Healing with the Devil: Overcoming Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS) with Psychedelic Plant Medicine

IN THE BEGINNING

I grew up in a devout Jehovah’s Witness family in apartheid South Africa. I experienced repeated emotional, sexual and physical abusive and as a toddler and into my teen years. I knew from a young age that this religion was not the path for me. I could not fully understand myself or the world through this restricted lens and my questioning attitude towards their beliefs was not tolerated.

Years of trauma memories were deeply etched into my nervous system and the path of self-healing has been a long, painful and arduous journey for me. Growing up, I was taught that all love was conditionally based on my beliefs. I was also carefully trained pavlov-style to mistrust the entire world of men, women and children who were not JWs because the Devil might use them to manipulate me if given any opportunity. I lived in constant fear of being targeted or atta