Faces of 5: Stories with Substance

Chad Charles
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Biweekly

Chad Charles speaks with people about their 5-MeO-DMT experiences—why they chose 5, what unfolded, why they chose to work with a guide, and how their lives have been impacted. Each episode offers a first-hand account of experiences that are often misunderstood and rarely shared with such openness. Together, these conversations reveal a wide range of perspectives and outcomes. Grounded, present, and warm, Chad brings out the clarity and insight in each storyteller’s voice.

Episodes

  1. Sep 8

    When 5-MeO Is Held In A Therapy Context | a 5-MeO-DMT story | AJ | E11

    In this episode of Faces of Five, Chad Charles reconnects with AJ years after their 5-MeO-DMT session to reflect on a much larger journey with psychedelics, therapy, and mental health. After years of struggling with depression and searching for the right support, AJ began ketamine-assisted therapy at one of the lowest points in his life. That experience changed his trajectory and eventually led him to explore 5-MeO-DMT alongside years of consistent work with a psychologist. Together, Chad and AJ explore what happens when psychedelic experiences aren't treated as standalone interventions, but as part of an ongoing therapeutic relationship. AJ reflects on the importance of trust and rapport, learning to recognize his tendency to brace against difficult experiences, and how years of psychedelic and therapeutic work have fundamentally changed his relationship with depression and anxiety. What We Discussed: AJ's long-term experience with depression and traditional mental health treatment Discovering ketamine-assisted therapy (and its limits)  Combining psychedelic experiences with consistent psychotherapy The difference between a clinical setting and a therapeutic relationship Why trust and rapport matter in psychedelic work AJ's experience with ketamine, psilocybin, and 5-MeO-DMT Fear, resistance, and “bracing” during his 5-MeO-DMT session Learning what happens when he stops expecting things to go wrong Unexpected changes that emerged after his session The importance of debriefing and working through psychedelic experiences How AJ has changed over five years of sustained inner work No longer allowing depression and anxiety to define who he is chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at www.recognitions.ca Chad Charles on Substack @re.cognitions on Instagram Recogntions on Facebook Timestamped Summary 00:00 – Intro to AJ and reconnecting several years after his 5-MeO-DMT session01:00 – Depression, therapy, and discovering ketamine-assisted treatment03:00 – Exploring 5-MeO-DMT and psilocybin alongside ongoing therapy04:00 – The impact of pairing psychedelic experiences with consistent therapy06:00 – What was missing from the clinical ketamine setting09:00 – Bringing his psychologist into his ketamine treatments10:00 – Why rapport and trust mattered during psilocybin therapy14:00 – AJ's 5-MeO-DMT session and the importance of feeling safe16:00 – Fear, resistance, and learning to release the “bracing” response19:00 – How that pattern of bracing showed up beyond psychedelics23:00 – Five years of psychedelic experiences and personal change24:00 – Depression and anxiety: “It's not me anymore”

  2. Aug 28

    From Seeking to Embodiment | a 5-MeO-DMT story | Livio | E10

    In this episode of Faces of Five, chad charles speaks with Livio about how his relationship with 5-MeO-DMT evolved from independent psychonautic exploration into a deeper practice of surrender, self-inquiry, and embodiment. Having experienced 5-MeO-DMT before working with Chad, Livio reflects on what changed when the medicine became part of a relational, facilitated process. Through their work together, he began questioning not only what it means to “break through,” but the identities, attachments, and external structures he had relied on to create a sense of safety and self. Together, they explore the difference between breakthrough and full release, letting go of external authority, and transformation that can happen without needing to cognitively understand or explain it. For Livio, the journey with 5-MeO-DMT has ultimately become less about travelling somewhere extraordinary and more about returning—more deeply each time—to his body, the present moment, and his own life. What We Discussed: Livio’s experiences with 5-MeO-DMT before working with a facilitator Why relationship and container changed his experience of the medicine Surrender and learning to simply be with what arises Letting go of spiritual objects and external sources of safety The difference between a “breakthrough” and a full release Questioning identity and the parts of ourselves we hold onto Moving from ideas about life toward greater presence and embodiment Community, belonging, loneliness, and developing a relationship with himself The difference between embracing identity and becoming attached to it Experiencing energetic release without needing a story or explanation Willpower, physicality, and reconnecting with the body How 5-MeO-DMT continually points him back toward life and the present moment chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net Chad Charles on Substack @re.cognitions on Instagram Recogntions on Facebook Timestamped Summary 00:00 – Intro to Livio 03:00 – Why the facilitator and container matter as much as the molecule 06:00 – Surrendering the need to explain and simply being with the experience 08:00 – Letting go of external objects, safety, and authority 11:00 – Rethinking the idea of a “breakthrough” 15:00 – Transformation, identity, and self-inquiry 17:00 – Coming into the body, the senses, and the present moment 21:00 – Letting identity dissolve and questioning what still serves 23:00 – Community, belonging, loneliness, and relationship with self 26:00 – Embracing change without becoming attached to identity 29:00 – Experiencing an energetic blockage and release through the body 34:00 – Healing and transformation without cognitive understanding 37:00 – How 5-MeO-DMT keeps bringing Livio deeper into life 38:00 – Curiosity, trust, and approaching future experiences

