The Dark Side of the Ayahuasca Space with Kat Courtney from Ayahuasca Podcast with Sam Believ

Ayahuasca Podcast with Sam Believ

Sam Believ

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The Dark Side of the Ayahuasca Space with Kat Courtney

51 minutes Posted Sep 14, 2026 at 8:04 pm.

02:00: Kat’s background, healing journey with Ayahuasca, and the natural multidimensional state of consciousness

05:15: Transitioning from corporate game production at Disney to traditional shamanic plant medicine

07:40: Overcoming bipolar diagnosis, bulimia, alcoholism, and finding hope through Ayahuasca

11:05: Navigating grief and the transition of loved ones through death doula perspectives and the Ho'oponopono prayer

14:48: Exploring Ayahuasca as the "vine of the dead," ego deaths, and psychedelic birth/grief portals

18:20: Addressing abuse in the plant medicine space, teacher falls from grace, and accountability for the ego

20:00: Shadow work, Carl Jung, and discovering the "golden shadow" and hidden superpowers

22:15: Ayahuasca's impact on dysregulated nervous systems and the importance of gentle titration

25:00: The reality of sitting in over 1,000 ceremonies as an apprentice and facilitator

29:00: Kat's legal battles with Homeland Security, federal charges, and navigating systemic hypocrisy around DMT

34:40: The dangers of fast-tracked facilitators, energetic safety, and physical/emotional risks

37:00: How Ayahuasca learns and evolves alongside human consciousness

40:25: Handling projections, pedestals, and participant trauma as a facilitator

44:50: Practical integration, avoiding the "ceremony slump," and connecting with nature

49:10: Daily self-check-ins, holding hope for collective consciousness, and closing thoughts

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Show notes

In this episode of Ayahuasca Podcast, host Sam Believ (founder of www.lawayra.com) has a conversation with Kat Courtney. Kat is a traditionally trained ayahuasquera, huachumera, pioneering integration coach, and dedicated death doula. After completing a decade-long apprenticeship in the Amazon within the Shipibo-Conibo lineage, she founded Plant Medicine People to help seekers safely navigate the world of psychedelics.

If you would like to attend one of our Ayahuasca retreats go to www.lawayra.com.

Find more about Kat Courtney at www.plantmedicinepeople.com.

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