewitch, and Mother. Sage’s greatest teacher in life has been Life Herself. Through her journey of healing from a wide array of issues rooted in generational and childhood trauma, Mama Gaia has always been her most consistent support and ally. It has always been her passion to assist others in re-building and strengthening their connection with Life and our natural Allies, both on a personal scale and on a greater collective scale of hurt and trauma. Her lived experience in abuse, addictions, mental health challenges, and body ‘issues’, and her dedication and connection to those ‘outside of the box’, bring a special touch to her work that cannot be replicated. She looks forward to bringing elements of all she has been and is known to walk with you as you walk your own path towards inner and outer peace as an essential piece of the interconnected web of Life.
