A year ago today, I was deep in ceremony on the wild coast of southwest Ireland, praying to my ancestors for togetherness, for repair, for belonging and connection. One intention for this ancestral healing journey was to quit using ganja like a drug. Not because she is bad — I…

How poly-vagal theory changes the question “what’s wrong with you?” to “what happened to you?” — If you’ve visited a psychiatrist or therapist between 1990-today, you, like me, have likely been exposed to the medicalized view that unhappiness is an illness, and that any dissatisfaction you’re experiencing is a problem with your brain. The 64% increase of people using antidepressants between 1999 and 2014 is testament…

After almost 40 years, I gave up weed and it was life-changing — I took the month of August to camp and hike and travel alone in Ireland. Part of my intention was to quit smoking weed, which I’ve previously written about as being my go-to strategy for connecting to the sacred, for accessing presence and immanence. To be clear, I pass zero…

Most people go to Ireland to drink Guinness, listen to music and explore their ancestral roots. Me? I’m gonna kick my weed addiction with magic. — I’ve smoked weed almost every day since I was 15. Often compulsively. At times with sacredness and ritual. Sometimes with control and thoughtfulness. But ALWAYS, always pining for that burst of turned-on aliveness that seems nearly impossible to access on my own.

Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Said Yes to Medication — To my dear, gentle and ferocious 19 yr-old, Here are some things I wish I could’ve told you just before you crumpled into that psychiatrist’s chair, desperate for help, answers and guidance 20 years ago: 1. You are not broken. You make sense, and you can trust your body as the ultimate authority on what is true for you. Your body is speaking a language you may not understand yet, but what if you…