Note: This episode contains audio glitches due to technical issues during recording.
In this enlightening conversation, Reverend Kokyo shares his journey through Zen Buddhism and the integration of his prior experiences with psychedelics into his spiritual practice. He discusses the profound impact of both Zen teachings and psychedelic experiences on his understanding of self, trauma, and healing. Kokyo emphasizes the importance of intention and setting when exploring psychedelics, and how these experiences can complement Buddhist practices. He also addresses the challenges of navigating trauma and the significance of allowing oneself to feel and process emotions without avoidance. The dialogue highlights the interconnectedness of various spiritual paths and the potential for healing through mindfulness and compassion.
Special Thanks to:
Konstantin Alexander (KAStudiosHQ.com) - Podcast Production
Ryan Bell (@IG bellphoto11.com) - Logo Design
David Starfire (davidstarfire.com) - Music
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival, or Nine Emperor Gods Festival, is a Taoist ritual held each October in southern Thailand. Though known for its strict vegetarianism and purification practices, it is equally defined by trance and mediumship. Ma Song (“spirit horses”) enter altered states believed to be deity or ancestor possession, performing acts like cheek-piercing or fire-walking without pain—seen as devotion and purification.
Psychologically and spiritually, these trance states function as culturally supported dissociative experiences and communal catharsis. They allow participants to transcend ordinary consciousness, channel symbolic divine power, and release personal and collective suffering. The festival becomes a powerful expression of embodied spirituality, uniting body, mind, and spirit in a shared ritual of protection and renewal.
In this episode, Dolnaras, Ommi shares her 20-year journey of serving as a medium during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, where a female deity enters her body to offer blessings and joy to others. She describes how the deity guides her toward the people who need her touch and how this non-ordinary state of consciousness has deepened her appreciation for both the human experience and the realms beyond it.
Through this cultivated balance between the spiritual and the everyday, Ommi has learned to support others in their healing—not only during trance states but also in her daily life.
ดลณรัสม์ กีรติวุฒิพงศ์ (Ommi):
Dolnaras Geerativudhipong is a Holistic Health Therapist specializing in Thai Sappaya Aromatherapy and Reiki Energy Healing. Her integrative approach blends the ancient wisdom of Thai Sappaya Medicine with the therapeutic properties of aromatic Thai herbs and essential oils to restore harmony and natural balance to the body, mind, and spirit.
Through the art of scent and herbal therapy, Ommi guides individuals toward inner peace and emotional clarity. Each session offers a gentle, sensory journey that soothes the heart, nurtures the senses, and awakens the body’s innate capacity for healing. By combining the core principles of Thai Sappaya—emphasizing comfort, balance, and mindfulness in all aspects of life—with the restorative energy flow of Reiki, Ommi’s sessions cultivate sustainable wellness and a deeper connection to self-awareness.
Special Thanks to:
Konstantin Alexander (KAStudiosHQ.com) - Podcast Production
Ryan Bell (@IG bellphoto11.com) - Logo Design
David Starfire (davidstarfire.com) - Music
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival, or Nine Emperor Gods Festival, is a Taoist ritual held each October in southern Thailand. Though known for its strict vegetarianism and purification practices, it is equally defined by trance and mediumship. Ma Song (“spirit horses”) enter altered states believed to be deity or ancestor possession, performing acts like cheek-piercing or fire-walking without pain—seen as devotion and purification.
Psychologically and spiritually, these trance states function as culturally supported dissociative experiences and communal catharsis. They allow participants to transcend ordinary consciousness, channel symbolic divine power, and release personal and collective suffering. The festival becomes a powerful expression of embodied spirituality, uniting body, mind, and spirit in a shared ritual of protection and renewal.
At just 14 years old, Kornrawee (Nok) entered her first trance during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival—a moment that terrified her, transformed her, and ultimately shaped the trajectory of her life.
In this episode, Nok shares what it felt like when a deity first took over her body, how she learned to communicate with and honor that presence, and the courageous decision she later made to ask it to leave so she could pursue a career in law.
Now an attorney in Bangkok, Nok continues to hold deep reverence for the deities of the festival and the Buddhist traditions that guided her early experiences. Her story is a profound reflection on finding balance between the spiritual and the worldly—and honoring both with integrity.
A rare and intimate glimpse into trance, tradition, and the choices that shape a life.
ฉันเป็นทนายความ ได้รับใบอนุญาตถูกต้องตามกฎหมาย สามารถว่าความได้ทั่ว ประเทศไทย
ฉันเรียนจบปริญญาตรีนิติศาสตร์จากมหาวิทยาลัย ในปี พ.ศ. 2556 และได้รับใบอนุญาต ให้เป็นทนายความเมื่อ พ.ศ. 2562
ตอนนี้ฉันเป็นทนายความได้ 7 ปี แล้วค่ะ
(Kornrawee is a licensed attorney, legally able to practice law throughout Thailand. She graduated with a Bachelor of Law from the University of Bangkok in 2013 and received her legal license in 2019. She been a lawyer for seven years now).