  3. Aug 13

    Travelling to the Final Threshold of Self | a 5-MeO-DMT story | Max | E09

    In this episode of Faces of Five, chad charles sits down with longtime friend Max to explore a profoundly metaphysical 5-MeO-DMT journey that carried him to what he describes as the final threshold of self. Drawn to 5-MeO-DMT as the ultimate test of surrender, Max chose the injection route in order to fully commit to the experience. What followed was an accelerated journey through the unraveling of thought, a radical opening of the heart, and an encounter with a space beyond identity, memory, and reference itself. Returning from that threshold, Max found himself seeing Earth from an entirely new perspective: a tiny, precious home suspended within an immeasurable vastness. The experience left him with a deep love for life, a renewed appreciation for the human "character" he inhabits, and a lasting sense that the search for something beyond himself had finally come to rest. Together, chad and Max explore surrender, ego dissolution, the nature of consciousness, spiritual practice, and what happens when the seeker reaches the place they have been searching for all along. What We Discussed: Why Max felt called to 5-MeO-DMT after years of spiritual inner work Choosing the intravenous route as an act of surrender The unraveling of thought during the ascent Heart-opening at the edge of annihilation The invitation to love everything Crossing the final threshold of self The mysterious gap beyond memory and identity Seeing Earth from a cosmic perspective Heaven, hell, and the stories we create Falling in love with the human character The difference between knowing and believing Practices that help maintain connection to the ineffable Latihan, spirituality, and direct experience Many paths leading to the same destination Why the seeking may end while the playing continues chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net https://substack.com/@chadcharles5 https://www.instagram.com/re.cognitions/ https://www.facebook.com/Recogntions Timestamped Summary 00:00 – Intro to Max 04:00 – Surrender, trust, and choosing the injection route 09:00 – The rapid onset and unraveling of thought 12:00 – Feeling the consciousness of Earth 13:00 – The invitation to love everything 14:00 – Crossing the final threshold of self 15:00 – Returning from the gap beyond memory 16:00 – Seeing Earth as home within infinite silence 18:00 – Falling in love with the human character 22:00 – Living with a knowing that cannot be forgotten 28:00 – Personal, transpersonal, and beyond differentiation 33:00 – Many paths leading to the same destination 36:00 – When the seeking ends and the playing begins

