Common Fears That Prevent Psychedelic Healing | Ep 36

In this solo episode, I walk you through what I call the Safety Six checklist, which is the first half of my Psychedelic Safety Guide. This is the place to start to help ensure you're psychedelic experience goes as well as possible. I'll feature the second half of my Safety Guide: What to Do When Things Go Wrong in a future podcast episode, but of course, the entire guide is available to download now for free on PsychedelicDivas.com. The Safety Six Checklist: Know Your Drug. Know the actual molecule, not just a street name. I detail what you need to know in advance before taking a substance. Beware retreats and facilitators that hide substances behind cute names or under a "proprietary blend." Know Your Dose. "One" is not a dose. Measure in micrograms, milligrams or grams and learn the dosing range for each substance. Use a good scale. Learn about redosing and how dosing changes by method (smoking, eating, snorting, boofing). Know Your Body. Your body is your personal set and setting. Notice how you respond to other medicines, and know whether you're tired, sick, or on medications that might interact. Know Your Source. Scoring from a stranger at a festival, club, or online is the most unsafe option. Learn how to keep yourself safe in an underground world. Know Your Set or Mindset. Check your emotional and psychological state—psychedelics amplify what you bring to them. Setting a clear intention can help you focus and bring you back to your "why" for taking the substance. Know Your Setting. Consider the physical environment, the people you're with, and your plan for getting home. Learn more about how to navigate substances while in the outside world. Bio Carla Detchon, has been exploring psychedelic realms for over 40 years both recreationally and ceremonially. Through her work as an Integration Coach, she helps people find a deeper understanding of the messages of these experiences, so they can move into wholeness and motivated action. In an LSD journey in 2022, her guides presented her with the idea of this podcast, which she resisted creating for two years.  Links Jules Evans Adverse Events Study: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0293349&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Erowid: erowid.org (donations appreciated) The Spirit Pharmacist: spiritpharmacist.com (paid consultations, plus free guides through the mailing list) MAPS: www.MAPS.org Zendo Project: www.ZendoProject.org Before You Trip:  www.beforeyoutrip.org Fireside Project Support Line: 62-FIRESIDE    www.FiresideProject.org Full 17-page Psychedelic Safety Guide: available on PsychedelicDivas.com PHIKAL: https://transformpress.com/pihkal-a-chemical-love-story/ THIKAL: https://transformpress.com/tihkal-tryptamines-i-have-known-and-loved-the-continuation/   Drug Testing Resources I have not personally tried any of these tests, and I do not have an affiliate relationship with any of them. I asked my most trusted resource to share their perspective on testing sites, and this is what they provided. If you have any personal information (good or bad) about these testing options, please feel free to share. Stay safe! To stay up-to-date on the latest wisdom regarding reagent testing, I can recommend this subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ReagentTesting/ DanceSafe has been promoting health and safety within music and nightlife communities since 1998. https://dancesafe.org/testing-kit-instructions/ Reagent Tests UK is considered a reliable testing resource: https://www.reagent-tests.uk/reagent-test-colours/ Pro Test Kit is considered a reliable testing resource: ProTestKit.eu Bunk Police bills themselves as leaders in drug test kits and harm reduction: https://bunkpolice.com Test Kit Plus is considered a reliable testing resource: https://testkitplus.com   While reagent testing is helpful, lab-based testing is the gold standard. Two labs accept anonymously submitted samples by mail: Erowid's DrugsData project: DrugsData.org [on hiatus, check site for updates] Energy Control International: https://energycontrol-international.org/   Connect with Carla: If you're inspired by this episode and want to stay connected, follow Carla and Psychedelic Divas on social media. Carla's Coaching CarlaDetchon.com Instagram: @psychedelicdivas YouTube: @carladetchon Subscribe & Review:If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Psychedelic Divas on your favorite podcast platform or on YouTube. Your support helps amplify these important conversations and grow our community.

