Cannabis as a Plant Teacher: Uncovering What Lies Hidden Beneath the Surface

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this phrase: “I want to enjoy cannabis but every time I try, I get anxiety.” What if I told you it wasn’t the plant itself that was making you anxious, but something inside of you that has been lingering just underneath the surface? In this article, I share my own experience with cannabis as a doorway toward greater self-awareness, healing, and deep realization.

If you know me, you know I love to get high. Cannabis has been a useful ally for me for more than half my life. Smoking weed started off as an exploration of consciousness and in my younger years, was a way to cope with the stresses of everyday reality. I have seen first hand, within myself and others, how this amazing plant can be used either recreationally, as a medicine, or as a way to avoid reality. Today, with it’s almost nationwide legality for recreational use and it’s touted benefit as a medicinal plant, there doesn’t seem to be a guidebook for how to use it for the most benefit.

Yes, it can be medicinal. Yes, it can be a fun social and recreational lubricant. Yes it can give you the munchies. But what I’ve come to realize as I’ve matured and deepened my awareness is that this plant has an intelligence.

For thousands of years, people all over the planet have been using plants and fungi to explore the depths of who they are, find answers to questions, and heal parts of themselves that cannot be healed by modern medicines. I’m talking about the nitty gritty of what makes you, you. I’m talking about the pain, trauma, and behavior patterns that are held in the body.

In Gabor Mate’s book When the Body Says No, he explains how when a human experiences a trauma, the effects of that trauma are held within the body. This mechanism is a natural adaptation that occurs in order to keep us alive. When something traumatic happens (whether big or small) it puts us into a “fight-flight-freeze” response to varying degrees in relation to the intensity of the trauma.

When that happens, our bodies produce stress chemicals. These stress chemicals put us into an emotional state (fear, anxiety, rage etc.) which imprints our human system with a response designed to help us stay alive and get to safety. If we don’t resolve the trauma, that emotional response is stored in our body – oftentimes as physical pain, emotional instability, or disease. The state of our condition is largely defined by how we feel, physically and emotionally.

When we understand Gabor’s thesis (which he backs up with years of data he’s collected in working with traumatized and sick individuals), we know that there’s much more to a human being than simply our physicality and mental-emotional states. How can something that happens on the outside effect our physicality long after that something has occurred?

When something goes unresolved, our bodies pick up the slack and “hold” that unpleasant experience as chronic pain, illness, and/or disease because the naturally occurring stress response continues to play out long after the trauma has ended. It is normal and natural for us to be able to handle acute periods of stress – when that stress becomes our everyday experience, it inevitably leads to malady and our bodies do an excellent job of signaling to us that something isn’t right.

All plant medicines take us out of our everyday consciousness and drop us into the subconscious and unconscious realms of who we are. That’s why they work so well – they effectively allow us to access the programming system of our human biocomputer, drudging up whatever painful memories may be still playing out; and if we’re under the guidance of a trained Shaman or therapeutic professional, we can resolve the issues that are causing calamity in our lives.

But not everyone is up for taking a heroic dose of mushrooms or trekking to the jungle to drink ayahuasca. Although I believe psychedelic compounds can have a profound healing effect on our psychosomatic experience, helping us resolve the traumas that make us ill, that type of experience isn’t for everyone. Undertaking something like ayahuasca or mushrooms requires preparation, resources, risk, and mental fortitude. If done irresponsibly or in an unsafe environment, it can actually cause trauma.

Cannabis on the other hand is legal in most states and the effects are relatively low-impact and short-lived compared to the harder hitting psychedelics. It is not, however, to be underestimated – some of the most harrowing and uncomfortable experiences can result from taking too much cannabis (think concentrates and edibles). Proper dosage is important no matter what substance you are using – minimal effective dose will lead to maximum results.

So how do we make the shift from “stoner” to “self-aware”? How do we treat this versatile plant with the respect it deserves as a wise teacher? How do we utilize this plant to our greatest benefit for healing, self-exploration, deep insight, and transformation?

It starts with a shift in awareness. When I first realized the power of cannabis to help me heal and grow, I had just taken a 30 day break from the plant. When I started using it again, I realized that when I was high, I was feeling something uncomfortable in my body, a signal that I recognized as anxiety. But I’m not an anxious person. I’ve worked through and healed issues from my past that had previously given me anxiety. What could this feeling be?

Upon further exploration, I realized that the anxiety I was experiencing came to the surface for me to look at. The things I was thinking about at the time had to do with my own self-worth. I was doubting myself, doubting my abilities as a coach, and criticizing myself for what, moments before the cannabis, I was feeling really good about. This aspect of myself – the self-judge/self-critic – had been there all along. I only noticed him with such clarity after tapping into the hidden layers, thanks to cannabis.

I was blown away by the fact that this was coming up for me with such clarity. Instead of trying to distract myself from the unpleasant feeling, I went into it. I examined it and looked at it, trying to find the source. This issue has become the focal point of my self-improvement work as a result of this experience. I continue to look at it with and without cannabis and as I do, I know myself more deeply and the energy held within my body has dissipated.

Since that medicinal experience, I can’t NOT use cannabis in this way! The plant simply does what it does. It allows me to see what is already there. It brings to the surface what had been hidden underneath in my subconscious, secretly affecting me in all sorts of negative ways. It was a catalyst for me to examine my own issues with self-worth. The more I understand it and the more I dive into what my issues are, the more I heal.

One can do this on there own with little risk or impact – the worst thing that can happen is you have a panic attack, eat an entire package of Oreo’s or fall asleep binge watching Breaking Bad. However, I would highly advise doing this type of exploration with a trained professional or at the very least a trusted friend (especially if you are unfamiliar with the effects of cannabis).

Coaching with Cannabis has become something that I truly enjoy doing with my clients as it provides them with a safe space to go deeper into the hidden layers of their operating systems, bodies, and awareness. I gently guide and help clients externalize their issues so that they can be looked at from a new perspective. We intentionally take in the plant at minimal effective dosage and I guide them to confront whatever is coming up for them – be it a physical sensation, emotion, memory, fear etc. This process has lead to profound effects which can be felt immediately. When the energy of the issue has been transmuted throughout our coaching session, the clients are left feeling comfortable and calm – effectively eliminating the negative sensations and left to enjoy their high.

In conclusion, Cannabis can be a potent and effective plant medicine if treated as such. You might be surprised to find that when you start thinking of getting high in this way, you can’t un-think of it. There are limitless possibilities when we open our minds to the reality of what’s right in front of us. Sometimes, an elevated perspective is just enough to open our hearts to what we really need and what our bodies have been trying to tell us.

Are you interested in a Cannabis Coaching session? Let’s get to know each other and see if we’re in alignment. I’m here to help you grow and be the best version of yourself so you can feel free, connected, and enjoy your life to the utmost. Elevate your life with conscious cannabis exploration.