The advice most people get about psychedelics is backward: more ceremony, more intensity, more visions. James makes the case for the opposite - more preparation, more discipline, and more reverence. If you want deeper, safer, and more lasting results from medicine work, this conversation will change how you approach it. Derek opens with high praise for James's book, calling it one of the best he has read in the space, and from there the conversation goes straight into the real foundations of medicine work: why intention matters, why out-of-ceremony practice is non-negotiable, and why the mind has far more power over the experience than most people realize. James shares the long road that took him from early psychedelic curiosity to self-guided study to formal apprenticeship and service in Costa Rica and Gabon. You'll discover:
- Why James believes meditation and spiritual practice are the true foundation, not an optional add-on
- How to tell the difference between genuine insight and ego-driven fantasy after ceremony
- The "blessing" practice he says can completely shift the energy of a difficult moment
- Why iboga is, in his view, more of a regenerative and sobriety-supporting medicine than a visionary one
- What his years of apprenticeship in the Bwiti tradition taught him about sensitivity, dosing, protection, and humility
James also breaks down the role of emotional coherence, the danger of spiritual bypassing, and why many people get stuck because they never actually integrate what the medicine shows them. Derek and James compare notes on Buddhist practice, prayer, equanimity, and the difference between seeing visions and doing the real work of transformation. They also get into the commercialized psychedelic movement, the risks of reducing sacred medicines to lab experiments, and why the future may depend on building a new culture that preserves the essence of these traditions instead of stripping the soul out of them.
James is the author of a widely praised book, Healing with Psychedelics, on plant medicine, prepared through years of direct experience, apprenticeship, and work with more than a thousand people through ceremony.
He serves plant medicine at a healing center in Costa Rica and speaks from lived experience, not theory. Essential listening if you're in the psychedelic space, preparing for ceremony, integrating a powerful experience, or trying to build a more grounded relationship with plant medicine, spirit, and the mind itself.
Connect With James
https://www.instagram.com/raw_ziel/
James's Book: Healing with Psychedelics
Retreat Center: Summit Garden
- - - Connect with Derek - - -
curamedicina.com
instagram.com/cura_medicina_podcast
derek {@} curamedicina.com
- - - Derek's Books on Amazon. - - -
Animal Spirit Guides: A Practical Shamanic Path of Relationship, Ritual, and Healing
Ayahuasca: A Beginner's Guide
Sacred Geometry and Patterns of Divine Design
Hapé Sacred Tobacco: Plant Medicine Ally From The Amazon Rainforest
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My Vision & Prayer
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be free.
May all beings find their way home.
~ Om Mani Padme Hum
TAGS: boga, Ibogaine, Bwiti teachings, Cura Medicina podcast, Plant medicine integration, Plant Medicine, Ayahuasca vs Iboga, Psychedelic preparation & safety, Ceremonial reverence, Spiritual bypassing, Mindful attention & meditation, Bodhicitta, Sincere blessings
