When Soul came knocking at the door, I was inhabiting a perfectly respectable life. I studied neuroscience at Davidson College, became a medical doctor at UNC Chapel Hill, then became a pediatrician at the Mayo Clinic. I was the model eldest daughter; I was happily married. Yes there was burnout and dissociation and a nagging sense of floating on the surface of the world, but hey, that’s life, right? I had made it.
about Sarah
I am deeply grateful that my Soul, that personal manifestation of the divine spark, had quite a bit more to say. Psychedelic experiences amplified the inner voice so that I could no longer ignore its call. Psychedelics initiated a devastating and exuberant seven-year period of deconstruction, over which many structures in my outer life and psyche came undone. The journey has been a spiraling one supported by psychotherapy, extended periods of nature immersion, slow reconnection with the body, and the company of intrepid fellow travelers. Slowly, as I watch myself emerge from the cocoon of this time, I recognize a more open-hearted, connected, playful, and liminal being.
This journey has ushered in a previously unimaginable reality of self-love and belonging – a reality that I now have the privilege and responsibility of living into the world. I aim to live a life defined not by respectability but by wild praise of this vast, beautiful Mystery. I have profound gratitude for the support of family, peers, and elders on this path, and I endeavor to offer that support back to others who are beginning to navigate their own inner wilds.
My formal training in psychedelic facilitation is through the Synthesis Institute in the Netherlands, and through Elemental Psychedelics here in Colorado. Extensive experience with the nature-based Animas Valley Institute has provided the primary map by which I navigate the mysterious terrain of the psyche. I have completed trauma-informed training with the HeartMath Institute. The Verdant Collective has offered a profound exploration of eros, of wellness, and of what it means to be both fully present in a body and fully present in community. Contemplative practice in the Buddhist tradition is another cornerstone of my personal path.
I am here as a companion on the journey home to yourself; my goal is to help you listen to the deepest callings of your Soul and to walk your own truest path wherever it may lead.
About Cindy (Sarah’s Mom!)
Cindy Rhodes is a LCMHC (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor) who lives and practices in North Carolina. Cindy encountered the transformative power of mindfulness while in graduate school, and decades later, remains enthralled at the peace and joy available by shifting one’s attention, again and again, to awareness and presence. In addition to training extensively to teach mindfulness, Cindy is certified in Qi Gong and delights in sharing these practices with others. She is a licensed natural medicine (psilocybin) facilitator in Colorado. Cindy is deeply grateful to be joining her daughter Sarah to offer retreats which empower participants to access their innate wholeness through facilitating connection to self, community, and the natural environment.
professional licensure
Sarah holds a Natural Medicine Practitioner in Training license (NMIT.0000159) issued through the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. She is regularly engaged in consultation/supervision with elders in the field of psychedelic facilitation.
Sarah does NOT hold an active medical license in Colorado. If you would like to journey with mushrooms as part of a treatment plan for a specific diagnosis such as depression, she is happy to collaborate with your therapist and/or prescribing physician. However, she will not be able to independently direct you on medication tapering or other questions of medical diagnosis or treatment. Of course her medical education and experience is always with her, and she has been with many people through physical and psychospiritual crisis during her career as a physician. She hopes that this experience adds to a sense of safety and professional holding as you begin this journey.
