Episode: 120
On today’s episode I chat with Payam, a Psychedelic Somatic Internal Family Systems Practitioner who interfaces with various traditional and non-traditional psychedelic compounds in the treatment of trauma and chronic pain.
He collaborates internationally with world-renowned doctors and therapists in the treatment of an underserved population.
Additionally, he has presented his work at numerous medical conferences reporting on the nature of pain through the unitary Mind-Body paradigm while also demonstrating how to alleviate pain at the intersection of traditional shamanic psychedelic medicines and Western evidence-based practices.
His work factors in the biopsychosocial and spiritual elements of healing. By acknowledging and addressing the totality of the human experience, he has seen firsthand how it can have a dramatic effect on mitigating the patient’s affective experience of pain.
—
Check out Payam’s website here: PAYAM and follow him on Instagram @payam_healing.
My book, The One Inside: 30 Days to Your Authentic Self, is available wherever you get books. Or on amazon here:
I’m grateful for Jack Reardon who created new music. Jack is a graduate of Derek Scott’s IFS Stepping Stones Program. You can follow Jack on Instagram at bonzemusic.
—-
Enjoy!
Hello- I appreciate the many people whose shoulders I stand on as a therapist, offering grace for the complexities of what all contributors offer. My understanding from a systems/parts view is that, in general, people desire to contribute and try to do something they believe in, just like our parts. My parts feel a need to share my personal story to share the many other experiences we can have on the path to wholeness, and I believe “medicine” comes in many forms, plants being just one of them.
Like many others, I come from a transgenerational and personal experience of violence, immigration, sexual abuse, addictions, suicide, and mental health challenges (Western view naming). My path of healing led me out of an abusive marriage to eventually become a therapist. I am an IFS Therapist with completed Level 1/Level 2 training and constant study and learning. The story I want to share is about my son.
My son’s father was a confusing abusive presence to be around. Although I left the marriage, parental rights allowed time spent with his father. By the time my son left for college, I was already concerned about his growing depression and marijuana use. I sought help. It wasn’t enough. He landed in a good college in Portland. He sought help and found the local Shamanic community, which administered various plant medicines. He grew more fragmented, became extremely thin and paranoid, and the psychosis and delusion started. He was barely in his body and in danger, eventually being hospitalized. The Shamanic practitioners suddenly disappeared. It was a very long road to recovery from this experience. The healing began when a Western psychiatrist and social worker/case manager through managed care stepped in, and he started group programs, western medication, individual therapy, and a 12-Step program. The “medicine” of loving, supportive relationships has been the most healing for my son. The most damage was done with unhealthy relationships. The role and name-Psychiatrist/Shaman doesn’t make the healer a healer. The person and the invisible great good force combined seem to guide, organize, awaken, and orchestrate healing.
In my healing journey, I have participated in Ayahuasca ceremonies. They have been just okay. However, the relationship with my own IFS Therapist has been much more impactful. When I look back at the history of my own experiences, my personal and transgenerational trauma has all been relational. As I continue to grow in IFS work, what is growing in my heart, is the growing faith in “relationship” as medicine. Our healthcare system may be broken, just like families are broken, and people are broken, but something in the human heart wants to connect. When the grace of connection is offered, and care, curiosity, compassion..all the C’s of self…move in the world between us and in us, something happens. I increasingly see the power in this in big and small ways every day. Relationships, inside ourselves and with each other, is medicine to me.
Thank you for the space to share my story and another perspective on “medicine.”
Just discovered you and look forward to listening. Started with the Payam episode and really struggled to detect Self energy in him. Was it just me and my parts? As a fellow therapist diving into psychedelics I found him and his messages condescending, self-serving and hinting at spiritual bypass. I’m discouraged but will work with my system to find out why.