  4. Jul 30

    Dissociation: From Struggle to Superpower | a 5-MeO-DMT story | Miriam | E08

    In this episode of Faces of Five, chad charles speaks with Miriam about a lifetime of dissociation, identity loss, surrender, and the surprising perspective that transformed her relationship to all of it. After experiencing severe episodes of dissociation throughout her life—including periods of memory loss, loss of identity, and states of profound disconnection—Miriam came to 5-MeO-DMT with curiosity rather than expectation. What emerged was not a lesson in how to let go, but a lesson in how to stay. Together, they explore the difference between dissociation and transcendence, the role of surrender in healing, and how conscious choice can transform a coping mechanism into a gift. This conversation offers a nuanced and deeply human perspective on trauma, presence, nervous system intelligence, and what becomes possible when we learn to remain connected to life without losing ourselves. What We Discussed: Miriam's lifelong relationship with dissociationLosing her sense of identity, memory, and selfThe moment surrender transformed her healing journeyDissociation as both a coping mechanism and a giftWhy she was drawn to 5-MeO-DMTThe difference between dissociation and transcendenceDiscovering how easily she could surrenderLearning to remain present while accessing altered statesChoice, agency, and nervous system freedomHow trauma shapes our relationship to presencePleasure, embodiment, and reconnecting with lifeTransforming dissociation from something involuntary into something conscious chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net https://substack.com/@chadcharles5https://www.instagram.com/re.cognitions/https://www.facebook.com/Recogntions Timestamped Summary 00:00 – Intro to Miriam02:00 – Coming to 5-MeO-DMT with curiosity and no expectations04:00 – Why Chad's perspective on Miriam's dissociation resonated so deeply06:00 – Severe dissociation, memory loss, and losing her sense of self08:00 – The surrender that came effortlessly14:00 – Dissociation as both a coping mechanism and a superpower17:00 – Entering familiar dissociative states during the session21:00 – The unexpected lesson: learning to stay present25:00 – Choice, agency, and the difference between dissociation and transcendence28:00 – Increased pleasure, embodiment, and connection to life after the session30:00 – Reduced triggers and a new relationship with presence33:00 – What dissociation taught her about worth, identity, and being alive

  5. Jul 14

    Healing Takes Work: Reflections from 30 Years on the Path | a 5-MeO-DMT story | Laadaa | E07

    In this episode of Faces of Five, chad charles speaks with Laadaa, a Haida elder and lifelong student of healing, about the role 5-MeO-DMT played in a personal journey that spans more than three decades. Rather than viewing medicine as a cure, Laadaa shares how 5-MeO-DMT acted as a catalyst—opening doors that allowed him to continue the deeper work of healing, self-discovery, and self-acceptance. Together, they explore collective trauma, Indigenous perspectives on wellness, the importance of personal responsibility, and why meaningful transformation requires far more than a single experience. This conversation is a reflection on patience, perseverance, and the understanding that healing is not a destination, but a lifelong practice. What We Discussed: ● How 5-MeO-DMT opened new pathways for healing ● Why medicine alone is not enough ● The importance of doing the work after ceremony● Ancestors, spirituality, and receiving guidance ● Collective trauma and Indigenous healing ● Shame, identity, and generational wounds ● Play, joy, and reconnecting with the inner child ● Acceptance, forgiveness, and personal growth ● Self-acceptance and finding a new relationship with oneself ● The experience of symbolic death during 5-MeO-DMT ● Medicine as a catalyst rather than a cure ● Discernment, readiness, and responsible medicine work _____ chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net https://substack.com/@chadcharles5 ______ Timestamped Summary 00:00 – Reconnecting after years and reflecting on a lifelong healing journey 03:00 – How 5-MeO-DMT opened new pathways and opportunities 05:00 – Why healing requires action and commitment beyond the medicine 07:00 – Ancestors, spiritual guidance, and receiving support along the path 09:00 – Collective trauma, Indigenous healing, and personal responsibility 12:00 – Shame, generational wounds, and confronting difficult truths 13:00 – Remembering play, joy, and the importance of putting yourself first 16:00 – Struggling with acceptance while continuing to heal 18:00 – Self-acceptance, progress, and trusting the direction of life 20:00 – Conscious participation during 5-MeO-DMT and the experience of symbolic death 22:00 – Why medicine is a catalyst, not a cure 24:00 – Discernment, integrity, and not chasing medicine 28:00 – Guidance for those considering 5-MeO-DMT 29:00 – One-on-one work versus group ceremony 30:00 – Moving through darkness and finding what lies beyond

