I’ve succumb to a number of pitfalls working with sacred medicines over the past 10+ years.

That’s the thing though:

Walk any path for long enough and we’re likely to roll-an-ankle or take a wrong turn into the dark and dank underworld. With right sight though, it’s not just happening to us, but FOR us.

As Jung said: “a trees branches only grow to heaven so far as its roots reach down to hell.” The more we know the darkness, the more we can shine our light.

On that note, here’s 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Exploring the Medicine Path…

1) Healing Crises Are Real

Sacred medicines can trigger healing processes that can catalyze all manner of physical symptoms in the body. From aches and pains, to intense detoxification processes.

You’re not necessarily “getting sick” - truth be told, you’ve already been sick for a long time. Instead, you’re likely “getting well”.

Listen to your body and support it in whatever way it’s asking to be supported. Rest, nourish yourself, educate yourself on renewed paradigm holistic health and integrative medicine principles, and trust in the process.

You can’t rush your healing, but you can certainly do a lot to support yourself through a healing crisis.

2) Not All Facilitators Are Trustworthy

Just as there are ungrounded participants, there are also ungrounded (and untrustworthy) facilitators and support teams.

Years and years ago I had a weekend ceremony planned with medicine people that had travelled from overseas. It was scheduled in for months, I drove hours to get there, and upon arrival, the space was so poorly organized, the facilitators seemed much too lackadaisical, and the overall vibe was so “off” that I packed up my campsite and decided to head home.

It was an expensive lesson to learn, but trusting my intuition was more important than doing it just because I’d paid for it.

Research facilitators thoroughly, request references if necessary, meet them if possible.

If you want more insight on trustworthy guides, you can get your free e-book “13 Secrets to Becoming (and Choosing) A Visionary Medicine Facilitator” HERE.

3) Treat Sacred Medicines with Respect and Reverence or Prepare to be (Extra) Humbled

For my first ever sacred medicine experiences, I had almost an entire year to intentionally prepare. I took it seriously.

As the years rolled on though, there came a time where I wasn’t as thorough with my ritual approach. I neglected my diet, didn’t give as much weight to my mental landscape preparation, wasn’t as diligent with my meditation practice…

Needless to say, I had some truly terrible experiences where physical health issues were amplified, the journeys were difficult, and at times, the purging was relentless.

The Lesson: Approach this path with humility and respect. These are not recreational substances but profound teachers that have been used in structured, ceremonial contexts, with proper ritual approach, for thousands of years for good reason.

4) Not Everyone Will Understand or Support You in Walking This Path

There were times that I naively shared my medicine experiences with close friends and family, expecting them to be as excited as I was about my transformations, only to face a lack of understanding and enthusiasm.

Truth be told, it can be a lot worse, with many facing judgement, ridicule and rejection.

This path is deeply personal and some relationships may not have the capacity to hold space for your engagement with this work. Your medicine experiences are often like fresh paint on a canvas - pass it around too quick and others might smudge it all over.

Have discernment around what you share, and who you share with. If you can, find a supportive community that understands that nature of this kind of initiatory work, to support you through the ups and downs.

5) The Pendulum Swing of Consciousness Can Be Harnessed in Foresight, Not Just Hindsight

When we’re new to the personal growth path, we may find ourselves obsessively focused on one aspect of healing at a time—diving deep into psychological work, or our spiritual practice, while (unintentionally) neglecting other aspects of life, creating a cycle of imbalance.

This was the case for me after I first returned from South America. I was so hyper-fixated on the mental realms of learning and healing, that my spiritual connection eventually faded. After becoming aware of this imbalance, I hyper-fixated on the spiritual, only to realize I’d started neglecting aspects of my physical health.

It took me years to notice this “pendulum swing of consciousness” pattern, and then more time still to work with it wisely.

The medicine path often reveals our blind spots across different dimensions of being—mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational.

Rather than waiting to realize you've neglected an important area, consciously map your journey across all domains. When you feel strongly pulled toward one aspect, deliberately maintain some connection to the others while narrowing your focus on this one realm of life.

With time and awareness, these pendulum swings become smaller oscillations around a more integrated center, where you can honor all aspects of your wholeness simultaneously rather than sequentially.

BONUS: Great Preparation Starts With Great Integration

Plant medicine work is a three-part journey: your approach, crossing the threshold, and your return.

Or said a little different: preparation, the experience, and integration.

Most people focus primarily on the medicine journey itself, OR, on integration, not fully realizing that time well spent in preparation lays a much more solid foundation for integration to come.

The harsh truth is that many people don’t approach these experiences seriously enough. And without proper ritual preparation, these experiences can become just another esoteric holiday you park on the bookshelf of life.

The soil must be readied before the seed can grow— your post ceremony self will be appreciative of the foresight.

So whether you're planning a sacred shamanic medicine journey for the 1st time or 101st time: Knowing how to best prepare, explore and integrate these experiences is CRUCIAL.

Without the right knowledge and support, these peak experiences can leave you disoriented, overwhelmed, ungrounded and isolated.

That's precisely why I created my program, Visionary Medicines.

It’s distilled from facilitating 1000+ real world shamanic initiations over the past decade, and during our current Pre-Launch phase, I’ve got a super sweet bonus upgrade for you for becoming a founding member, so this is a big invitation to come and check it out.

You can click here to learn more about it.

-Caiyuda

PS - For those that have joined Visionary Medicines already, a super big thankyou for the support. I appreciate it x1000. You all rock.

The Visionary Chronicles: 5 Unique Truths About Walking The Medicine Path