Still In It : 5-MeO-DMT Stories

Karen is an herbalist in southern Maryland who spent years quietly carrying what she calls a pattern of "suffering in silence" — a shame she traces back through the women in her family. Fourteen months after an intensive at Enfold, she joins Arthur to look back on what brought her there and what's changed since.

Karen talks about the physical toll that fatigue and unprocessed grief had taken on her body, the experience of being met with total honesty by her ceremony pod, and a Full Release journey she describes as a kind of whiplash between death and rebirth. She also shares how she's built simple, sustaining practices into her life since — cold plunges, acupuncture, slowing down — and what she'd tell someone standing where she once stood.

A warm, grounded conversation about shame, community, and the slow work of coming back to yourself.

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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

Shana is an academic who looked, by all outward measures, like a calm, high-functioning, successful person. Underneath, she'd spent decades in fight-or-flight — anxiety, panic attacks, and a nervous system that never quite felt safe.

She came to Enfold after her brother went first and came back changed. Ten months later, she joins Arthur to talk about what happened in between.

Shana describes a full-release ceremony that felt less like her own story and more like witnessing generations of inherited suffering — war, grief, fear — and finally being able to let it go. She talks about coming back into her body after a lifetime of living in her head, the strange and clarifying experience of bonding with five strangers who seemed to have nothing in common with her, and the months of small, conscious choices that followed: noticing old habits in real time and choosing, again and again, whether to pick them back up.

She also talks about what's changed in how she relates to the unknown, and a new commitment to taking life a little less seriously.

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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

David first joined Arthur on the podcast after his initial 5-MeO-DMT experience at Enfold in December 2024 — a journey that helped him process a recent autism diagnosis, years of depression and anxiety, and unresolved grief. In this follow-up conversation, David returns to talk about going back to Enfold in November 2025, this time with his partner.

Where the first ceremony felt like being shown the beauty and possibility of life, the second was different — less euphoric, more excavating. David talks candidly about confronting buried anger (some of it not even his own), learning to trust and voice his own feelings day to day, and discovering that healing doesn't mean life gets easier so much as it gets more honest. He also shares how the experience reshaped his relationship to work, creativity, and play — including a documentary project, Mile Zero, born out of his first journey.

A grounded, reflective conversation about what it actually looks like to keep doing the work, long after the dramatic breakthrough.

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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

In this episode, we sit down with Janelle, an aviation executive from Toronto who joined us at Enfold in September 2025. Janelle arrived at Enfold desperate for change—battling panic attacks, severe anxiety, 16-hour workdays, and a recently diagnosed autoimmune condition. What she experienced over the course of five days was a reset of her nervous system and a radical shift in her relationship with her health and her past.

Janelle was introduced to 5-MeO-DMT when she noticed a dramatic shift in the energy of two colleagues who had recently returned from Enfold. Realizing that she was "more scared living another 40 years the same way" than she was of the medicine, she booked her retreat with a blank slate.

Janelle details the profound energy releases she experienced, describing how years of compounded stress and "toxic" energy living in her fascia literally poured out of her through intense physical trembling. She also shares the remarkable vision during her full release ceremony that forced her to take radical accountability for her health choices, leading to her immediately quitting a 25-year smoking habit.

Perhaps most movingly, Janelle shares how her time at Enfold helped her drop her shield of blame and hatred toward her estranged father. By seeing him as a wounded child rather than just her abuser, she was able to meet with him after 12 years of no contact, offering only compassion and love.

This episode is a powerful testament to the body's ability to release stored trauma and the profound grace that can emerge when we finally stop running from our pain.

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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

In this episode we are joined by Patricia, a Vancouver-based Pilates and Gyrotonics studio owner who holds a special place in the Enfold story — she was part of our very first 5-day "Awakening to Life" intensive back in August 2024. Speaking with us a year and a half later, Patricia offers a rare and beautiful look into the "long tail" of integration.

Unlike some who seek out this medicine during a personal crisis, Patricia arrived at Enfold simply propelled by a lifelong dedication to self-growth. She came seeking to remove the subtle blocks that were keeping her from showing up completely in her life. With a history of psychedelic exploration dating back to the 90s, she was no stranger to expanded states. Yet, 5-MeO-DMT offered her a uniquely somatic unraveling.

Patricia takes us through the arc of her 5-day experience — from arriving at what felt like "Avalon", to a deeply tearful release honouring the healthy masculine energy of her brother.

Perhaps most powerfully, we explore how childhood conditioning shapes our bodies. Patricia shares how she broke through her mother’s mantra of "never wanting to be a burden" by boldly asking for physical support during her ceremony.

Today, she stands more centered, honouring her energy, and treating her business as a direct reflection of her internal alignment.