What if a peak experience isn't reserved for the marathon finish line or the birth of a child but is waiting inside an ordinary Tuesday? In this solo episode, Carla Detchon reframes the whole idea of a "peak experience" tracing the concept back to her coaching training and then bringing it down to earth through personal stories that include mountain-bike rides in West Marin along with late-summer days at a Georgia lake. Along the way she shows how psychedelics (and the intention we bring to them) help us slow down, expand time, and consciously turn small, everyday experiences into lasting, embodied peak moments. In this Episode: An expanded definition of "peak experience." Why the little moments may be the most available, and most transformative, peaks of all. Letting go of the brakes. How a mushroom-assisted ride turned years of caution and bailing halfway up the hill into trust and flow. And what that shift teaches about control far beyond the trail. Claiming the moment as your own. A solo ride, a well-deserved vista, and a found object that still sits on Carla's altar as a reminder that connection and power don't depend on anyone else being there. Commitment as ceremony. Standing on a ten-meter tower she couldn't jump from the year before, and how setting an intention and deciding in advance dissolved the fear and sealed the commitment to self. Imprinting joy in the body. The practice of deliberately anchoring feelings of bliss, oneness, and connection, so that a simple cue like the wind in your hair can call them back later. Attuning to place. Using a slow, blissful paddleboard on a quiet lake as a meditation on stewardship, presence, and honoring the ground (and water) beneath us. Whether or not psychedelics are part of your path, this one is an invitation to slow down, notice, and start turning ordinary moments into peak experiences. Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting the podcast. And thank you for taking the time to click the five stars or the thumbs up so that others might stumble across it and benefit as well. I so appreciate it! Resources & Links Be sure to catch the tower jump and the lake paddle on Instagram: @psychedelicdivas   Connect with Carla You can connect with us on Instagram @PsychedelicDivas, and be sure to join the email list at psychedelicdivas.com for updates, resources, and the Psychedelic Safety Guide Including What to Do When Things Go Wrong. Website: PsychedelicDivas.com  Carla's Coaching: CarlaDetchon.com  Instagram: @psychedelicdivas  YouTube: @carladetchon Subscribe & Review: Support the sisterhood, by subscribing, rating, and reviewing Psychedelic Divas. Your support helps amplify these important conversations and grow our community.

This episode is a short, personal story before I head off to an endless summer of 18 hours of daylight in Sweden and Estonia. I'm sharing a lesson my guides reminded me of that I've tried to live by ever since I received it over 20 year ago: the universe is waiting to gift you. The gems are already on your path — your work is to shift into the vibration that lets you receive them. In This Episode: I'm celebrating two years of Psychedelic Divas as well as our new ranking in the top 3% of all podcasts globally according to ListenNotes. I ask my guides how to make the work of doing the podcast more fun, and they come through! I share how the universe helped me and my friend get into a sold-out Michael Franti show. You'll learn how I received this core message: The universe is waiting to gift you, and how it's impacted my life. If you have stories of how the universe has gifted you, I'd love to hear. Thanks so much for listening. Note: only one episode this month and one in August while I travel and then celebrate my birthday. Connect with Carla If you're inspired by this episode and want to stay connected, follow Carla and Psychedelic Divas on social media or visit the website to get your Psychedelic Safety Guide Including What to Do When Things Go Wrong: Website: PsychedelicDivas.com Carla's Coaching: CarlaDetchon.com Instagram:  @psychedeliddivas YouTube: Want to see what I'm wearing in each episode? Find me on YouTube @carladetchon Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Psychedelic Divas. Your support helps amplify these important conversations and grow our community.

