We asked Nectara guide Emilie Button some questions about her healing path and her work as a psychedelic integration specialist. Want to learn more and book a free consultation? Check out Emilie's profile on Nectara.
What are two important life lessons you've learned through your psychedelic experiences?
"The only way out is through'' is the first valuable teaching I have received from psychedelics. I used to be wholly cut off from my emotional body. When I started my journey with intentional psychedelic healing (mushroom at the time), they would allow me to access the grief and pain exiled and locked deep down in my body. I experienced many profound emotional and somatic releases with the help of psychedelics. Moving through the pain is what freed it.
"The only place worth living is from the heart" this simple yet potent remembering is present in all of my psychedelic experiences. In a world that glorifies intellectual prowess and doesn't embrace sensitivity as a strength, I have learned to close my heart and get claps of approval for my accomplishments. It has been a journey to learn to deprogram this belief. Psychedelics, especially Ayahuasca, MDMA and San Pedro, have a way of constantly expanding my heart and allowing me to bathe in its infinite wisdom and compassionate power.
Why is psychedelic integration important?
Psychedelic journey's without proper integration only become an experience. The journeys' teachings will lose potency as the days go by, and it will soon feel like an interesting dream we once had. The insights will only be meaningful if we can carry them on into our everyday lives in an intentional and embodied way. Psychedelics can show us the way, but we are responsible for taking the appropriate actions in our lives. I once attended an ayahuasca ceremony, and the spirit plant asked me, "what are you doing here? Have you done the work I asked you to do when I saw you last? "Not really, " I answered" "Go back home, do your work before I give you anything else, and don't come back until then" I became sober instantly and went back home with some needed tough love from the master plant and did the necessary work I was avoiding doing.
Psychedelics can also bring forgotten memories and traumas to the surface. This situation can be confusing and painful. Integration sessions with a qualified professional are highly recommended if this is the case for you.
Why did you become a psychedelic support guide?
Psychedelics have been the most healing and life-altering modalities in my personal life. It changed me in the most magical and beautiful ways. It allowed me to move through the darkness and gave me incredible guidance and clarity when asked for. I have been doing counselling & somatic work with my clients for over a decade. When I moved to the Sacred Valley of Peru, where plants are legal, and MDMA decriminalized, I saw an opportunity to bring psychedelics into my practice and offer a way to dive into more profound healing for my clients. It has been the most incredible journey so far, and I feel humbled by the power of this work. I am so grateful for it all.
Who is a teacher or mentor that influenced your path the most?
The person who impacted me the most was Gabor Maté. After doing the professional Compassionate Program with him, I have a renewed and deeper understanding of trauma and addiction. I am in such awe of this man. The information he shares lands like truth in my body. Everything he does is infused with compassion, authenticity, life experience, and profound wisdom. Nothing impacted me more than this man's teachings. I am in complete resonance with his groundbreaking work. Thank you, Gabor!