  6. Jun 30

    Trusting the Body, Letting Go of the Mind | a 5-MeO-DMT story | Coline | E06

    In this episode of Faces of Five, chad charles speaks with Coline about her first experience with 5-MeO-DMT and the profound lessons it revealed about trust, surrender, and the delicate relationship between the body and the mind. Drawing from years of meditation, somatic exploration, psychedelic work, and personal development, Coline shares how the experience challenged her tendency to analyze, control, and make sense of everything. Together, they explore protective parts, embodied wisdom, and the surprising discovery that her body often knew the way forward long before her mind was ready to trust it. This conversation is a thoughtful exploration of self-awareness, surrender, nervous system intelligence, and the delicate balance between intuition and analysis. ________ What We Discussed: ● What drew Coline to 5-MeO-DMT and why timing mattered ● How 5-MeO-DMT differed from other psychedelic experiences ● Meeting the observer beyond the ego ● Parts work, self-awareness, and internal dialogue ● Resistance, panic, and learning to trust the process ● The wisdom of the body versus the stories of the mind ● Surrender as a skill that can be developed ● The role of guidance during profound psychedelic experiences ● Integration through embodiment and daily awareness ● Reactivations and experiences of deep presence ● Navigating the relationship between intuition and analysis ● Trust, gratitude, alignment, and the lasting impact of the experience _______ chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net _______ Timestamped Summary 00:10 – Why Coline felt called to 5-MeO-DMT and the importance of trust and setting 03:00 – Arriving at the session from a place of curiosity rather than fear 05:00 – Comparing 5-MeO-DMT to other modalities 07:00 – A lifelong devotion to self-discovery and personal growth 08:00 – Meeting the observer and exploring the different parts of the self 09:00 – Panic, resistance, and losing trust during the session 11:00 – Discovering the body's wisdom when the mind wants to take control 13:00 – Surrender as a practice: learning to let go and trust the process 15:00 – Integrating the experience through the relationship between body and mind 17:00 – Reactivations, intimacy, and returning to states of profound presence 20:00 – When to trust the body and when to trust the mind 24:00 – Protective parts, surrender, and reaching a state of blissful awareness 27:00 – Lasting feelings of trust, gratitude, and alignment after the session 32:00 – Why she would return: self-discovery, embodiment, and the ongoing journey inward

  7. Jun 16

    From Confusion to Clarity: Finding Eternal Self Worth | a 5-MeO-DMT story | Moreno | E05

    In this episode of Faces of Five, chad charles speaks with Moreno, an artist, spiritual practitioner, and long-time participant in 5-MeO-DMT work. Reflecting on over five years of sessions together, Moreno shares how the medicine helped him move from confusion and self-doubt toward clarity, confidence, and a deeper understanding of who he truly is.   Together, they explore spiritual materialism, self-love, intuition, trauma healing, subconscious reprogramming, and the practical actions required to embody lasting transformation. Moreno offers a grounded perspective on spiritual growth, emphasizing that awakening isn't about collecting knowledge, rather, it's about integrating insights into everyday life and becoming who you were always meant to be.   What We Discussed: - Beginning the journey with 5-MeO-DMT - Readiness, surrender, and transformation - Spiritual materialism and personal truth - Turning insight into action- Intuition, synchronicity, and trust- Self-love and inherent worth - Confidence and authentic self-expression - Higher states of consciousness - Stabilizing growth and embodiment- Trauma, memory, and healing - Reprogramming the subconscious - The lasting impact of 5-MeO-DMT _______ chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net __________ Timestamped Summary 00:00 – Intro 01:00 – What led Moreno to 5-MeO-DMT 03:00 – Readiness, surrender, and being open to whatever the medicine reveals 05:00 – How 5-MeO-DMT amplified who he already  06:00 – Reflecting on five years of growth, transformation, and integration 07:00 – Spiritual materialism, direct experience, and finding your own truth 12:00 – Clarity, releasing trauma, and seeing beyond unconscious patterns 14:00 – Turning realization into action 16:00 – Intuition, synchronicity, and trusting life's unfolding process 18:00 – Self-love, self-worth, and becoming comfortable in his own skin 22:00 – Higher states of consciousness and stabilizing personal transformation 25:00 – Understanding identity, recovering hidden memories, and healing trauma 29:00 – Why 5-MeO-DMT became a major catalyst for lasting change 30:00 – Advice for spiritual seekers: clarify what you truly want

