Ash to Ember Healing Retreats

09/10/2025

Big news in the psychedelic space: MindMed has just dosed the first patient in a Phase 3 clinical trial using MM-120 (an L*D-based medicine) for Major Depressive Disorder.

This is history in the making — the first time L*D has reached Phase 3 trials for depression. It’s one more step toward legitimizing what many of us have already experienced: plant medicines can be powerful tools for healing when approached with intention and support.

At Ash to Ember, we’re watching these developments closely. Science is catching up with what sacred medicines have been teaching us all along.

https://ir.mindmed.co/news-events/press-releases/detail/178/mindmed-announces-first-patient-dosed-in-phase-3-emerge-study-of-mm120-in-major-depressive-disorder-mdd?fbclid=IwY2xjawMpOHxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFVSUN1eTMxa2o3WEo2cnpRAR6vxicfb5WL0LFSTVWLgnhzNP_jZbbNaJGrx6Y8ub4xKYZphzobGK_yV-oqpw_aem_2VspfXRy8_CG8tl8ZK8C-g

- Emerge is the first Phase 3 study of lysergide D-tartrate (L*D) in MDD; primary endpoint will measure change from baseline in…...

09/08/2025

I still remember the first time I sat in ceremony for my anxiety.
The very next day… my mind was quiet.
The constant hurricane of thoughts stilled. My interest in alcohol disappeared.

That was the moment I realized sacred medicine could do what years of coping strategies never had.

Now the science is catching up.

👉 This groundbreaking Australian study offered psychedelic-assisted therapy to patients with serious health conditions — not only cancer, but motor neurone disease and advanced heart disease.

The results?
🌿 Reduced depression and anxiety
🌿 Improved quality of life and relationships
🌿 A renewed sense of connection to the world

As trauma-informed facilitators, we’ve seen the same truth in ceremony: when the nervous system is given safety and guidance, healing begins at the deepest level.

The research is here.
The transformation is real.
And this work is just beginning.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CU375neun/?mibextid=wwXIfr

“We saw reductions in depression and anxiety, but also improvements in quality of life, relationships, and a renewed sense of connection to the world. For some, it touched the very core of their fears about death.” – Dr Margaret Ross, clinical psychologist and study co-lead.

This groundbreaking Australian study was also the first in the world to offer “psilocybin-assisted therapy to patients with non-malignant, life-threatening conditions such as motor neurone disease and advanced heart disease, as well as cancer.”

The findings consolidate research carried out by Johns Hopkins and other international teams, furthering the case for psychedelic-assisted therapy’s potential to address mental health challenges in palliative care ✨.

Link to press release and study paper in bio 📄

09/06/2025

From Pre-Menopause to Menopause: Mushrooms as Gentle Allies

Our bodies shift long before menopause officially begins. Pre-menopause and menopause can bring mood swings, sleep struggles, brain fog, hot flashes, and changes in energy.

Mushrooms are showing up as powerful, and natural, supports during this transition:

🍄 Medicinal mushrooms like Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Maitake, and Shiitake support sleep, calm stress, improve focus, boost energy, and strengthen immunity, bones, and heart health.

🍄 Sacred mushrooms are being studied for their potential to reduce anxiety and depression, improve emotional resilience, increase neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to adapt), and deepen our sense of meaning through change.

Mushrooms aren’t about replacing hormones, but they can be companions for the nervous system, mind, and spirit during one of the most important passages in a woman’s life.

Science is still unfolding, but the stories and wisdom are already here.
Have you ever wondered what mushrooms could do for you in this season of life? 🌿

09/04/2025

Neuroscience continues to reveal what ancient traditions have always known: these medicines interact with us in ways far deeper than we once imagined.

A new study has mapped how sacred medicines work across the brain’s receptors — showing that their effects are not limited to just one pathway (like serotonin), but instead engage a whole constellation of connections.

This breakthrough helps explain why plant medicine can open doors to healing depression, anxiety, PTSD, and so much more. It’s not just about “changing brain chemistry” — it’s about unlocking the brain’s natural capacity for growth and transformation.

At Ash to Ember, we honor both the science and the ceremony. Together, they remind us that healing is as much about connection and integration as it is about the brain itself.

🔗 Read the full article here: https://www.psypost.org/neuroscientists-just-rewrote-our-understanding-of-psychedelics-with-a-groundbreaking-receptor-mapping-study/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAMioa9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhfIZN1qOXwEm1oFFFaxie7aS-kRRgAPRmzPmIWUxjHcpHkgPgu1T9uqfmVG_aem_poTnRjgfSX_TLESpmahyTg

A groundbreaking study has revealed that classical psychedelics affect far more than just serotonin. By mapping how 41 compounds interact with brain receptors, researchers challenge long-held assumptions and open new directions for psychedelic science and therapeutic development.

09/02/2025

Science is beginning to affirm what wisdom traditions have held for generations. 🌿

A recent study found that even a single guided experience with sacred medicine brought lasting relief from depression and anxiety in cancer patients. For many, this means reconnecting with peace, presence, and a sense of possibility during some of life’s hardest chapters.

At Ash to Ember, we believe true healing isn’t about a quick fix — it’s about opening the door to transformation, step by step, with support, integration, and care.

