A 69-year-old woman from San Diego, California ingested ‘magic’ mushrooms, for the first time, on Saturday, November 26. Cathy S Harris, a clinical social worker who works with veterans and ex-cult survivors, is being trained by the Vital program, facilitated by Psychedelics Today. In Spring, 2023, after finishing the year-long program, she will be a certified psychedelic integration therapist. “Tripping” is part of the training. “I want to help clients heal from past traumas and this is another great tool to offer,” said Harris in a recent interview.

Harris traveled to Seattle, Washington, where psilocybin use is decriminalized. She worked with Annie, a shamanic coach and sound healer in the Puget Sound area. Harris stayed in an Air BnB for the duration of her stay; it was a charming, though very rustic, cabin surrounded by nature and two blocks from the sound. “It was a beautiful setting for the event,” she remarked, with a wistful look in her eye.

I recently sat down with Cathy Harris in her California home, to discuss her astounding experience. After I was greeted by her son and their dog, Jonny, a Black Mouth Cur, we settled in her comfortable living room. She turned off the turntable (Beatles–Revolver) and sat across from me, sipping tea.

I asked what made her decide to do this, so late in life? “I have been a trauma-informed psychotherapist for over 25 years. I use a progressive approach, helping people move on from negative experiences and circumstances. I have engaged in educational training that has given me a large toolbox including EMDR, DBT, CBT, guided meditation, body awareness exercises, SoulCollage® and others. Even with all these tools, I sometimes wish for one that would be more impactful. In the last couple of years, I’ve become aware of research that shows remarkable results with various psychedelics for helping people with depression, anxiety, PTSD and even autism. Last year I decided to jump into Vital’s program. Having one’s own experience is part of the required elements of the curriculum. Even though I grew up in the 60s, my joke to my classmates is that I was a teenaged alcoholic and missed out on any opportunities to try psychedelics at the time. I’m extremely glad, now, about that. My classes have stressed the idea of “set and setting.” This means attention needs to be paid to intentions and expectations as well as the physical and spiritual setting of the event.

I chose to work with Annie because of her extensive experience and many talents. She started our session with a great deal of ceremony, invoking spiritual entities, using sound healing and singing to the 7 directions then utilizing intention setting to frame the work. Before I ingested the mushrooms, we sang Wah Jhi Le Yihm (by Ulali, in the film Smoke Signals). This song has been significant in my life, and I appreciated the opportunity to share it with Annie.

Ok, Boomers, Listen Up

You know, my generation has recently taken a lot of flak from younger people (for many good reasons, I’m sorry to acknowledge). Hurt people, hurt people, as they say. I want other boomers to know about the healing properties of these medicines. I hope that sharing my story will bring out the interest of people my age who are still wounded from past life experiences. We boomers preached “don’t trust anyone over 30!” (Wild in the Streets) in our youth but now, we are the generation that has brought about so much pain, including the ravaging of the earth’s resources. These medicines could go a long way to helping us reconnect and acknowledge that we are interlinked with one another and nature.

SoulCollage® and Integration

I became a SoulCollage® facilitator in 2014. This is an art process that anyone can do. There are many uses for it, but two primary aspects are working with one’s parts of self and accessing one’s inner wisdom.

I love making cards and they are a great creative outlet; I’ve used them extensively with clients in therapy work. However, I had made about one hundred cards and not done much spiritual work with them. Annie encouraged me to bring objects that I could use during the day-long session. I brought about thirty of my cards and a couple other significant items. The night before Annie came to the cabin, I spread out the cards on the dining table. I spent some time contemplating which ones would be helpful to me. The morning of the event I chose about twenty of them to share with Annie.

SoulCollage® cards can be made intuitively or with intention. I had examples of both. In fact, most of my cards were made with no particular concerns in mind. They certainly revealed themselves to me during the psychedelic session.

“I surprised myself”

During the 5 hours I was under the influence of the medicine, I was quite energized. While the wood-slatted ceiling moved  rhythmically and the water in a picture on the wall sloshed back and forth, I launched into my many life stories. At the same time, there was a neon, cartoonish light show going on in my head. (NOW I get all that neon art!) Annie’s music played and each song seemed perfect for what I was seeing. I’d had no conscious intention to share my “stories,” but these came pouring out of me. I laughed and joked with Annie, then spontaneously started crying. It was a kind of crying I’d never done for myself. I sensed a complete self-compassion, without self-consciousness or self-condemnation of any kind. This was the most surprising part of the session for me. In my work with clients, I stress self-compassion, but this was something new and never previously experienced by me.

Annie was a caring guide throughout this process. Periodically I’d catch a whiff of spearmint and I realized she was spritzing the air. It was quite pleasant. She was attentive to my needs, bringing water and  helping me to the bathroom as needed. As I came out from the influence of the medicine, I asked her to play the medley from Abbey Road. (The Beatles). I sang the songs at the top of my lungs, feeling a joy I rarely have. As we began to play this music, we were interrupted by penetratingly loud Christmas caroling coming from outside. Since we were in a cabin off a dirt road, with difficult access, we wondered about the origin of the caroling. We found this development to be hilarious, though a bit disruptive.

As I sobered up, I recognized that I was very hungry! Annie had prepared a plate of apple slices, blueberries and a couple of cookies. Just what I needed! I felt cared for and a recipient of the utmost kindness.

 During the tripping time, I felt bonded with my guide and thanked her for listening to the stories I told. I gained the perspective that these are just my stories—we all have them. They don’t have to be a burden we carry around for the duration of our lives.

During the session and the next day, my SoulCollage® cards and their meanings became clear. I was stunned at the “coincidental” (ha!) nature of the relation of my experience to the symbology contained on each card. I made a card before and after the event; these depict the sense of being “held” in a sacred space for these few hours.

The next day, Annie came over and we walked for at least an hour by the water. We talked and exchanged perspectives on my first voyage into the land of psychedelia. This follow-up time was crucial to my sense of being ‘part of’ something, rather than isolated with my thoughts. She encouraged me to continue contemplative work in the coming days. On the flight home I was filled with insights and excitement about the future. I realized that if I didn’t continue with integration work: journaling, artwork, reading, thinking—I would look back on this time as just a fun excursion. I didn’t want that.

I look forward to my continued journey in this community and will be using the medicine again, but SURPRISE! It’s not “addictive.” (And I didn’t jump off any buildings.)