The Plant Medicine For PTSD Podcast

Dr. David Zwoboda
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Biweekly

The Plant Medicine For PTSD Podcast is dedicated to bringing you real stories of real people getting real help to overcome their trauma through the use of intentional plant medicine and other spiritual practices. 

  1. 45. Emily Roper - Why Your Trauma Started Before You Could Talk

    6d ago

    45. Emily Roper - Why Your Trauma Started Before You Could Talk

    What if the work you are doing on your trauma at 40 is the exact thing a good parent can teach a toddler at 2?  I sit down with Emily Roper, a neuro-developmental delay therapist and midwife's assistant who has attended more than 600 births.  We get into how pregnancy, birth, and the first year of life shape the brain and nervous system for decades, why so much of adult trauma traces back to attachment, and the counterintuitive reason most trauma therapy backfires when you skip that foundation. Along the way: why a baby is an active participant in its own birth, what the medicalization of birth actually costs us, how an infant startle reflex stuck in survival mode shows up later as adult hypervigilance and PTSD, and why naming a feeling does more than fixing it ever could.  Whether you are a parent, a veteran, or someone deep in your own healing and integration work, this one connects dots you did not know were connected. Guest Bio Emily Roper is a neuro-developmental delay therapist, certified midwife's assistant, and the founder of Early Roots, a practice focused on childhood development and supporting children with developmental delays. With backgrounds in psychology, midwifery, and neurodevelopment, she has spent over a decade working with kids navigating ADHD, autism, anxiety, dyslexia, sensory challenges, and other developmental difficulties. She has also attended more than 600 births. She is passionate about helping families and professionals understand how pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and early infancy shape long-term brain, nervous system, and emotional development. Links & Resources Emily Roper / Early Roots: earlyrootstherapy.comEarly Roots on Instagram: instagram.com/earlyrootsEarly Roots on Facebook: facebook.com/earlyrootsThe Early Roots PodcastThanks again for listening! Enrollment is open right now for our Mindful Microdosing Program, which has helped 250+ veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors overcome anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Visit https://www.becomingom.org/coaching for all the info and to get in touch with us. Or DM us the word INTERESTED on Instagram.

    1h 42m
  2. 44. The Collective - Psychedelics and Reality: Insight or Illusion?

    Jun 22

    44. The Collective - Psychedelics and Reality: Insight or Illusion?

    We recently got invited onto The Collective for a two-hour panel on psychedelics and reality, and it turned into one of the best conversations we have been part of. We sat down with other men who have each come at this work from a different direction: Gordo Hurley, a fifteen-year special operator now building suicide-prevention infrastructure for veterans in Canada; Josh Tyler, a former pro MMA fighter and BJJ black belt running men's healing work in Virginia; and the show's own host Chance Burles and co-host Sean Taylor, who has been around this medicine for twenty-five years. We got into why microdosing and plant medicine amplify whatever is already there, why integration is the work that actually heals trauma and PTSD, what happens in the brain during ego death and the two-week window that follows, and the hardest truth of the day: how dangerous this medicine can be for a veteran who gets sent home to the same environment with no support. If you are curious about this path for yourself, or you love someone who is struggling and you want to understand it better, this is a full and honest map. Listen all the way through. The best parts are near the end. About The Speakers: Gordo spent fifteen years in the military, half as an airborne light infantry reconnaissance patrolman and half as a special operator and joint terminal attack controller, before a medical release in 2021. He runs the creative agency All the Way Factory and the nonprofit All the Way Foundation, has produced a documentary series taking female combat veterans for ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT treatment, and is a co-founder of Stronghold Wellness. On this episode he announces Program Full Circle, a crisis-to-care pathway for veterans in Canada. Josh is a former professional MMA fighter and BJJ black belt based near Richmond, Virginia, and a co-founder of Savage Gentleman. His work has moved from goods into experience: combatives, bushcraft, time outdoors, and carefully held men's gatherings. Chance hosts The Collective. He is a jiu-jitsu brown belt with a background in equine therapy, and he frames this whole series around getting more honest information into people's hands so they can make better decisions. Shaun is the co-host of The Collective. His first major psychedelic experience happened by accident in Peru twenty-five years ago while he was working international security. He is the author of A High Fidelity Mind and is co-writing A Warrior in a Garden with Seb Lavoie. Follow The Collective: https://the-collective.ca/ & https://www.instagram.com/the_collective_ig Follow Gordo Hurley: https://www.instagram.com/atw_alltheway/?hl=en Follow Josh Tyler: https://www.instagram.com/joshtylermma/?hl=en Thanks again for listening! Enrollment is open right now for our Mindful Microdosing Program, which has helped 250+ veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors overcome anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Visit https://www.becomingom.org/coaching for all the info and to get in touch with us. Or DM us the word INTERESTED on Instagram.

