Spiritual Healing in New York City: My Journey with Sacred Plant Medicine and Spirituality
- ChurroChops
- Mar 20
- 10 min read
Updated: Mar 21
***Trigger Warning: Explicit Content. Article talks about Sexual Abuse, Suicide, and Drugs***
Sometimes life decides to randomly call and say, “wattap, you ready to heal?” and all you can do is say, “pfffsh, I wasn’t doing anything else!”
For some people that means finally going to a therapist, for others it means going on a sabbatical, for others it means a divorce and a new car, for me, it was sitting with sacred plant medicine.
I've come across two sayings about Ayahuasca: the medicine chooses you, and its effects begin the moment you decide to take it. This happened to me at 17. I had my first encounter with plant medicine and the spiritual healing world in a New York City substance abuse class offered by my school. In it we discussed illicit drugs, prescription drugs, and somewhere in between resided psychedelics, mind expansion, and Maria Sabina.
By this point, being Mexican was a core part of my identity. I was eager to learn everything about Mexico. I joined Mexican dance companies to master traditional dances and choreography, participated in pro-immigrant rallies in Washington D.C., and also attended neighborhood hookie parties (because: duality of a Gemini). I watched all of the Chicano films and read books like "Aztec" by Gary Jennings, "Always Running" by Luis J. Rodriguez, and "Burro Genius" by Victor Villaseñor. These experiences made me proud to be Mexican, but not just Mexican—MEXICA, even from 3,000 miles away!
Naturally, hearing a woman’s name, a Mexican woman’s name, a HEALING MEXICAN WOMAN’S NAME, sent my heart into a spiral. I had to know more! But I wasn’t going to get more answers from my teacher, I was going to have to learn more on my own.
In the early days of the internet, we relied mainly on printed books for research. I was uncertain about where to start. I wanted to find information on curanderismo, but locating that section at Barnes and Noble would be difficult.
I decided to go home and asked the highest Mexican authority: my mother. I said, “What do you know about Maria Sabina?” She said, “Eso es para locos, mira, que ni se te ocurra estarte metiendo esas cosas, la gente puede quedar hasta locos ahi.” That roughly translates to, “that is for crazy people, don’t you even dare start doing that stuff,” I said, “How so?” She said, “Well, that’s what older people used to say, but I also know that there were people who seek spiritual healing for other things. But you’re healthy, why do you ask?”
If I wasn’t supposed to be interested, I was now hooked. I went to the library, I found a book and chipped away at it. I learned that Maria was not just a medicine woman, but she was also a poet, a revolutionary, an outcast, and wrongfully so. She reminded me of all the other women across ages and histories that don’t fit a societal mold. Women that fight and believe in their mission, often finding their place long after they are gone.
I continued living my life with the knowledge of a medicine woman, not thinking much about it until I needed the medicine for myself. In 2015, I faced serious health issues. I consulted many specialists and went through 24-hour EEGs, EKGs, and several physical examinations to determine the cause of my condition, but all the results came back either healthy or inconclusive.
I was prescribed a 2000mg regime of antipsychotic medication for four years. The first year was for adjusting, the second for stabilization, and the third and fourth for weaning off. The prognosis success rate was 50/50. Feeling lost and scared, I followed the medical advice and started the medication.
Two weeks into treatment, I began having suicidal ideologies. I caught myself thinking about unaliving myself while riding a New York City Transit Bus. I confided in my mother and we consulted with the doctor right away to which she replied "these side effects are normal" and prescribed antidepressants. I was shocked that suicidal thoughts were considered normal and felt defeated.
At this point I have to say that this is not medical advice or a promotion of medication in-adherence. I strongly suggest everyone speak to a health care professional before starting or interrupting any medication and my experience is not one that everyone has. This is me speaking from my experience about what I did and how it happened. Please inform yourself of who you seek and what you’re seeking. You could do more harm than good.
