And the Back Story of How I Became a Facilitator and Coach

I’m in deep gratitude for the privilege of facilitating psilocybin retreats here in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for the past five years.

My experience with psilocybin started over 45 years ago when I took my first journey.  Back then, there was no “dosage, set-setting, intention, or integration.”  However, it was the most profound experience of my life – one that still embraces me after all these years. 

The Back Story

My young life as a mafia wife was incredibly sad.  By the time I was 19 years old I experienced watching my son die and the same night our house was burned to the ground.  A few years later, another house was burned to the ground.  It was a few years after I escaped from this situation that I had my first psilocybin journey with a trusted friend.

During this time, my sister had given me a set of the Don Juan – Carols Castaneda books about the Mazatec Indians of Mexico and the peyote, mushrooms and vision quests they took. So I was very open to “the learning.” 

My friend and I went up to a beautiful mountain lake.  As we ate the mushrooms, I laid on the hot sand and melted into the earth as I turned to water . . . I felt one with the whole universe and experienced deep connection with all of life.  I received profound “knowing” and saw the “beauty of death” – I received peace with my son’s passing.  Thank You Plant Medicine!  Nothing else up until this experience had helped me heal.

I’ll never forget that day – it changed my young life as I journeyed forward into the unknown.

Read the full back story Here:

Over the last 8 years as psychedelics are being approved for studies and gaining legalization quickly, is when I started receiving “the calling.”   I was managing a large retreat property at 10,000 ft. up in the Colorado mountains in the wilderness where beauty and spirituality runs deep.

Often Veterans with PTSD, anger and depression would come to the property to rest and regain a reason to live.  As we were in the wilderness out of the hustle of the city they could be alone and just help out around the property when they wanted.  There was also some hard core motorcycle gang members just out of prison who were changing their lives that came there to be “quiet” and alone.

It was always a motley crew up on the mountain, but we all became sort of a family.

Slowly, I became good friends with most.  As an “elder” I was like the Mother they could talk to.  I understood the military after training, living and traveling with the U.S. Parachute Team for world competitions.  There was mutual respect, and through these situations is when we started having some psilocybin therapy nights. 

Hearing about what we were doing, Tabula Rasa ventures (an incubator program for startup psychedelic therapy companies) came to visit.  Soon, I was admitted to their incubator program.  But soon after Covid shut down all retreat properties worldwide, and this is when I left the mountain and came to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Thank you Mexico for keeping their doors open!  Now, I’ve been here five years and have been facilitating private visionary coaching using psilocybin for guests who come from around the world. 

I’m Often Asked:

What will happen during my journey?   Will I have a bad trip?  What can I expect?  All these questions are valid – but cannot be answered by any facilitator.  Truly, every journey is different, because every person is different.  Everyone has pain, trauma, drama buried in their body.  We’re complex creatures . . . but, the mushroom works with us.  They just know! That is why they are called Teacher Plants or Plant Medicine.

Before I share some of the trends I see, I must stop and give the full credit to the psilocybin mushroom.  This amazing Teacher Plant guides us for what we need to experience.  Over the years as I continue to facilitate these healing journeys, I continuously received the “teacherless learning” – it’s the knowing that only comes from sitting and respecting the mushroom. I have learned to “listen” and receive the knowledge slowly. 

Maria Camille

Experiences I’ve seen with those on a journey . . .

No one has an experience the same as someone else.  We all have our individual personalities that experience the mushroom in different ways.

However, there are three trends I can share that are somewhat surprising.  Note;  I work almost exclusively with those in their 50’s – 70’s.  They are highly educated and have had such interesting full lives.

Over 80% of the people I’ve worked with have the feeling of :

• I’m not good enough
• I do not deserve
• I doubt my worth

It’s the overall feeling of low confidence – and I’m always amazed as these guests have had super successful lives.

But I also understand because I have felt the same way most of my life.  – It truly is “a thing.”

I see this as one of the top priorities for how we work integrating ourselves after a journey.  It truly is something for most all people to heal from. 

Another common feeling is the depression that many experience when facing life beyond formal careers, or after retirement and becoming an empty nester.

And with veterans and those of us who have had super intense lives, then it’s over, – well, this is one of the hardest transitions.  Finding new passion takes deep thought.  It takes a substantial reset. 

Finding your Next Chapter can start on a psilocybin journey.  I have seen the mushroom take people there . . . it’s a beautiful thing to see.  There are so many amazing stories . . . but, without question, it takes courage and moving into new and often uncomfortable work.  Absolutely, the work starts after the journey. 

The third experience that a majority of clients have is around family.  All layers of family, from trauma in childhood, to incest, to losing family members and grief that comes from all.  Also, the love of family members, and realizing how much you love your spouse or children come up and those are beautiful experiences.  Like when I was healed from the death of my son. – –

This is also where a “bad trip” can happen.  But I contend, is it really a bad trip?  The mushroom takes you where you need to go.  And pain, trauma, drama are certainly in life, and we need to heal those experiences to be able to build a foundation for something new.  So, these memories can be painful to experience, but without question, those who have had these types of difficult journeys always say they were glad they went through it.  The relief is unquestionable – the healing starts here.

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If you feel “the calling” to explore psilocybin therapy, I encourage you to take the next step.  It just may be the instigator of something new and beautiful. 

If you would like to explore your next steps with me, I welcome you to reach out via my Contact page and send me a note.  We’ll set up a Zoom call and see what transpires.