From Healing to Liberation: A Psychedelic Rite of Passage by Darren Le Baron in Cape Town

This presentation delves into the multifaceted use of psychedelics within both traditional indigenous and contemporary Western contexts, examining how these powerful substances facilitate personal healing processes, transformation, and spiritual growth.

Throughout our exploration, we will examine the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms through which entheogens induce altered states of consciousness, while simultaneously investigating their historical applications across cultures in religious ceremonies, rituals, and spiritual practices as pathways to accessing inner divinity and expanded awareness.

When administered in carefully crafted ritualistic environments with proper intention, preparation, and integration, these entheogenic approaches can function as remarkable catalysts for profound personal metamorphosis, moving individuals from states of suffering or limitation toward liberation and self-realisation.

During this presentation, we'll examine how numerous cultures thoughtfully utilised these organic technologies as essential components of their coming-of-age ceremonies, initiation rites, and esoteric mystery systems designed to transmit sacred knowledge across generations.

We will encourage meaningful dialogue and reflection about the phenomenon of "ego death" as a fundamental and universal aspect of the human psychological and spiritual journey, while collectively exploring what timeless wisdom and profound insights from these transformative experiences, can be meaningfully integrated and applied to address the complex challenges of our modern world.