Why am I talking about my closet on a psychedelic podcast? This episode isn't really about clothes—it's about stuck energy, old identities, and the energy that is released when you finally clear out the physical space that's been weighing you down without your awareness. In this episode, I share a practice I've been doing for over 30 years: cleaning my closet on LSD. And I walk you through what happened this month when I did the deepest purge of my life, and what it unleashed way beyond the closet. In this episode: How shopping was my mom's love language, and how I took it on as an artistic endeavor How I got my first faux fur jacket (a foreshadowing of so much faux fur to come) at eight in the 1970s, even though we lived in south Florida The most romantic thing any man has ever said to me, and why it's one of the many reasons I married him The three categories of closet clutter: the easy yes, the easy no, and the messy middle full of landmines, and why LSD collapses that middle ground and makes it easy to clear Why I believe LSD works better for this than mushrooms Beware the chaos factor: why you need to give yourself a full day and not freak out when everything ends up on the floor "This closet is for the living" A client story about five shapeless black dresses and a lot of imaginary funerals What I learned from the author, Karen Kingston, about clutter and energy, and why hiding things under the bed or in a storage unit doesn't actually work What the guides told me to do with my six weeks of spaciousness, and why I had to push back on their recommendation Why I don't follow the "If you haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it" rule and never will The energetic reset that followed: no alcohol, no refined sugar for the rest of the year, yoga 2-3 times a week, bedroom getting painted, to-do lists actually getting done, which all started with the closet Finally getting on the Chinese New Year fire horse and what that actually feels like after months of resistance and putting on the brakes Resources mentioned: Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui: Learn the Art of Space Clearing and Bring New Energy into Your Life — Karen Kingston Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui — Karen Kingston https://www.mindvalley.com/u— Where TED meets Burning Man internationally Episode 32 — Year of the Fire Horse, the Divine Feminine & Not Feeling Ready with Tracey Tee   Connect with Carla If you're inspired by this episode and want to stay connected, follow Carla and Psychedelic Divas on social media or visit the website to get your Psychedelic Safety Guide Including What to Do When Things Go Wrong: Website: PsychedelicDivas.com https://psychedelicdivas.com/ Carla's Coaching: CarlaDetchon.com https://carladetchon.com/ Instagram: @psychedelicdivas https://www.instagram.com/psychedelicdivas YouTube: Want to see what I'm wearing in each episode? Find me on YouTube @carladetchon Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Psychedelic Divas. Your support helps amplify these important conversations and grow our community.

The Real Reason People Fear Psychedelics What's the number one reason people say they'd never try psychedelics? "I don't want to lose control." In this episode, we unpack that while that fear may be understandable, it doesn't serve your personal growth. For most people, working wisely with plant medicine is not about losing control. It's about knowing what you are in control of and when you need to let go and surrender. Tune in to learn: Why "I don't want to lose control" is the most common barrier to psychedelic exploration The elements you are 100% in control of before you ever ingest: setting, mindset, dosing, and intention The importance of assessing whether a setting feels like a genuine full-body yes (and why hesitation is a signal worth honoring) Why your mindset doesn't have to be perfect A personal story about honoring grief with mushrooms and MDMA and what trusting your inner knowing looks like in practice Why you should always verify information from trusted sources around dosing rather than relying on any single voice (and that includes AI) What surrender actually means, and why it's not the same as being out of control A Note on Safety This episode discusses personal experiences with psychedelic medicines and is intended for educational and harm reduction purposes. If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, severe depression, or a mental health crisis, please connect with a qualified professional before considering any psychedelic work. Start low, do your research, and choose your setting and support people with care. If you are in crisis, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Thank you for listening and for supporting the podcast. And thank you for taking the time to click the five stars or the thumbs up so that others might stumble across it and benefit as well. I so appreciate it!    