But I was desperate. I felt like I wasn’t going to last much longer if I had to undergo more treatment and far worse, more medication. At the time, I knew of someone very close that had undergone treatment for an ACL and PCL tear caused by a car accident. His recovery was moving very slowly, and the doctors were contemplating another surgery. To avoid this, his father recommended a spiritual consultation. He was directed to a spiritual healer for a second opinion. After the spiritual consultation, he regained full mobility and reconstruction of his knee and ligaments. He suggested that I schedule a consultation. I was doubtful but agreed because I had seen his progress with the spiritual healer.
During the consultation, I learned that the doctor was a professional with a private practice who practiced spiritual healing as an adjacent to her medical work in Puebla, Mexico. She asked me to set up an altar and make offerings to the spirit that would be healing me before bedtime. She mentioned we would talk about her findings the next morning and hung up the phone. We did not talk about my treatment or conditions during the consultation.
The following morning, the doctor informs me that an excess of energy coursing through my body was the underlying cause of my most urgent symptom, and that the medication dosage I was taking was too strong for both my physical and mental state. She also noted that a hormone imbalance was contributing to the overweight issue I was facing.
I was stunned. I had never met this woman, I had not told her any of my symptoms, there was no way for her to have access to my medical records, and I was miles away from her physical reach, yet her diagnosis was 100% accurate. I was diagnosed with PCOS at a young age, and after multiple unsuccessful treatments, I was left without further options, my mental health was steadily declining, and my medical tests revealed no physical cause for my symptoms.
Her comprehension of my medical conditions convinced me to continue treatment with her. I decided to discontinue my medications and notified my doctor about my decision. She stated that it was contrary to her medical and professional advice, but ultimately, the choice was mine.
Ten years have gone by since this ordeal. It has been a decade since I last encountered an episode requiring anti-psychotic medication. A decade has passed since I underwent a spiritual medical procedure that deeply changed my life and core beliefs. This experience introduced me to an infinite realm of spirituality. It repaired my relationship with God and renewed my faith in His power, signifying only the beginning of my healing journey.
It is easy to treat symptoms that present themselves physically, but emotional illnesses present a more sinister reality. If not healed properly these issues present greater threats to your personal and interpersonal relationships resulting in crushing and debilitating consequences.
And that’s where I was. Though I had recovered from physical illnesses, my emotional well-being and childhood traumas were deeply affecting my daily life. As a child, I endured severe sexual abuse from a close family member, I felt abandoned by my parents during crucial phases of my upbringing, and as an adult I repeatedly formed romantic attachments with unsuitable partners.
My spirit called for relief. And in the darkness, I remembered Maria. I remembered her poem, “Curate mijita.” I started reciting her poem almost as a mantra, asking the universe to help, to show me a path, to guide me in spirit while I learned to listen and calmed down.
And she listened! The first thing she did was send the right people to my life. This is my moment to thank every person that has been a part of this journey. Whether it was with a word, with an action, even with a slight, it brought me to today, to here, and now. Thank you.
The second thing she did was send baños. I had to physically cut the energetic ties I was holding. I would soak in my bath tub letting the plants soothe my body and quiet my mind.
The next thing that happened was finding Bob Vetter, a spiritual healer working in Long Island offering temazcal ceremonies. Temazcales are traditional MesoAmerican sweat lodges used for spiritual and physical cleansing using steam, hot stones, and aromatic plants.
These ceremonies helped bring me even closer to my roots. They connected me to my ancestors and to the earth through Cantos, smudging, plants, and prayers. In the darkness my tears of frustration and abuse seemed to be calmed, but I continued to ask, with the utmost respect, for healing and guidance.
In discussing temazcales, I encountered Ana Godoy, an angel therapist whom i began working with almost ten years ago. She has held my hand as we walk through guided meditations of reconstruction and emotional healing of my interior child. After our sessions she would suggest I drink teas, eat light meals, and to abstain from negative energies and behaviors while the therapy work subsided.
It was at that moment I started noticing the patterns. Every one of these healing techniques utilized plants. I was becoming aware of the physical power plants had on our surroundings, but I hadn't yet understood the effect they could have on my inner self.
