Still In It : 5-MeO-DMT Stories

Benjamin Forest, a retired military officer turned psychedelic coach and author, shares how 25 years of military service left him emotionally shut down, and how psychedelics helped him rediscover his capacity to feel and love authentically. Five months after his intensive at Enfold, Benjamin reflects on his journey from military life through psychedelic healing. After a mental breakdown ended his military career, followed by psychiatric hospitalization and years of unsuccessful treatments, a transformative psilocybin experience opened his heart and changed everything. Having explored various medicines since then, he came to Enfold purely out of curiosity about 5-MeO-DMT. What he discovered was unexpected: intense physical release, nervous system recalibration, and the revelation that his romantic love had been coming from a wounded, defensive place. This conversation explores how a lifetime of masculine conditioning created "emotional constipation", and how learning to love vulnerably became the real integration work. In This Episode: 1. How military service and masculine conditioning taught him to lock down all emotions 2. The mental breakdown and psychiatric hospitalization that catalyzed his healing journey 3. How the heart medicine ceremony revealed what he actually needed to work on 4. The intense physical purging and energetic release during his ceremonies 5. The 48-hour deep rest that followed as his nervous system finally downregulated 6. The new practice of responding to hurt with vulnerability instead of retaliation 🔍 For anyone who's built their life around strength and control, Benjamin's story shows how true courage lies in learning to feel, express hurt honestly, and love without armour. 🗣️ "One of the biggest practices of integrating around this lesson of love is learning how to react to hurt. If I can react to hurt from a place of love... life just got a whole lot easier and a lot more honest." — Benjamin 📚 Get Benjamin's Book: Benjamin's new book Trip of a Lifetime: The Psychedelic Path to Healing, Loving, and Living features his Enfold experience in Chapter 10. This self-help guide walks readers through preparation, navigation, and integration of psychedelic experiences in an accessible, practical format. Available September 2025 at benjaminforest.com [http://www.benjaminforest.com] — Enfold offers safe and sacred transformational experiences combining psychedelic medicines, breathwork, coaching, and somatic modalities, with a grounding in Buddhist philosophy. We come together as a community to support one another on the path of transformation with events, circles, and ongoing programs. Ready to embark on your own transformational journey? Learn more about our programs at: ⁠https://enfold.org [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0MzQ0tyQVJmdEVleGZ0eEhaWk94Ukp0VW9vQXxBQ3Jtc0tuZWxaNHJRVWxMeWwxTjl3QWsyLWFNbmJNVmZOcU9SYlg2QTE5U0ZKT1lHRVZTdXBBMEFjcmtlT3VWZ1gyWHdfZ21QSTRBOTk5RnFXNno4bGtaY2ZfMzdRNXNlMjVfR1VXS0dLRElhdEg2RndFaXdMMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fenfold.org%2F&v=PYms6_eDmtc]

Jaclyn, a small business owner from British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, shares how childhood trauma was still affecting her adult life and relationships, and how the Enfold process helped her reclaim safety, trust, and her authentic voice. Nearly a year after her experience at Enfold, Jaclyn describes what led her to seek this medicine: fractured sleep, reactivated nervous system triggers, and a deep distrust of masculine energy that was impacting both her professional and personal life. Despite years of traditional therapeutic work, she knew she was still "circling around core wounds" and felt called to something deeper. What unfolds is a story of transformation — from the moment she felt the medicine calling, to the moments at Enfold that helped her reclaim her voice. This conversation touches the heart of what it means to heal not just personal trauma, but generational patterns that live in our bodies. In This Episode: 1. Why years of traditional therapy still left Jaclyn feeling stuck around core wounds 2. The pivotal conversation that led to her immediate "yes" to this experience 3. How the group dynamic and witnessing others' healing became part of her own transformation 4. The full release ceremony where she "birthed herself back to herself" 5. That unforgettable integration moment in the ice bath and what it unlocked 6. How her relationship with masculine energy completely shifted after the experience 🔍 For anyone who has done "the work" but still feels something calling them deeper, Jaclyn's story illuminates how some healing requires going beyond the mind to access what the body holds. 🗣️ "Your joy is on the other side of what you may have been avoiding... It's not a trip. It's a soul reckoning." — Jaclyn

