Consciousness Medicine: Indigenous Wisdom, Entheogens, and Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth Paperback – June 25, 2019

Françoise Bourzat has written a seminal book, with practical models from which to base your journey. There are at least four chapters each on preparation and integration, which are some of the best I’ve ever seen. And she’s a poet!! And extremely experienced. This is a must read for anyone wanting to explore psychedelic healing as a way to process and release trauma, whether it be PTSD, addiction, anxiety, or a myriad of other psychological ailments. None of these is currently being helped by traditional western psychology and it’s billion dollar industry of anti-depressants that only mask the symptoms and do not delve into the deepness of the trauma itself to heal. I can’t say enough about this wonderful, amazing book.

I tried reading this book while on 5g of psilocybin mushrooms (WHILE IN MEXICO), and I really enjoyed the ways the words just leapt off the page at me. The book really spoke to me. Really. It said, "hey, man, maybe you should try reading me when you are sober, but for now, let's listen to the sound of the Earth humming." And then I dissolved into wave consciousness and heard the Great Mother singing a lullaby that echoed throughout the cosmos, with the message that hey, there's some really cool stuff going on with this universe. I came back to find myself naked, wrapped around a pot containing my new friend the fern. I'm looking forward to reading the chapter on integration so I can make sense of it all.

Françoise and Kristina have put much wisdom in this book. Thank you. The book is meant as a resource for journeyers and guides alike. It starts by laying out a Holistic model for understanding and identifying imbalance in one's life using an intake questionnaire. It then moves on to the actual ceremonies and journeys and the different types of experiences one can encounter and how to best support them as a guide. It ends by providing practical ways to integrate each type of experience in life to have meaningful results. This is less like the Michael Pollan book, and more like an academic resource to support one's work.

Clearly she is an expert. He life has been an amazing journey to compile a vast level of knowledge. A must-read for anyone that hopes to or intends to try mushrooms, MDMA, sweat lodges, mediation retreats, or any such mind experience. She discuses many topics in the book. Two that greatly impacted my life were the "set and setting" protocol and "surrender," which I try to use each day in my normal routines. Thank you for writing this book.

As a voracious reader for more than 7 decades I have had the pleasure of reading thousands of books on topics from A to Z, from the hard realistic sciences to the strange and unusual esoteric. Now that I am well into my senior years my reading passion has remained the same. This is why, even though I have read numerous books on this subject, when I saw this 284-page soft cover book (Consciousness Medicine: Indigenous wisdom, entheogens, and expanded states of consciousness for healing and growth by Francoise Bourzat with Kristina Hunter) on Amazon I purchased it.Even though I was familiar with many of the concepts in this book; nevertheless, the approach in this book for total self-improvement focuses on more specific details than other volumes I have read on this topic. There is a lot of material covered in its eighteen chapters, and there are numerous questions it asks the reader to ponder to achieve the objectives outlined in this book.Some of the material covered includes: “Expanded states of consciousness for healing and growth, the rise of the guide, the holistic model for a balanced life, the essentials of preparation, physical preparation, journey into an expanded state, the art of integration, sharing our transformation with the world” and many other informative chapters.In conclusion, if you are seeking a detailed volume on healing and transformation you may want to check out this informative book. I personally found this book to be only a fairly interesting book and gave it 4 stars for its numerous details and questions.Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Zen poetry moments: Haiku and Senryu for special occasions).

I’m a licensed Mental Health, professional, and found this book to be very helpful as I am in the early stages of my journey toward a greater understanding of the use of psychedelics in outpatient mental health treatment

I've highlighted, underlined, dogeared and damaged this book as it has been a constant companion since I purchased it. I have yet to encounter a more clear-headed and pure-spirited approach to this work. Bourzat's writing is direct, insightful, soulful and, above all, USEFUL. She and Hunter have created a well-organized guidebook for both guides and travelers. It seems to me to be deeply respectful of the traditions from which this work comes and it also leaves room for adaptation and improvisation within the context of healing. I'm very grateful to have this book within reach!

Thorough, wise, and practical all at once. I feel better equipped to navigate my journeys and help others navigate theirs. Grateful for this resource!