  8. May 22

    The Therapist Becomes the Client | a 5-MeO-DMT story | Andria | E05

    In this episode, Andria, a therapist based in Vancouver, speaks about her first 5-MeO-DMT experience in 2021 and the sessions that followed. She describes feeling a clear pull toward the work despite not having prior guided psychedelic experience, and moving forward based on intuition and trust in the referral that connected her to it. She shares how her background as a therapist shaped the way she entered the experience. Andria also describes being accustomed to holding space for others, and what it was like to shift into being the one inside the process. In her words, this involved navigating control, trust, and letting go within the sessions themselves. Andria describes her experiences as unfolding across multiple sessions rather than being contained to a single moment. Some are described as subtle, others more direct, and she speaks to how each session met her in a different way depending on where she was at the time. Andria also speaks about working one-to-one with the same guide and returning for multiple sessions, and how that continuity and setting supported her engagement with the process. _________ chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net Substack Timestamped Summary 00:00 – Introduction to Andria’s 5-MeO-DMT journey 02:00 – Her background as a therapist specializing in EMDR and somatic work 04:00 – Working beyond cognition: healing through the body and energy 05:30 – Her first 5-MeO-DMT session in 2021 06:30 – Physical releases, observing consciousness, and energetic purging 08:00 – Understanding the “observer” state and equanimity 10:00 – Spiritual practice, meditation, and emotional detachment 12:00 – Intensity, blocked energy, and nervous system release 13:30 – Reactivations and integration after the first session 15:00 – Why she returned for a second session years later 16:00 – A radically different second experience: from darkness to rebirth 17:30 – Encountering “the void” and wanting to stop the process 18:30 – Emotional aftermath, integration support, and post-session lows 20:00 – Why guidance and relational safety matter in psychedelic work 22:00 – Vulnerability, trust, and the therapeutic container 24:00 – Why this became some of the most important work of her life 27:00 – Lasting changes: observer consciousness, self-compassion, and resilience 28:30 – Supporting others through psychedelic integration work 30:00 – Living with epilepsy and shifting her relationship to epilepsy and medication 34:00 – Reflections on long-term psychedelic integration and closing thoughts

  9. May 1

    Finding Safety in Fear | a 5-MeO-DMT story | Naran | E03

    Naran describes returning to 5-MeO-DMT with chad after a previous experience (with someone else in a less-than-supportive container) left him terrified of both the medicine and life itself. That early experience initiated a two year journey of constant fear, panic, disregulation. Even hearing the medicine mentioned could send him into panic, yet he knew that avoiding it was not resolving what had been opened. Naran reflects on the original experience as ending in an overwhelming contraction despite it being a profound state of liberation. He says that contrast was deeply destabilising and the facilitator was not able to hold him adequately. For roughly two years he lived with reactivations, fear, and a sense of being hunted by something he could not escape. Although he had tools and resources, he says that although they soothed him, they did not resolve what remained unfinished. What allowed him to return to the medicine was a different context: a gentler, more gradual approach, one-on-one contact, time with the facilitator, and a stronger sense of safety and connection. He describes the first session with chad as giving him courage, and the second as the real crossing—meeting the fear, feeling it fully, and finding safety within it. He says that the completion accomplished in that process was due to a softening, a growing trust, and the sense that he could finally stop. He now speaks about fear as a teacher that calls him forward rather than something to avoid. That shift shapes how he works with others: with empathy, with safety, and with a willingness to stay with whatever is happening. He says the return to 5 with chad taught him the power to relax into intensity, to soften reactions, and to gently unravel contractions rather than turn away from them. _____ chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net ______ Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction to Naran1:41 Retreats, breathwork, and one-on-one work3:26 Returning to 5-MeO-DMT after fear5:00 Freedom, contraction, and destabilization6:48 Forgetting his name and coming back to limitation9:29 Two years of fear and reactivations11:49 A gentler approach and saying yes again14:00 Why one-on-one support mattered16:23 Second session: from the shore into the depths18:49 Crossing the fear and finding safety20:57 Fear as teacher, softening, and guide work29:42 Can going back be the remedy?

