Category: Psilocybin

Very few people have such an interesting story as Ian Benouis.  As for being relevant to the plant medicine sphere, Ian’s life experience is about as diverse at it can get.  

From Blackhawk helicopter pilot fighting against drug cartels in Panama to a representative of the disastrous prescription drug epidemic to a supporter of the psychedelic medicine movement, Ian’s story is sure to both entertain and educate.  

In this episode, Daniel and Ian discuss Ian’s life story, how it all comes together to make an impact on the veteran suicide and addictions crisis in the USA, and some philosophical questions on war, culture and the so-called war on drugs.  Tune in and enjoy!

“Yeah, let’s transition from the bullet war to the meme war. I’ve been really moved by the responses from the Soldiers of the Vine screenings. I’m like “Wow, I built a field of dreams, and people actually showed up!” People are getting whatever they need out of it, versus our own self criticisms about what could have been better. That’s the real amazing thing about it. Share the message with people, and people will self-organize and self-activate. There’s no cult, there’s no dogma, it’s just spreading the love of healing and then people will naturally do whatever it is they feel they were created to do.

I think ultimately these plant medicines are psychic mirrors: they give the opportunity for greater self-reflection. Used ceremonially together, you get an intensification from all those spheres online together, mirroring each other. We all need to shut up and take our medicine and do our work. My personal belief is that the universe is a superorganism that makes up a mirror for the divine, where the ego is a construct that creates the illusion of separateness so that we have a game to play, and it’s the best game ever.

And that’s our potential salvation, and how our planet is getting hooked up into an electronically supported superorganism platform for communication. I think we’re trying to all connect each other up to heal ourselves, to unify as a planet, and then on to whatever’s supposed to be next. I don’t know what that is any more than the next person, but I have an open heart and open arms and trust that the universe knows what it’s doing.”

Whenever Terence McKenna came to town he would always thank the audience for coming to listen to him, but would also always point out that everyone that you needed to meet was already in that room with you.

So in that spirit, please come out and meet all the people in the audience that are waiting for you and join us for the inaugural screening of ‘Soldiers of the Vine: Healing War Trauma with Plant Medicine’ followed by a special Q&A panel.   The film features six American Veterans that go to Peru to explore a 10-day plant dieta (Ayahuasca and other plant medicines) to treat PTSD.

The panel consists Mitch Schultz, the producer of Soldiers of the Vine, who will be the moderator,  Ian Benouis, organizer of the project, Chris Schickedanz, who went to Peru and Jeremiah Looney who was unable to travel to Peru, but has participated in numerous ayahuasca and other medicine ceremonies with veterans. Please stay tuned to see if some other special invited guests will be able to make it to town.

Six American Veterans travel to Peru for a 10-day plant dieta with ayahuasca and other plant medicines to treat their trauma with the help of three Shipibo shaman brothers.

he says, “While marijuana remains illegal in Texas, decriminalizing marijuana has been taken up by various states while other states have legalized the drug for medicinal reasons. While I have long contended that legalizing marijuana would be harmful to our society, I remain aware of the sensitive and emotional nature of the legalization/decriminalization debate.

H.R. 667, the Veterans Equal Access Act, would make it easier for qualified veterans to access medical marijuana in states where it is legal. Supporters of this bill believe medical marijuana could be used as an alternative prescription for veterans suffering from chronic pain, and assist in a veteran’s recovery from mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress.”

he says, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates controlled substances, such as marijuana and medical pharmaceuticals. Since the laws governing these drugs are federal laws, the state of Texas is obligated to follow federal law. Article VI, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution is referred to as the “Supremacy Clause.” Under the Supremacy Clause federal laws made pursuant to the Constitution are the supreme laws of the land and states are bound to follow those laws. Furthermore, in any conflict between federal and state law, the federal law must be applied.”

she says, “Legalizing personal marijuana use and possession is becoming more of an issue as more and more attention is being drawn to it. While it is still currently banned at the federal level, several states have or are trying to legalize it. I; however, believe that the legalization of marijuana for recreational use would have lasting harmful effects on our communities. As a physician, I believe habitual marijuana usage can be damaging to families and have personally witnessed patients who have suffered long-term health effects from smoking marijuana. This aspect of the issue needs to be considered carefully as there are many aspects involved, and I will take all information under advisement before making any decisions. I will continue to place emphasis on evidence-based research.”

I know the plant and earth medicines work for service trauma as I have gone to Peru and Mexico with other veterans where we have successfully used ayahuasca, ibogaine, 5-Meo-DMT and other plants to treat PTSD with the help of shamans, healers, facilitators and doctors and of course one another. Veteran love is the best medicine. Veterans have learned and recent studies have shown that the highest correlating factor for contracting PTSD from military service is childhood trauma. The medicines help veterans achieve self-love, self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. This healing allows for veterans to reintegrate in to society. These outputs of the war machine who swore an oath to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic, who signed their lives away on the dotted line and have not renounced their oath, who are trained in lethal force and are seeking belonging and a calling to a higher purpose, can take their rightful place in society as peaceful warriors showing the rest of humanity a way forward.