Experiencing psilocybin opened my eyes to how our consumption affects our wellbeing. After watching documentaries on the meat industry and working as a case manager for HIV-positive women and children, I witnessed firsthand the health issues stemming from poor diets and a flawed healthcare system. This realization motivated me to cook for myself, prioritizing a clean diet rich in lean proteins and vegetables, while eliminating dairy and pork.
Again, they say the medicine finds and chooses you, not the other way around. When Ayahuasca found me, I was already eight years into my spiritual healing journey. I had rewired my thoughts and started abstaining from certain animal products. I wanted to learn and connect more, asking for guidance and help from a higher energy, but I wasn't being intentional with my petitions.
I believe I was being led by spirit when I came across the opportunity of being a part of Sacred Thunder Plant Medicine Ceremony with Taita Pedro Davila. I remember my now partner sent me a message saying, “there is an ayahuasca ceremony happening in NYC, would you like to go?” All I thought to say was “yes, what do I have to do?”
I was put into contact with the retreat organizer, Fabiola, she sent me a questionnaire and a small e-pamphlet with all of the information about the retreat and a diet that we are encouraged to follow, at least a week before the retreat.
If you were to ask me what the most important aspect of an ayahuasca ceremony is, I would say adhering to the diet. You are asked to abstain from all drugs or stimulants, including coffee, prescription, and alcohol, no meat products or meats, no salt, no refined sugars, no processed foods, no garlic, no onions, no spicy foods, no sex, and abstaining from negative energies. This diet is done to physically, emotionally, and psychologically prepare you for receiving and connecting with the plant medicine. It is a reset to your body and an opportunity to reconnect with your being.
I decided to prepare for a month prior to my first ceremony in 2023. During that month I explored the culinary vegan diet. I was trying all types of vegan meats and meat replacements. I was figuring out what worked best for me and my body, but also my lifestyle.
In my household I am responsible for groceries and meal prepping. It is something I have always enjoyed but never did professionally. My culinary knowledge was learned at a young age helping my aunts in the kitchen and self-taught through watching videos and researching recipes.
At first the diet was very restrictive. It felt like I was only going to be able to drink water. I was ignorant to my options, that is, until my research led me to the world of mushrooms. I began to investigate the properties of the different mushrooms I would find in supermarkets and farmers markets. I began incorporating them into my meals and further removing animal products from my recipes.
My original plan was to abstain from meat only until the ceremony had passed, but never did i imagine that I was going to completely change my lifestyle after the retreat. When I came back from ceremony I had the option of going back to meat and my normal diet, but something from within me said no. The knowledge and transformation wanted me to stay there longer, and I did.
I started recreating dishes that I had grown up with creating my own ideas and recipes. I had fun exploring and interacting with plants, learning their properties and healing powers. I began to see a change in myself. I felt like I was more grounded. I felt stronger spiritually and my energy levels remained high without stimulants.
But the thing that cemented the change for a no animal and mushroom based diet was going back to meat. Once i went back to eating meat I felt: the lethargy after meals, bloating and upset stomach after eating dairy, an increase mucosity of my respiratory airways, and inflammation of my joints.
Those were the physical ailments. Mentally I couldn't ignore the knowledge plants revealed to me. I cannot look at meat and say that it holds great nutritional value when the meat we consume in this country is pumped with
antibiotics, hormones, grown in deplorable conditions, and exposed to multiple diseases, especially when compared to mushrooms!
Spiritually I cannot ignore that plants are living beings, and they communicate with us all the time. I cannot say that their value to our well being isn’t all encompassing. Ayahuasca came into my life as “a spark,” like Taita Pedro says. It showed me an alternative method to connection and healing. It continues to teach me even now.
Although my experience might not be the same as other people who have done plant medicine, I do encourage everyone to develop their relationship with themselves and at the very least: swap one animal-based meal for a plant-based meal of your choice and at your very own convenience.
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