Though psychedelic medicines are often presented as a “quick fix” or “magic pill” in mainstream Western culture, the truth is far more complex than that. In this conversation, Mariya Javed-Payne & Liz Zhou explore what a decolonial approach to psychedelic medicines would look like — an approach that divests from capitalism, honors Indigenous wisdom & sovereignty, and centers community.

Having options for self-care is so important — not just for our own nervous system health, but also for the health of our communities. Every nervous system that heals, rests, and is cared for, creates ripple effects for the collective healing of all.

When the world feels like it’s on fire, it’s natural to become dysregulated. Here are 3 reminders to help you tend to your nervous system and navigate the state of the world with agency & awareness – without bypassing painful emotions or pretending that everything is okay (when it’s not).

May we show up for each other until the very end, not just when it’s comfortable & convenient, but through the uncomfortable & scary parts of life as well (when we need each other most). 

In this poignant conversation, Liz Zhou & Halle Thomas explore why the medical model (which assumes that health = the “absence of illness”) is not the only paradigm. We discuss ways to make therapy safer for queer, BIPOC, & neurodivergent folks; and how to weave ancestral & cultural practices into the healing process.

We’ve all heard how important self-care is — but actually building a self-care plan that works for your brain is a whole other story. If the typical advice, like “take a bubble bath!” or “have you tried meditating?”, simply doesn’t work for you: let’s explore options that feel more accessible & authentic to you.

Neurodivergence, like autism & ADHD, is often stigmatized in Western mental health. They’re seen as pathologies in need of a “cure.” But what if we viewed neurodiversity through a curious & affirming lens, acknowledging both the challenges AND gifts?

What does a good life mean to you? What about a good death? To plan, lovingly, for the end of our lives — while knowing that anything could happen & nothing is guaranteed – requires us to reckon with how we are living now.

Endless productivity is not realistic, yet many of us carry the burden of feeling “lazy,” like we’re not doing enough. This blog post explores why rest is a need, not a reward; how capitalism & culture impact our relationship to work; and what it means to move at the speed of your nervous system — not at the speed of capitalism.

When attention has breadth, it flows in different directions, responding to whatever is most interesting / urgent in the moment. When attention has depth, it burrows deeply into a single point of focus for a sustained period of time.

If you have an inner voice that tells you, “I’m unworthy,” “I don’t matter,” or “I’m crazy/too sensitive”... let’s explore why these beliefs may come from the systems of oppression around us — and how we can relate to ourselves in a more compassionate way.

When does it feel safe to be you? If you’ve heard the advice “just be yourself” and felt frustrated by how generic it was, I want to share a more nuanced framework that acknowledges personal identities & lived experiences: masking vs. unmasking.