    2h 26m
  3. 43. Peter Hawrish - 13 Months That Changed Everything

    Jun 2

    43. Peter Hawrish - 13 Months That Changed Everything

    In 2017, Peter looked his therapist in the eye and told her joy doesn't exist. "You can be happy," he said, "but joy isn't a thing." Two days into his first retreat with us in Mexico, our 18-month-old daughter laughed at a breakfast table, and he nearly lost it. He came back from journaling a couple of hours later and said: "That was joy. I almost didn't know that was an emotion." Peter is a retired Canadian veteran: 23-plus years in the military, including signals intelligence and time embedded with the Canadian Special Operations Regiment.  He came to the retreat not looking for transformation. He just wanted to learn to microdose so he could manage his anger and depression without going back on SSRIs.  What happened instead was the beginning of one of the most complete recoveries we've witnessed: from sleeping three to five hours a night and holes punched in walls, to seven to eight hours of sleep, a gratitude practice, pastel pencils, and plans for Japan and Turkey. In this episode, we talk about what it actually means to develop a relationship with plant medicine over time, how Peter's anger, rooted in a childhood of constant moves and new schools,  finally stopped being the thing he had to white-knuckle around.  We talk about the ayahuasca ceremony in Costa Rica where he finally accepted his hip replacement after ten years of fighting it. We also talk about rebuilding motivation from self-love instead of shame or anger.  This one's for anyone who needs a reminder that 13 months is long enough to change your whole life. Thanks again for listening! Enrollment is open right now for our Mindful Microdosing Program, which has helped 250+ veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors overcome anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Visit https://www.becomingom.org/coaching for all the info and to get in touch with us. Or DM us the word INTERESTED on Instagram.

    1h 27m
  4. 42. Toby Miller - Do You Actually Want To Heal?

    May 25

    42. Toby Miller - Do You Actually Want To Heal?

    Toby Miller is back, and we have a lot to catch up on.  We start with something a lot of people understand but don’t always talk about honestly: losing a dog that felt like family. Toby talks about Lucy, Titan, grief, spirituality, and the weird truth that love and pain can sit in the same room at the same time. We talk about combat trauma, forgiveness and the stuff that most people would rather bury.  Toby opens up about being blown up in Afghanistan, carrying pieces of his teammate’s bone in his body, and realizing later that he was still attached to the wound, continuing to suffer because it had become a part of his identity.  A lot of people say they want to heal. But when it comes time to actually put the weight down, some part of them still wants to keep carrying it. We also talk about ayahuasca, iboga, plant medicine, preparation, integration, and why none of this works if you’re still waiting for something outside of you to do the work for you. Connect with Toby: https://www.instagram.com/unmedicatedmohican Thanks again for listening! Enrollment is open right now for our Mindful Microdosing Program, which has helped 250+ veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors overcome anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Visit https://www.becomingom.org/coaching for all the info and to get in touch with us. Or DM us the word INTERESTED on Instagram.

    1h 17m
  5. 41. Bruno Moya - Iboga, Initiation, and What It Means to Become a Man

    May 18

    41. Bruno Moya - Iboga, Initiation, and What It Means to Become a Man

    In this episode, I sit down with Bruno, a Marine veteran, social worker, jiu-jitsu guy, and family constellation facilitator who works with veterans, first responders, athletes, healthcare workers, and trauma survivors. This one goes a lot of places. We talk about plant medicine, family constellation work, ancestral patterns, growing up in Mexico, combat, fatherhood, marriage, initiation, and why so many men carry anger that is really covering fear. We also talk about the difference between having a powerful experience and actually integrating it into your life. Because going to Africa, sitting with medicine, doing a ceremony, or having some huge realization means nothing if you come home and keep being the same guy. What we cover:  What family constellation work is  Why your family system still affects how you show up  Bruno’s first plant medicine experience  Taking off the armor around your heart  Iboga, initiation, and manhood  Why anger often points back to fear  Fatherhood, marriage, and breaking old patterns  Why nobody is the guru, and we’re all figuring this out Connect with Bruno: https://soulminerretreats.org/ Thanks again for listening! Enrollment is open right now for our Mindful Microdosing Program, which has helped 250+ veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors overcome anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Visit https://www.becomingom.org/coaching for all the info and to get in touch with us. Or DM us the word INTERESTED on Instagram.

