12/02/2021
Why at 54 years old am I taking Psychedelic Coaching Classes?
Why am I sending out emails on the benefit of breathwork and microdosing?
Let me start by saying, my mission is to share trusted, research-based content that helps you feel safe, supported and empowered as you follow your path towards personal transformation. With that said I can’t offer medical advice and I don’t encourage illegal activities.
If you had asked me this time last year if I’d ever dreamed of microdosing psychedelics, I’d probably have said, “you’re tripping.”
I am a product of the 70’s and ’80s “War on Drugs”, and my beliefs around mind-altering substances were heavily influenced by my education and conditioning that psychedelics are bad. In fact, as a natural medicine doctor, my role was to help people get off drugs! On top of that I grew up in a very strict Southern Baptist background in Oklahoma where, “Thy Shalt Not…” was beat into me, literally.
My mindset was firmly rooted in the idea that any drugs, all drugs, were bad. I make this point strenuously because my former opinion now pales in comparison to the shift I’ve experienced and the advocacy perspective I currently take regarding plant based-medicine. This isn’t taking drugs.
In 1978, the United States adopted the Psychotropic Substances Act in cooperation with the United Nations treaty of 1971, which categorized psilocybin as a Schedule 1 substance. Psilocybin, among other psychedelics—including LSD, THC, and MDMA—were deemed to have no societal benefit with a high potential for abuse. What we are discovering now is that these naturally occurring substances are not addictive and can even help with managing addiction to opiates and alcohol. Categorization as a Schedule 1 substance prevented any further research into the therapeutic effects of these substances and the negative portrayal of psychedelics became widely accepted, both socially and scientifically.
Despite the Global Commission on Drug Policy deeming the War on Drugs largely as a failure in 2011, policies and societal acceptance of psychedelics have remained stuck in the vestiges of the past. Only in the past decade has the United States begun to adopt looser restrictions around psychedelics, with laws, educational institutions, and even the federal government—including the VA Administration, FDA, and American Medical Association—beginning to acknowledge the untapped therapeutic potential in some Schedule 1 psychedelic substances. Namely, early research indicates that psychedelics are a powerful therapeutic tool that can have a significant impact on mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, and cancer-related fear of death.
Millions of dollars are pouring into the study of psychedelics from major educational and medical systems across the globe. Participants such as myself; normal, everyday men and women, are stepping bravely into the world of plant-based medicine and reporting profoundly positive results. Studies are underway involving military men and women, those suffering from addiction and untreated mood disorders, and even clergy, rabbis, and priests are partaking to assess the spiritual benefits of microdosing.
From my 30 years of working with children with ASD, I have always sought knowledge around the brain and the gut. In working with Autistic children, I have had a front row seat to the most amazing teachers of the true brilliance of how the brain works.
From this work, about 4 years ago, I became slightly obsessed with the research from Johns Hopkins on plant medicine, specifically psylocibin and how it impacts not only the brain, but the spiritual and emotional being. The thing that roped me in the most was that every researcher on the team when interviewed about their experience said without hesitation, there is no doubt that there is a God, a Higher Power. To me that was proof for a need for further investigation on my part, knowing that this group of researchers included atheists and agnostics, as well as every religious affiliation.
I took the leap to challenge my pre-conditioned judgment about psychedelics and decided to give plant-based medicine a chance to improve my mental health.
What I found was not only a game-changer for me mentally and physically, but a platform that has allowed me to grow spiritually, emotionally, and within my interpersonal relationships. I’d been misinformed about psychedelics and applied a double-standard to this medicine, simply based upon societal norms and outdated legislation from the 1970s. After all, if I could justify an aspirin for a headache or a glass of wine to unwind after a stressful day, it was clear to me that the obstacle in my path to healing was my own attitude.
I am so grateful for this journey as I move forward. My experience was so profound, I was so compelled to provide a path for each and every one of you who are ready to step forward for change. My coach’s certification is one way I can provide this path to you in a legal and safe way. My goal is to lift the veil on the outdated and unempirical opinion of those who would judge this medicine as illicit or taboo.
In no uncertain terms, microdosing has reshaped the path of my life and I want to share this wonderful experience with as many as I can. I truly believe this medicine can help heal the world.
Throughout the coming weeks I will be sharing more details on my personal journey, discoveries and experiences.
Thank you,
Dr JoQueta Handy
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information on this website is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Please speak with an appropriate healthcare professional when evaluating any wellness-related therapy. Please read the full medical disclaimer on the applicable product label before taking any of the products offered on this website.