A leadership coach and facilitator from Montreal, MJ returns to the podcast for a deep conversation about trust, ego, surrender, and what it means to stay in the work even when the path is unclear. In this second conversation with MJ, she reflects on the two journeys she’s had with Enfold — and the powerful before-and-after that shaped both. From her solo cross-country pilgrimage to the spiritual breakthroughs and ego whiplash that followed, MJ shares with rare honesty what it means to navigate an expanded state and still meet the demands of everyday life. This is a conversation about letting go, staying with the unknown, and learning to hold paradox with grace. In This Episode: 1. The deep knowing that brought MJ back a second time 2. Her encounter with “the resistance” — and how it shaped her ceremony 3. The moment she realized, “I don’t need to know anything” 4. Why integration was more challenging the second time — and more beautiful 📍MJ’s path reflects the sacred tension many in our community hold: reaching for the infinite while still walking the human path. If you’ve ever felt undone by the very healing you asked for, or unsure how to keep going — this one may offer a mirror. 🕊️ “I think I died. I was my soul. And that’s a big f***ing deal.” — MJ — Enfold offers safe and sacred transformational experiences combining psychedelic medicines, breathwork, coaching, and somatic modalities, with a grounding in Buddhist philosophy. We come together as a community to support one another on the path of transformation with events, circles, and ongoing programs. Ready to embark on your own transformational journey? Learn more about our programs at: ⁠https://enfold.org [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbkF4Y3FRUUh1b0kzS0JFc0xpYWJhUDh3eWw1QXxBQ3Jtc0tsaXZCZk1fbHplODNWRnhsNXFmcFNsRGhGVTBDR1M4M3Rkd2k3THYzZF81X2ljZTF1SS1TS1QyTlVtaV9VSmpLWFplX21UYVljUllzU05VUFRKakZRQzZaMWtxRWRhZ0ctdG8xLUpEZ3RkRjQzRmVVNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fenfold.org%2F&v=PPSstOCdqh0]

Tiffany had built a successful career in commercial real estate and was living in beautiful Vancouver with her partner of 14 years. But beneath the surface, something wasn’t sitting right. She was looping in painful relationship dynamics, waking in the middle of the night, and feeling stuck in stories that kept her in a cycle of suffering. When a last-minute spot opened at Enfold, she said yes — not knowing it would be the start of a complete nervous system reset. In this episode, Tiffany shares the full arc of her experience: from the fears she held about group work, to the deep emotional release during ceremony, and the six weeks of physical and energetic reactivations that followed. Her story is one of courage, embodiment, and learning how to trust herself again — not through the mind, but through the body. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, wrestling with relational patterns, or longing for a felt connection to yourself, Tiffany’s experience is a vivid reminder: you are not too much, and you’re not alone. In This Episode: 1. Releasing old stories and reclaiming presence 2. The sacred unraveling of her full release ceremony 3. Learning to trust her nervous system as a guide 4. Learning to lead with love, and the rest will follow 📍Tiffany’s story reflects the truth for many in our community: high-functioning, sensitive women living from their minds — ready to come home to their bodies. If you’re in that space, this one’s for you. 🕊️ “It was like oxygen I didn’t know I needed — just to be fully seen.” — Tiffany — Enfold offers safe and sacred transformational experiences combining psychedelic medicines, breathwork, coaching, and somatic modalities, with a grounding in Buddhist philosophy. We come together as a community to support one another on the path of transformation with events, circles, and ongoing programs. Ready to embark on your own transformational journey? Learn more about our programs at: ⁠https://enfold.org [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbkF4Y3FRUUh1b0kzS0JFc0xpYWJhUDh3eWw1QXxBQ3Jtc0tsaXZCZk1fbHplODNWRnhsNXFmcFNsRGhGVTBDR1M4M3Rkd2k3THYzZF81X2ljZTF1SS1TS1QyTlVtaV9VSmpLWFplX21UYVljUllzU05VUFRKakZRQzZaMWtxRWRhZ0ctdG8xLUpEZ3RkRjQzRmVVNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fenfold.org%2F&v=PPSstOCdqh0]

What happens when both people in a partnership choose healing — not just for themselves, but for each other? Jen and Ryan are married entrepreneurs raising two young boys and running a busy business in the Okanagan. On the outside, life looked good. But underneath, they were both navigating burnout, disconnection, unspoken stories, and years of overwhelm. First Jen came to Enfold, then months later, Ryan followed. What unfolded between — and after — is one of the most intimate, transformative couple journeys we’ve ever witnessed. This conversation is about choosing change even when it’s hard, and about what becomes possible when both people in a partnership feel safe enough to be fully seen. Whether you're in a relationship or walking your own path, Jen and Ryan’s story is a deeply human reminder: the work we do inside ourselves shapes how we show up for everything we love. In This Episode: 1. What healing looked like — separately, then together 2. Parenting while navigating personal transformation 3. The return of fun, safety, and shared practices 4. Releasing old identities, and how that changed everything 📍Jen & Ryan’s story reflects so many in our community: couples in long-term love, quietly craving more ease, more depth, and more truth. If you’re in it, this episode may offer you a mirror. 🕊️ “We see each other more as humans who just want to be loved.” — Jen — Enfold offers safe and sacred transformational experiences combining psychedelic medicines, breathwork, coaching, and somatic modalities, with a grounding in Buddhist philosophy. We come together as a community to support one another on the path of transformation with events, circles, and ongoing programs. Ready to embark on your own transformational journey? Learn more about our programs at: ⁠https://enfold.org [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVI0Uy1DWDk0MGNQSG81ZzdiNVdWQzJfZXZyd3xBQ3Jtc0ttYUxQUWNzY0ZNVHk0cGJzcjBVUFRkWlRta2hsdGJKS1cyRWgwVTRLV3QzTlhFRDBWUUZzVWREa0FDUTNvcFBSbTNPUGpIb2NVZ1d1YjR1X184VkxlSk1RQzZ2UEQyWTVYNUx0RnlQcWlmWUNXOTk0MA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fenfold.org%2F&v=XMkklTlKObY]