  10. Apr 25

    All Is Well, Even When It Breaks You | a 5-MeO-DMT story | Carly Rae | E02

    In this episode, chad speaks with Carly Rae about the 5-MeO-DMT sessions they did together beginning in 2018, and how those experiences fit into the larger arc of her life. Carly Rae now lives in northern British Columbia with her partner, where they have bought 80 acres and are building a retreat centre. Her work has expanded into women’s health and equine therapy, and she describes her current life as something she could not previously have imagined for herself. Looking back, Carly Rae says she first came to this work during one of the hardest periods of her life, in the aftermath of a highly publicized tragedy that involved her brother. She describes her initial intention as wanting to “rewire” her brain after experiencing depression and suicidal ideation for the first time. Rather than bringing immediate relief, her first 5-MeO-DMT session (also her first guided psychedelic session) opened a much harder process. She says it brought patterns and repressed memories to the surface and that life became more difficult afterward. Even so, she sees that difficulty as necessary. Over time, she says the multiple sessions helped remove layers of amnesia, and bring her into contact with both deeply personal material and broader patterns of repression and violation. She describes the early sessions as feeling like she was being forced into submission, while later sessions showed her that the same experience did not have to come through terror and intensity but rather surrender. She speaks about learning that the same medicine, over time, could also be experienced through bliss, and about choosing not to return to the same old patterns of being “hammered by life.” Carly Rae also reflects on the importance for her of doing this work privately with a man. She says the sessions were deeply vulnerable and intimate, and that being held by a man through such intense experiences helped reshape how she relates to and trusts the masculine. She connects this directly to material around sexual abuse that surfaced in the process. Eight years later, she says the words “all is well” have stayed with her throughout everything, and that 5-MeO-DMT remains one of the greatest gifts in helping free her mind and soul. ____________ chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net ____________ Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction & Carly’s Life Today 0:53 Building a Retreat Centre in Northern BC 2:21 First Guided Psychedelic Session 3:34 The Bus Crash & Intention to “Rewire” 4:38 The First Session: Everything Gets Harder 6:14 “All Is Well” & Thinking She Was Dying 8:20 Choosing to Return & Face What Surfaced 10:52 From Submission to Surrender 12:55 Repression, God, and Expression 15:18 Thawing Consciousness Over Years 20:34 Medicine, Humility, and the Ego 24:14 Trust, Intimacy, and Being Held by a Man 30:23 A Message for People Considering This Work

  11. Apr 14

    From Ice Cube to Water | a 5-MeO-DMT story | YZ | E01

    In this episode, chad speaks with YZ about her first 5-MeO-DMT experience. Despite prior work with meditation retreats and other psychedelics, she found those insights did not last. What remained was an intuitive pull toward a different kind of encounter—one grounded a contemporary context, and one-to-one support. YZ reflects on her hesitation around traditional medicine settings, particularly the tension between lineage, tourism, and authenticity. She was drawn instead to an individualized format, where the presence of the guide became central the experience. For her, that relational support allowed something deeper to unfold—something she could not access in a group setting. She describes the session as profoundly paradoxical: both terrifying and deeply peaceful. Through the metaphor of an ice cube melting into water, she captures the shift from a rigid sense of self to something more fluid and expansive—losing form, but not essence. In the aftermath, YZ speaks to a lasting change in how she relates to herself and the world. What had once been conceptual became directly experienced. She describes less judgment, greater fluidity, and a new baseline in daily life—framing the experience not as an endpoint, but as the beginning of an ongoing process. ________ chad charles is a practitioner, educator, and mentor specializing in 5-MeO-DMT. Since 2016, he has worked exclusively in this field, developing a practice-based understanding of these experiences through direct facilitation, practitioner training, and ongoing research. He works one-on-one with individuals in therapy-assisted contexts, supports people around the world through integration calls, and guides practitioners through mentorship and training. A large, detailed body of documented sessions since 2020 informs targeted research initiatives, with a focus on clarity, precision, and lived data. His private practice operates in Toronto and Montreal. Learn more at chadcharles.net ________ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction & How YZ Chose 5-MeO-DMT 04:44 From Traditional Lineages to Modern Containers 07:35 Power of One-on-One Guidance & Support 10:23 Paradox of Terror and Infinite Love 14:55 Seeing Love in Everything After the Session 18:06 Actualization of Prior Spiritual Work & Behavioral Shifts 23:13 Self-Love as Love for All That Exists Within You 25:44 The Ice Cube Metaphor: Identity Melting into Vastness 29:44 Bravery, Empowerment, and Deeper Truth 32:18 Sharing the Ineffable & Guidance for Others 35:50 An Ongoing, Never-Ending Journey

  • 11 Episodes

About

Chad Charles speaks with people about their 5-MeO-DMT experiences—why they chose 5, what unfolded, why they chose to work with a guide, and how their lives have been impacted. Each episode offers a first-hand account of experiences that are often misunderstood and rarely shared with such openness. Together, these conversations reveal a wide range of perspectives and outcomes. Grounded, present, and warm, Chad brings out the clarity and insight in each storyteller’s voice.

Information