Episode 35 is a conversation with one of the psychedelic world's true elders: Adele Getty, author, philanthropist, and co-founder of Limina Foundation. Adele's life story weaves together decades of ceremony, community, and consciousness exploration. Adele traces her fascination with plant medicine all the way back to 1957, when, at age seven, she devoured a 15-page Life Magaze spread on Gordon Wasson and Maria Sabina that quietly shaped the entire arc of her life. After her first curated LSD experience in 1968, Adele made a personal commitment to take the medicine once a year and use it as a kind of annual self-audit,  a practice she has maintained for over five decades. Adele shares what it was like to marry Francis Huxley, Aldous Huxley's nephew, in 1986, including intimate stories of Nobel Prize winners, the Bloomsbury set, and how the relationship deepened her understanding of psychedelics as a tool for navigating life's most challenging passages, including the end of the marriage and the death of Francis. From Native American teachers like Sun Bear and Grandmother Evelyn Eaton, to Leo Zeff and Ralph Metzner, Adele reflects on how she wove together multiple lineages and offers a thoughtful take on cultural appropriation, encouraging people to find their own authentic ceremonial voice. Adele shares tender memories of the recently passed underground guide Ricci Coddington, including Ricci's dream about Leo Zeff in her final year. She also reflects on her role as a founding member of the Guild of Guides and her longtime advocacy for non-directive, space-holding approaches to psychedelic facilitation. Adele discusses the wildly successful Santa Fe event she produced, the Enchanted State,  that raised over $100,000 for New Mexico's emerging psilocybin landscape, and closes with a hopeful vision rooted in Limina Foundation's mission that psychedelics could serve as a rare unifying force across political divides, with a recent poll showing 70% of Americans, regardless of party, supporting access to these medicines for those who need them. Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting the podcast and our psychedelic elders. And thank you for taking the time to click the five stars or the thumbs up so that others might stumble across it and benefit as well. I so appreciate it!   Adele Getty Bio: Adele Getty Elder, Wisdom Keeper, Psychedelic Educator Adele Getty is a pioneering voice in psychedelic education, known for decades of work exploring the sacred, cultural, and psychological dimensions of psychedelic healing. A founding member of the Guild of Guides, she has helped shape the field of assisted psychedelic work with deep integrity and cross-cultural wisdom. Her books, including A Sense of the Sacred and Goddess: Mother of Living Nature, explore ceremony, matrifocal history, and rites of passage. Widely respected as an elder and wisdom keeper, her recent keynote at the 2023 MAPS Conference received a standing ovation. Adele's work continues to guide a deeper, more grounded psychedelic future. Connect with Adele Find Adele and learn more about her work at liminafoundation.org. Videos from The Enchanted State conference will be available there soon. Donation Links GoFundMe for Jack Coddington For larger, tax-deductible donations ($1,000+) please contact Michael at LiminaFoundation.org Connect with Carla You can connect with us on Instagram @PsychedelicDivas, and be sure to join the email list at psychedelicdivas.com for updates, resources, and the Psychedelic Safety Guide Including What to Do When Things Go Wrong. Website: PsychedelicDivas.com Carla's Coaching: CarlaDetchon.com Instagram: @PsychedelicDivas YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@carladetchon Subscribe & Review: Support the sisterhood, by subscribing, rating, and reviewing Psychedelic Divas. Your support helps amplify these important conversations and grow our community.

In episode 34, I honor the life and legacy of my long-time teacher, mentor, and medicine sister, Rowena "Ricci" Coddington who passed on March 30, 2026, at the age of 93. I walk through Ricci's extraordinary lineage in the psychedelic underground: her training with Leo Zeff, her work with Fritz Perls and Gestalt therapy, and her rare role as a Black woman holding sacred space in a world that was almost entirely white and male. In this episode, you'll hear: How I met Ricci through Ralph Metzner in 1996, and why I chose a secret women's medicine circle as my next path About my 2000 journey to Peru with a small, curated group traveling deep into the Amazon (well before ayahuasca tourism existed) where we drank medicine seven times with curandero Don José Campos A story about 62.5 micrograms of LSD, a medicine bag full of tricks, and the moment Ricci and I bonded over being the troublemakers How important it is to support our psychedelic elders, and why Jack still needs that support today Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting the podcast and our psychedelic elders. And thank you for taking the time to click the five stars or the thumbs up so that others might stumble across it and benefit as well. I so appreciate it! Donation Links GoFundMe Connect with Carla You can connect with us on Instagram @PsychedelicDivas, and be sure to join the email list at psychedelicdivas.com for updates, resources, and the Psychedelic Safety Guide Including What to Do When Things Go Wrong. Website: PsychedelicDivas.com Carla's Coaching: CarlaDetchon.com Instagram: @PsychedelicDivas YouTube: @carladetchon Subscribe & Review: Support the sisterhood, by subscribing, rating, and reviewing Psychedelic Divas. Your support helps amplify these important conversations and grow our community.

