The Spirit Molecule: healing through feeling. A Happy Hour Conversation with Kat Courtney

This week's show is with Kat Courtney, an Afterlife Coach. Kat first received the term "Afterlife Coach" after one of the many times she experienced death. She had been working as a Spiritual Life Coach and Shamanic Apprentice for a decade, and felt that her life's purpose was still a little. . . off. As she sat in her 999th or so Ayahuasca ceremony, it dawned on her that there are three things she love most in this world: Connection to soul, Ayahuasca, and death.

After the craziest of journeys with this medicine, she finally realised she was not meant to be an Ayahuasquera - she was meant to be the before and after guide. She also works with people in hospice. She adores shadow work. She's in love with death. Ayahuasca only made that a deeper calling and understanding.

Kat's been on the show twice before and was so fabulous we had to get her back on to talk about one of her favourite topics: Ayahuasca itself! We explored the history of Ayahuasca and other plant medicines, the active component DMT (also known as 'the spirit molecule') and its role in the human body and what this could help us to understand about the subconscious and universal consciousness. All in all, it's a deeply fascinating show!

What you'll learn from this episode:

• The active component in Ayahuasca is DMT - which is present in our pituitary gland and shows up in dreams and as we die. It's known as the 'spirit molecule' because it seems to allow us to access the space of universal consciousness.

• Deeply understanding and fully experiencing our deeply held traumas, baggage and pain allows us to move on - as Kat said: We need to feel to heal.

• It's important to be and feel safe whenever we're accessing a space of complete openness. In Ayahuasca ceremonies this is the role of the shaman, in other situations a different form of safety and guidance would be more appropropriate but regardless it’s a necessary aspect of this kind of absolute openness.