    1h 36m
  6. 40. Clayton Law - Adult ADHD and Avoidance: Why Important Tasks Feel Impossible

    May 11

    40. Clayton Law - Adult ADHD and Avoidance: Why Important Tasks Feel Impossible

    Adult ADHD and procrastination can look a lot like laziness from the outside. But for a lot of high-achievers, entrepreneurs, parents, veterans, and first responders, it’s usually more complicated than that. In this episode, I sit down with my friend and former mentor Clayton Law to talk through his recent ADHD journey, and why so much of it hit uncomfortably close to home for me. We get into the stuff most people don’t want to admit: avoiding the work that would actually move you forward, relying on deadline panic, scrolling instead of executing, wondering if it’s a character flaw, and feeling shame because you “know what to do” but still can’t make yourself do it. Clayton breaks down what changed for him after getting support, experimenting with medication, working with an ADHD coach, and building a routine around how his brain actually works. This is not medical advice. It’s an honest conversation about attention, avoidance, business, family, and learning to stop fighting your own brain. What we cover:  Why high-achievers can miss ADHD for years  Procrastination as an adrenaline strategy  Why open schedules can wreck productivity  Phone addiction, shame, and avoidance loops  Medication, coaching, and routine without the magic-pill fantasy  Why exercise, lunch, and sleep matter more than we want to admit  How to make hard tasks smaller, clearer, and less scary  Adult ADHD and procrastination in business, parenting, and real life The big takeaway: you might not need another strategy. You might need a better system for actually doing the thing. Connect with Clayton: instagram.com/clayton.moves Make Moves Podcast Make Moves Coaching The contents of this episode are for educational & entertainment purposes only and are not medical, legal, or mental-health advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes. Thanks again for listening! Enrollment is open right now for our Mindful Microdosing Program, which has helped 250+ veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors overcome anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Visit https://www.becomingom.org/coaching for all the info and to get in touch with us. Or DM us the word INTERESTED on Instagram.

    1h 6m

  7. May 5

    39. Parenting Made Me See My Own Programming

    This episode is about parenting, affirmations, the stories we tell ourselves, and how the messages we hear over and over become the water we’re swimming in.  Most of us have beliefs we never chose.  We just absorbed them from our parents, our jobs, our relationships, or whatever environment shaped us. You see, I made my daughter cry the other day. Not in some dramatic, horrible way.  But in a way that made me realize I had been accidentally teaching her something almost every day of her life. We’re in the middle of weaning her from breastfeeding. She calls it “chichi,” and we’ve been telling her that she’s a big girl now. She has teeth. She can eat food. The chichi magic has to go back to the moon so another little baby can use it. Pretty cute, honestly. Except she started pushing back by telling us she’s not a big girl. She’s a little baby. No teeth. Needs milk. And then it hit me. For two and a half years, I’ve been picking her up, snuggling her, and calling her “Daddy’s little baby girl.” Every day. So here I am telling her she’s a big girl, while I’ve been affirming the opposite her entire life. That wrecked me a little bit. Maybe you’re not walking around saying you’re a baby with no teeth. But you might be telling yourself you’ll always be anxious. Or broken. Or that good things never last. Or that healing works for other people, but not for you. And until you notice the story, you can’t change it. Thanks again for listening! Enrollment is open right now for our Mindful Microdosing Program, which has helped 250+ veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors overcome anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Visit https://www.becomingom.org/coaching for all the info and to get in touch with us. Or DM us the word INTERESTED on Instagram.

    12 min
  8. 38. Zappy Zapolin - The Future Of Psychedelic Integration

    Apr 23

    38. Zappy Zapolin - The Future Of Psychedelic Integration

    In this episode I sit down with Zappy Zapolin for a conversation on psychedelic integration, ayahuasca, ketamine, surrender, ego, and what happens when someone builds the career, makes the money, checks all the boxes, and still ends up feeling empty. Zappy is one of the bigger names in this space, and honestly, we went into this one a little skeptical. That didn’t last long. We talk about his path from Wall Street and internet entrepreneurship into the psychedelic world, the spiritual crisis that pushed him inward, and the ayahuasca experience that changed how he sees control, identity, and life itself. We also get into ketamine, mushrooms, present-moment awareness, and why insight by itself doesn’t mean much if you never actually integrate it. We talk about the future of psychedelic therapy, the rise in demand for real training, and why there are too many people right now trying to guide others with no business doing it. What we cover:  Zappy Zapolin’s path from finance to psychedelics  Ayahuasca, ketamine, and psychedelic integration  Ego, surrender, and present-moment awareness  Why success can still leave you empty  The need for real training in psychedelic therapy and integration  Psychedelic Concierge and the future of this space👉 Zappy on Instagram 👉 The Psychedelic Concierge & Certification 👉 The Reality Of Truth Documentary Thanks again for listening! Enrollment is open right now for our Mindful Microdosing Program, which has helped 250+ veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors overcome anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Visit https://www.becomingom.org/coaching for all the info and to get in touch with us. Or DM us the word INTERESTED on Instagram.

    1h 25m
See All (96)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

The Plant Medicine For PTSD Podcast is dedicated to bringing you real stories of real people getting real help to overcome their trauma through the use of intentional plant medicine and other spiritual practices. 

Information

You Might Also Like