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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

In this episode, we sit down with Drew, a former tech sales executive who joined us at Enfold in May 2025. Drew’s story is a profound exploration of the "Middle Passage". That messy, sacred liminal space where the mask of success no longer fits, but the new version of yourself hasn't fully formed yet.Drew shares how chasing external success came at the expense of his sanity and health, eventually leading him to a 12-step fellowship, sobriety, and the spiritual path. But even with years of therapy and internal work, old somatic resonance remained locked in his body.He shares his transformative week at Enfold with 5-MeO-DMT, from a physical "exorcism" of limiting beliefs, to a deep healing of his inner child.Most importantly, Drew doesn't sugarcoat the integration process. He shares the trap of the "lovingly naive" honeymoon phase, followed by a grueling 4-month depressive episode in Asia where he had to truly sit with his darkness before cracking open to real freedom. If you are navigating the messy reality of letting go of who you were, this episode is a must-listen.— 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

In this episode, we sit down with Quincy, a mother of nine from Utah, to explore a courageous journey of religious deconstruction, healing trauma, and finding safety in the unknown. Quincy shares her story of growing up in a devout Mormon family and the pivotal realization that she had to find God within herself rather than seeking it outside.

Quincy opens up about a previous "harrowing" 5-MeO-DMT experience where a lack of preparation and support left her reeling, and how that contrast highlighted the profound necessity of a safe container. At Enfold, she found the safety she needed to move through intense somatic releases—shaking, fear, and deep-seated anger—before breaking through to a state of pure, ecstatic joy.

In this episode we unpack:

1. The Danger of "Drive-By-5" Dosing: Quincy shares her difficult first experience with 5-MeO-DMT and why lack of preparation and integration can leave seekers in a state of chaos rather than healing.

2. Religious Deconstruction: The challenging path of stepping away from a devout upbringing to find your own spiritual truth, and the "black sheep" dynamics that often follow.

3. Somatic Release: How the body stores trauma (specifically anger and fear) and why physical release—shaking, movement, and being held—was the key to unlocking her heart.

4. Integration in Chaos: How to bring the peace of the medicine back into a home with nine children (including special needs twins), moving from control to acceptance.

5. Healing Within Community: The incredible synchronicity of finding a "soul family" in her cohort—including a neighbor living just minutes away in Utah.

This conversation is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It explores how we can return to our busy lives (even with nine children!) with a newfound sense of presence, calm, and surrender.

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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

In this episode, we sit down with Stan, a Manitoba-based entrepreneur and three-time Enfold guest, to trace the arc of a profound multi-year transformation. What began as a curiosity sparked by a breathwork session turned into a journey that saved his marriage, healed deep-seated childhood wounds, and reconnected him with his Indigenous ancestry .

Stan’s story is a powerful testament to the fact that healing isn't a one-time event—it is a continuous unfolding. He opens up about the "emotional constipation" and hidden struggles with bulimia that plagued his early life, and how the "mask of success" kept him disconnected from his heart.

We explore his three distinct experiences at Enfold:

1. The First Intensive (2023): Facing the ego's fear of death, realizing the beauty of life, and choosing to go "all in" on his marriage with Sande .

   
   

2. The Second Intensive (2024): A chaotic, necessary release of "youthful energy" and the shedding of old, toxic patterns .

   
   

3. The Third Intensive (2025): Stepping into the 5-day format, finding deep vulnerability in community, and embracing his Metis heritage as "Wolf Who Looks Both Ways".

   
   

This conversation is a beautiful example of the "Middle Path"—bridging the world of business with the world of spirit, and finding the courage to walk in both.

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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

In this episode, we sit down with Nick, a former journalist and current psychedelic therapist-in-training, to explore the layered healing journey that led him to 5-MeO-DMT and an Awakening to Life Intensive at Enfold. Nick reflects on growing up with depression and anxiety shaped by early loss, intergenerational trauma, and a lifelong sense of insecure attachment and how earlier work with psilocybin and MDMA helped him reconnect with love, compassion, and meaning, but still left deep pain held in the body.

Nick shares how 5-MeO-DMT brought that healing fully into the somatic realm, allowing long-held physical and emotional pain to move through and release. He describes his powerful Full Release ceremony, followed by an unexpected expansion into joy, connection, and embodied presence. A central theme of this conversation is the role of community as medicine — how the Enfold container, group process, and sense of being deeply held reshaped Nick’s understanding of safety, relationship, and belonging.

Nick also explores nervous system regulation, polyvagal theory, self-compassion, repair in relationships, and the ongoing integration of psychedelic insight into daily life. He speaks candidly about moving from a story rooted in brokenness to one grounded in connection, resilience, and forward movement. A path he now hopes to extend to his family and future clients as he steps into service work of his own.

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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

In this episode, Arthur sits down with Sande, a retired RCMP officer, mother of two, and long-time Enfold community member, to explore her journey through trauma, healing, and reclamation of self. Sande shares openly about living with undiagnosed PTSD following a near-fatal plane crash, years of panic, anxiety, and emotional shutdown, and the toll this took on her marriage, career, and sense of self. She reflects on her initial resistance to psychedelics, shaped by her background in law enforcement, and what ultimately allowed her to say yes to 5-MeO-DMT and the Enfold process.

Across two visits to Enfold — one alongside her husband as their relationship stood on the edge of separation, and another after retirement — Sande describes profound somatic release, shifts in self-worth, forgiveness, and nervous system regulation. She speaks powerfully about learning to stop burying pain, allowing herself to feel again, and moving from “waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel” to realizing she is living in the light now.

This conversation is a testament to embodied healing, relational repair, and the courage it takes to meet life fully after years of survival.

If you'd like to hear more stories like this visit: enfold.org/still-in-it/

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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