Healing through Connecting

09/06/2026

09/05/2026

In a breakthrough study, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered that psilocybin given before chemotherapy prevented the onset of nerve injury in preclinical models (not tested on humans yet), even after repeated treatment cycles. The findings could help prevent pain, numbness and other common chemotherapy side effects.

The researchers discovered that psilocybin directly affects the peripheral nervous system through serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. In preclinical models, as few as two doses of psilocybin given before chemotherapy prevented hypersensitivity to cold, protected sensory nerve endings and preserved touch sensation while also maintaining chemotherapy's antitumor activity.

These results were consistent even when models were given repeated chemotherapy cycles with cisplatin, paclitaxel and docetaxel.

Additionally, researchers found that cisplatin depleted mitochondria—the structures that produce energy inside cells—and reduced their movement inside nerve fibers. Further, psilocybin activated a specific signaling pathway that preserved mitochondrial trafficking after chemotherapy, maintaining adequate energy levels at nerve endings.

"Psilocybin does more than reduce pain signals by protecting the nerves themselves through energy delivery," Dougherty said. "This neuroprotective effect could help patients withstand the stress of chemotherapy, maintaining sensation, mobility and quality of life during treatment and long into survivorship."

Quote from Medicalxpress.com

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec6116

09/02/2026

The ceremony is not where the medicine begins, and it is not where it ends.

What happens in the quiet days before you arrive, and the tender weeks after you leave, is where the real alchemy takes root. The session itself is one thread in a much longer weaving.

This is why our Sacred Immersion Sessions are structured with a preparation session at least a day before you sit down with the medicine, and an integration session five to thirty days after. Research within plant-spirit medicine traditions points to three journeys as the most supportive number, especially for those carrying trauma, treatment-resistant patterns, or a long season of feeling stuck. The medicine works in layers, like mycelium moving beneath the forest floor. What is seeded in ceremony needs soil, time, and witnessing to unfurl.

A few things I have come to trust after years of holding this work:

~ Set an intention, then loosen your grip on it. The plant spirits often answer a deeper question than the one you brought.
~ Prepare your body gently in the days before. Simple food, less noise, more sleep, less screen. Let your nervous system arrive before you do.
~ Come with openness, not expectation. Ceremonies rarely unfold the way we imagine, and that is often the mercy of them.
~ Within twenty-four hours, put pen to paper. Not to analyze, but to witness. The images, the sensations, the fragments. They are the roots of what is emerging.
~ Honor the integration window. This is not the afterthought. This is where the medicine finds its home in your life.

A single session can crack something open. Three, held with care and integration, can rearrange the field entirely.

If you feel the pull toward this work, it begins with a Discovery Session. A quiet conversation to see what your heart is asking for, and whether this pathway is the right one. Please reach out. We would be honored to listen alongside you.

With warmth,
Dr. Michaelene

08/21/2026

A QUEST IS A SEED.
AN ODYSSEY IS THE GROWING SEASON.

A Quest package often cracks open what took decades to form, but a seed that cracks open still needs soil, water, and time. That's what the Odyssey package is capable of doing.

Research points to three journeys as optimal, especially for those navigating deep trauma or the long ache of feeling stuck. Each session builds on the last. The roots deepen. The mycelium finds its way. It is truly an odyssey.

Neither path is more sacred. What matters is which one your Soul and your circumstance is asking for.

Not sure which is right for you? Please see the comment section to find out how reach out.

With warmth,
Dr. Michaelene

08/18/2026

She walked in with a notebook and a plan to observe.

She left the notebook untouched, tissues in hand, and something gently shifted inside her.

Some people arrive at our Family Constellations workshop expecting a presentation. A demonstration. Something to study from the safe distance of their mind. Then the incense reaches them. They notice the circle of chairs, the tissue box placed carefully beside each seat, and they begin to realize the sacredness and depth that this process brings.

In fact, one participant shared this with us after the workshop: "I thought I was there to take notes on theory. Instead I found myself speechless, physically drained, and restored with a sense of insight I couldn't have read my way into."

This is the difference between experiencing a healing process via watching a video or reading it in a book and actually being met and held by it.

Talk therapy invites you to describe your family.

Constellation work invites your family, your ancestors, the ones named and unnamed, into the field with you. The connections are always there. The circle simply gives them a place to arrive.

We don't need your family members in the room. We only need your presence in the room. The field holds the rest.

If you've been curious about this work from an intellectual space, wondering whether it's for you, that hesitation is welcome too. We'd be honored to listen alongside you.

Please reach out. Our workshops and private sessions, in person and over Zoom, are open when you are ready. We are also honored to travel to you and your groups if desired.

08/15/2026

The candles have been lit. 🕯

The faint scent of Palo Santo still hanging in the air from the last ceremony. Pillows on the couch, blankets folded with care, waiting.

This is the part no one photographs. The minutes before a session begins, when the space itself seems to expand, filling with grace, comfort, and safety.

We believe that sacred space is not something we solely create. It is also something we feel and remember.

The body and Soul know the difference. The body softens and the Soul awakens. Shoulders drop. The jaw releases a tension it didn't know it was holding. Something old and tired finally sets itself down.

You don't have to arrive ready. You only have to arrive. The candle is lit. The room is prepared.

We're here when you are.

08/12/2026

Your Community Sacred Ceremony

Imagine a space where courage meets comfort, where ceremonies unfold as vessels for clarity, care, and connection tailored to your group's deepest healing aspirations.

Together, we embark on a journey of profound healing, guided by the wisdom of plant-spirit medicine, and/or the transformative power of Healing through Connecting Constellations, or other sacred pathways that lead us to realms of connection, compassion, and belonging.

It is our honor and privilege to be present with you and your community, creating a sanctuary for sacred work and shared experiences at your venue.