Join us as we take a deep dive into the world of ayahuasca: a sacred plant medicine that has shaped spiritual paths for centuries and is now becoming increasingly visible in modern culture. Episode 33 of Psychedelic Divas features Celina De Leon, founder of Circle of Sacred Nature Church and co-director of Posada Natura Retreat Center in Costa Rica, who brings over 25 years of experience working with ayahuasca. We touch on the medicine's indigenous roots, the importance of lineage and training, and the deeply relational nature of working with both plant and human teachers, with a special focus on the feminine, motherhood, and what it means to walk in right relationship with this powerful medicine. In This Episode You'll Learn: What ayahuasca is and why it's more than just a psychedelic—it's a sacred plant alliance. The two plants that make up the brew and how their synergy creates the experience. The mystery of how indigenous communities discovered this powerful combination. Celina's personal journey from academic curiosity to deep apprenticeship. Why container and lineage matter. Who you sit with is just as important as the medicine itself. Key differences between Peruvian and Colombian traditions, including ceremony styles and energetics. The role of song, sound, and ritual in guiding the ayahuasca experience. Celina's path to founding a church and what it means to practice ayahuasca as a spiritual sacrament in the U.S. How Celina talks to her children about this work and integrates it into family life. The connection between ayahuasca and the feminine, including honoring cycles and intuition. How ayahuasca can support healing around eating disorders, addiction, and deeply rooted behavioral patterns. Why the ceremony is only the beginning. How you live your life after ceremony is where the real transformation happens. If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might benefit from this conversation. If you haven't already, leaving a 5-star review or rating is a powerful way to support the podcast and help us reach more listeners. Connect with Celina Circle of Sacred Nature: www.circleofsacrednature.org Posada Natura Retreat Center: www.posadanatura.org About Celina: www.circleofsacrednature.org/meet-our-team   Connect with Carla You can connect with us on Instagram @PsychedelicDivas, and be sure to join the email list at psychedelicdivas.com for updates, resources, and the Psychedelic Safety Guide Including What to Do When Things Go Wrong. Website: PsychedelicDivas.com Carla's Coaching: CarlaDetchon.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychedelicdivas YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carladetchon Subscribe & Review: Support the sisterhood, by subscribing, rating, and reviewing Psychedelic Divas. Your support helps amplify these important conversations and grow our community.

Tracey Tee of Moms on Mushrooms returns in Episode 32 for a wide-ranging conversation about the most cosmically charged moment in recent memory and what it's asking of the divine feminine. From rage to joy, we look at what it means to lead when the old structures are dissolving. (For Tracey's psychedelic origin story and the founding of Moms on Mushrooms, head to Episode 27.)   In this episode, we discuss: The rare astrological convergence happening right now: Saturn conjunct Neptune at 0° Aries, the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse, a numerological "1 Year" and what it's all calling us toward. What it feels like in our nervous systems to know, "We are the ones we've been waiting for" and how to actually live that, rather than hiding out. The collective feminine rage surfacing right now, why it matters, and why we can't let it burn us out. Joy as resistance: Alysa Liu's Olympic skate, Oregon protesters in frog costumes, and why the system wants us to forget that having fun and delighting in life is a big part of why we are here. The Maiden, Mother, Crone archetypes and the fourth one we've been missing: the Sovereign Woman. Tracey's vision of the Kintsugi Mother: cracked, gold-filled, and a solid container for her children. How both Tracey and Carla are personally staying regulated: microdosing, plant allies, sister circles, redwood walks, and play.   Resources Mentioned: Moms on Mushrooms — momsonmushrooms.com https://www.momsonmushrooms.com/ Psychedelic Divas Ep. 27 — Tracy Tee's full origin story Rising Appalachia — "Resilient" Tony Jones — "Healing is Not My Purpose"   Connect with Carla If you're inspired by this episode and want to stay connected, follow Carla and Psychedelic Divas on social media or visit the website to get your Psychedelic Safety Guide Including What to Do When Things Go Wrong: Website: PsychedelicDivas.com Carla's Coaching: CarlaDetchon.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychedelicdivas YouTube: @carladetchon Subscribe & Review: Support the sisterhood, by subscribing, rating, and reviewing Psychedelic Divas. Your support helps amplify these important conversations and grow our community.