Special Thanks to:
- Konstantin Alexander (KAStudiosHQ.com) - Podcast Production
- Ryan Bell (@IG bellphoto11.com) - Logo Design
- David Starfire (davidstarfire.com) - Music
In this powerful conversation, audio/video producer & musical artist Konstantin Alexander joins me to share how he discovered that trauma therapy—not cannabis—was the true elixir on his healing path.
We explore:
• How self-medication can mask deeper pain
• Why anxiety sometimes increases before healing begins
• The courage it takes to turn toward trauma instead of away from it
• How authentic transformation starts with self-acceptance
A vulnerable, wise, and deeply human dialogue about what real healing asks of us.
Healing is possible—no matter the depth of the wound.
For More about Konstantin, his music and his work, check out:
Production: kastudioshq.com/
Original Music: https://open.spotify.com/track/6qSNeGTm3UU43erndglFZX?si=1b51dc5591d840ab
Special Thanks to:
In this episode, I speak with Jake Dimmock, a longtime Seattle resident, U.S. Merchant Seaman turned cannabis pioneer, and co-founder of one of the nation’s first medical marijuana dispensaries—the Northwest Patient Resource Center.
Jake reflects on his unexpected journey from working tugboats on both U.S. coasts to becoming a leader in medical cannabis. He shares how his perspective shifted beyond the idea of “just getting high” toward recognizing cannabis as a powerful—though complex—tool for healing.
Our conversation explores:
• How cannabis can support mental health, particularly for people living with PTSD.
• Why cannabis helps some but not all—and the importance of remembering that no treatment is universal.
• The fascinating role cannabis plays in dreaming: disrupting or suppressing dream recall, sometimes relieving nightmares, but potentially interfering with deeper healing for others.
Jake offers a grounded perspective on cannabis as both an elixir and an interferer, reminding us that its impact is highly individual.
Special Thanks to:
- Konstantin Alexander (KAStudiosHQ.com) - Podcast Production
- Ryan Bell (@IG bellphoto11.com) - Logo Design
- David Starfire (davidstarfire.com) - Music
In this episode, Dharma teacher Erin Treat shares her perspective on the ever-changing nature of healing. She likens the process to surfing a wave—calling for presence, adaptability, and courage to stay on its leading edge. Erin encourages us to move beyond fixed methods and instead bring curiosity, innovation, and deep listening into our practice. Together, we explore how mindfulness, compassion, and spiritual practice help us navigate life’s constant shifts and keep the healing journey alive and effective.
Special Thanks to:
Konstantin Alexander (KAStudiosHQ.com) - Podcast Production
Ryan Bell (@IG bellphoto11.com) - Logo Design
David Starfire (davidstarfire.com) - Music
In this episode, trauma therapist and Buddhist practitioner Tom Faupl shares his powerful experience in a high-dose psilocybin clinical trial. He describes it as both the hardest and most transformative day of his life, revealing the profound healing potential of psychedelics when held in a trauma-informed way.
Tom and Karen explore the importance of sustained integration support and the role of the subtle body—an energetic, psychospiritual dimension recognized in traditions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Yoga. They discuss how psychedelics can open deeper awareness of this subtle body, and why honoring and integrating this embodied knowledge is essential for true healing.
Special Thanks to:
Konstantin Alexander (KAStudiosHQ.com) - Podcast Production
Ryan Bell (@IG bellphoto11.com) - Logo Design
David Starfire (davidstarfire.com) - Music
In this episode, I speak with David Weinstein—founding teacher of the Rockridge Meditation Community, teacher at the Pacific Zen Institute, and psychotherapist. David shares his unexpected entry into Buddhism and psychedelics, beginning with childhood mind experiments, LSD in college, and a chance encounter in a German bar that led him across Nepal, Afghanistan, Japan, and beyond.
He describes how the teachings of Lama Zopa and Lama Yeshe on death and suffering drew him deeper into Tibetan practice, extended retreats, and later into Zen koans, shikantaza, and Morita psychotherapy. David sees psychedelics not as permanent tools, but as bridges—“for crossing, not carrying”—that can open insight when paired with meditation and integration.
We explore how psychedelic states, trauma, and awakening experiences can dissolve identity, making community and integration essential. David emphasizes gentleness in practice, belonging, and keeping the mind open with his guiding mantra: “make your mind a question mark.”
Special Thanks to:
Konstantin Alexander (KAStudiosHQ.com) - Podcast Production
Ryan Bell (@IG bellphoto11.com) - Logo Design
David Starfire (davidstarfire.com) - Music
A podcast exploring the meeting point of trauma therapy, psychedelic medicine, and Buddhist wisdom and how weaving them together can transform healing and our relationship to suffering. Learn more at karensprinkel.com.
Special Thanks to:
Konstantin Alexander (KAStudiosHQ.com) - Podcast Production
Ryan Bell (@IG bellphoto11.com) - Logo Design
David Starfire (davidstarfire.com) - Music