May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and we are here to discuss mental health and Plant Based Therapies. An estimated 1 in 5 adults in the United States struggle with a mental health issue. We had the opportunity to talk with Casey, an affiliate for Hawkeye Consulting.
Casey’s Story
Casey’s story begins when she was a young girl. She was sexually, physically, and verbally abused by a family member for over a decade. The earliest memories she has of life are of being raped and molested. She endured this abuse until she was 11 years old and learned to disassociate during moments of abuse. The mere fact that this went on for over a decade meant that disassociation was an absolute survival tool. During this time frame, she began to see the world differently than other children her age due to her environment and the abuse she was forced to endure. She never told anyone about her abuse until she was 33 years old. At which point, the trauma of what she had endured had caused undeniable damage in her life.
Her twenties and thirties were riddled with depression and anxiety. She suffered from PTSD and never knew what that actually was or what it meant. She was on about 5 different medications for depression and mood disorders as well as being prescribed high doses of Xanax and Valium. She was in the nursing field for 15 years, with this career path leading to a back injury. She ran to her doctor for prescriptions and began receiving monthly scripts of Hydrocodone and Percocet to treat this “back pain.” These 4 regular monthly scripts along with countless antidepressants mixed in with severe trauma all led to one thing: a drug addiction. She was trying to push down the pain and trauma of what she had endured and now was attempting to numb it with narcotics; a cycle that she would chase for the next 15 years.
All of this took an immense tool on her personal life. Her adult life had been plagued with horrid flashbacks and post-traumatic stress-disorder (PTSD). She found herself married and divorced twice. She had severely strained relationships with her children and everyone else in her family. The people that loved and cared about her didn’t know why she was self-medicating; they just knew that she was trying to numb something. This was an especially frustrating and confusing time for her two daughters. This endless cycle of narcotics nearly cost Casey her life—but her goal then was to feel nothing and finally make her mind stop, for it was the only time she ever felt peace.
Her Healing Journey
After some time, Casey’s motivation started to kick in; her drive to not be a victim anymore was leading her. She threw herself into plant medicines specifically, for the western world’s view of medicine had failed her drastically and nearly killed her. After reading through several studies that are a proponent of using “magic mushrooms” or other psychedelics for the treatment and healing of depression, PTSD, and other psychological problems, Casey decided to try combining mushrooms and therapy. She began a journey with 4.5 grams of Psilocybin Mushrooms and experienced a long and beautiful ride. She came out of it as a completely different person; wholly transformed with a new way of living, a new way of thinking that she had never possessed before. Her spirit was renewed for she had found a hope inside of her that had been robbed from her long before she could even speak. She was able to leave all of her past traumas there and walk away from it, feeling renewed in a way she had never felt before.
She uses Cannabis as daily medication for her anxiety and depression. She occasionally still micro-doses with Psilocybin Mushrooms to help as needed. She also suffers from restless leg syndrome which the Hawkeye Relief Pain Stick has worked wonders for!
For more information on Mushrooms and their benefits, contact Higher Health Dispensary by phone, visit them in person, or check out their website!!!
Higher Health Monkey Island
918-219-5888
26428 E Hwy 125
Afton, OK 74331
Higher Health Miami
918-919-3523
1012 East Steve Owens Blvd
Miami, OK 74354