🔗 Read more here:
https://www.psypost.org/single-dose-of-psilocybin-provides-lasting-relief-from-depression-and-anxiety-in-cancer-patients/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAMejaFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqWE8btbrwJ8zPsW8Hkj1p-f-xXqcUCnpRsK13RpImohH4lCOXdwpGEUDaXu_aem_Rn8nKiU63VzrkccrP_w75g

Cancer patients with major depression experienced significant and long-lasting improvements after just one psilocybin session, according to new research. Two years later, many showed continued reductions in depression and anxiety, with some requiring no further treatment or medication.

08/31/2025

The brain never stops surprising us.
For a long time, people believed we stopped making new brain cells as adults. But research now shows that we continue to grow new neurons throughout life — even into our 70s.

This is a game-changer when we think about dementia, brain injuries, and memory loss. These conditions are often linked to damage in the hippocampus (our brain’s memory and learning center). If the brain can keep creating new cells, then supporting neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to form new connections — may help it repair, adapt, and stay resilient.

That’s why so many people are exploring microdosing as a tool. Microdosing appears to encourage neuroplasticity, which works hand-in-hand with neurogenesis. Together, these processes could help the brain reconnect and rewire, offering more hope than we once thought possible.

It reminds us that healing isn’t always about stopping decline — sometimes it’s about giving the brain the right conditions to grow again. 🌱🧠

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/163DLJNZJM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A landmark study from Karolinska Institutet has confirmed that adults continue to generate new neurons in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory and learning hub. Remarkably, neurogenesis was observed across a wide age range, even in individuals up to 78 years old. This discovery challenges long-held beliefs that brain cell growth ceases in adulthood and instead highlights the brain’s lifelong plasticity. The finding has profound implications for developing treatments for memory decline, mood disorders, and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s. By proving that the brain can renew itself, researchers have unlocked new hope for therapies that could enhance cognition and resilience at any age.

08/29/2025

Unresolved trauma doesn’t just live in our thoughts — it imprints on the body. Research shows that suppressed pain can impact our hormones, immune system, and even long-term brain health. That’s why healing isn’t only a mental process.

At Ash to Ember, we approach trauma with respect for the whole system: body, mind, spirit, and nervous system. Whether through ceremony, ritual, or integration, the work is about giving pain a safe place to be heard, so the body no longer has to carry it alone.

Healing is not about erasing the past, but remembering that you are not your pain — you are the one transforming it. 🌿

08/27/2025

For many, breaking free from alcohol isn’t just about willpower — it’s about rewiring the brain, healing trauma, and finding a new path forward. Emerging studies are showing how plant medicine can support lasting change and renewal. This short video sheds light on the science, the possibilities, and the hope it brings.

At Ash to Ember, we believe in the power of safe, supported healing. 🌿

Cultivate your own healing with Third Wave's Mushroom Grow Kit: https://bit.ly/GrowYourMushroomsAre you or someone you know struggling with alcoholism? In th...

08/17/2025

🍄 Wild Medicine in Our Backyard

Out on the forest trail, we came across this reishi — the “Mushroom of Immortality.”

Honored in Taoist tradition as a sacred ally for the immune system, longevity, and spiritual resilience, reishi is a reminder that medicine is all around us.

It’s not only found in ceremony. It’s here in the forest floor, in the morning air, in the simple act of noticing.

This is Ash to Ember: reconnecting with the wisdom that has always been here.

08/14/2025

Your brain is like a forest. 🌳✨
Every thought, emotion, and habit is a path through it.

Some trails are walked every day.
Others are hidden, waiting to be found.

When you heal with intention, you can:
🌱 Grow new pathways
🍂 Clear the ones that no longer serve
🌞 Create a mind that feels lighter and more open

This is neuroplasticity — your brain’s ability to rewire itself.
At Ash to Ember, we guide you through sacred ceremony, preparation, and integration so those new connections last.

→ Message us “GROW” to begin.

08/12/2025

The Default Mode Network: Your Mind’s Autopilot 🧠✨

Most of the time, your brain runs on something called the Default Mode Network (DMN).
It’s like the autopilot of your mind — managing your self-talk, replaying old stories, and keeping you in familiar patterns.

The DMN is essential for daily life…
but when it’s overactive, it can trap you in:
• Loops of negative thinking
• Old beliefs about who you are
• Stress patterns wired from past experiences

Here’s where the medicine becomes powerful. 🌿
In a ceremonial setting, the DMN quietens.
Your brain’s “autopilot” loosens its grip.
Neural pathways open.
Communication between brain regions increases.

You gain access to parts of yourself that were muted by habit and conditioning.

This isn’t magic — it’s neuroscience meeting the sacred.
And when you combine that state with intention, safety, and guided integration…
you’re not just having an experience —
you’re rewiring your relationship to yourself.

→ Curious about how we work with this process? Send us a DM.

08/10/2025

🍄 Microdosing with Intention

Microdosing isn’t just “taking less.”
It’s a practice. A rhythm. A relationship.

We follow the well-known 5 days on, 2 days off structure — but the real magic happens in what surrounds those days.
🖋 Guided reflection.
🌿 Nervous system nourishment.
✨ Sacred integration practices designed to help the medicine take root.

Because this isn’t about checking a box.
It’s about waking up to the version of yourself you’ve been missing.

Our clients don’t just receive capsules — they step into a container of guidance, safety, and support that helps them truly live the change.

→ Curious about starting your own microdosing journey? Send us a message with the word MICRODOSE to learn more.