Pierre Bouchard LPC

07/07/2025

I’m really excited to share this article interview with

We had a great talk about somatics as well as the 3 axis model. Check it and the rest of Jonathan’s podcast out.

04/02/2025

The art of holding space during long journeys isn't just about what we do—it's about how we be.
Yesterday during our Facilitator's Craft call, someone asked how I manage to stay present and engaged for 6+ hour journeys. It made me reflect on what I've learned over thousands of hours of facilitation.
The practical skills are essential: selecting music, taking notes, tending the altar, sometimes offering touch. But what transforms these skills from technique into medicine is the quality of presence behind them.
When I was newer to this work, sitting still for hours felt almost impossible. My mind would race with thoughts about what I should be doing, saying, or thinking. I'd find myself bored, distracted, or overanalyzing.
Now I understand that true presence comes from dropping out of the analytical mind and into the direct sensory experience of being. Resting in my heart. Feeling the music. Sensing the room. Meeting another human from that embodied place.
This isn't separate from the "skills" of facilitation—it's what animates them with life.
For those of you doing this work: how do you navigate long periods of holding space? What helps you stay present without draining your energy?

03/31/2025

THE FACILITATOR'S CRAFT: Monthly Office Hours

For new and emerging psychedelic practitioners looking for guidance, connection, and growth.

I'm hosting our monthly free call this Tuesday at 10am MST - a space where we can explore real questions about this work together.

Share challenges from recent sessions
Get feedback on approaches to specific situations
Connect with fellow practitioners
Navigate the nuances of facilitation in community

Whether you've recently completed a training program or you're working to refine your practice, this is a place to bring your authentic questions and insights.

This isn't just me teaching—it's about us refining our craft together through shared wisdom and experience.

⏰ First Tuesday of every month at 10am MST
Sign up here
https://buff.ly/XRSxYwS

03/21/2025

After years of observing psychedelic experiences in therapeutic contexts, I’ve noticed fascinating patterns in how different nervous systems respond to various approaches.
One counterintuitive finding: those who habitually dissociate often find high-dose mystical experiences easier than being present in their bodies. Why? Because transcending the self feels more familiar than embodying it.
I’ve also consistently observed that anxiety-dominant individuals typically benefit less from ketamine than those with depression or dissociative tendencies. The looser boundaries created by ketamine can amplify anxiety, while heart-opening medicines tend to provide more grounding.
These patterns aren’t rules, just starting points. The real art is in understanding the unique nervous system in front of you and what it’s asking for in this moment.
What have you noticed about how different constitutions respond to various medicines and approaches? I’d love to hear your observations.

03/21/2025

After years of observing psychedelic experiences in therapeutic contexts, I've noticed fascinating patterns in how different nervous systems respond to various approaches.
One counterintuitive finding: those who habitually dissociate often find high-dose mystical experiences easier than being present in their bodies. Why? Because transcending the self feels more familiar than embodying it.
I've also consistently observed that anxiety-dominant individuals typically benefit less from ketamine than those with depression or dissociative tendencies. The looser boundaries created by ketamine can amplify anxiety, while heart-opening medicines tend to provide more grounding.
These patterns aren't rules, just starting points. The real art is in understanding the unique nervous system in front of you and what it's asking for in this moment.
What have you noticed about how different constitutions respond to various medicines and approaches? I'd love to hear your observations.

03/05/2025

We've reduced "somatic work" to trauma healing and nervous system regulation, and I think that's a massive oversimplification.
The body is the land of all experience - not just traumatic activation. It's where everything happens, from our deepest wounds to our most transcendent moments.
In my work, I've found that somatic approaches aren't just for processing trauma - they're equally powerful for experiencing expansion, connection, and spiritual opening.
The fastest way to learn anything is to have an experience. And when that experience is anchored in bodily sensation, it creates a reference point we can return to again and again.
Why not consider kundalini activation as somatic work? Why not understand spiritual awakening as freedom and effortlessness in the body?
What's your experience with somatic approaches? Has it been primarily focused on healing trauma, or have you explored the full spectrum of embodied experience?

02/26/2025

After a decade of facilitating psychedelic journeys, I've noticed something that challenges conventional wisdom: dosage matters more than which medicine you're using.
Low-dose M**A has more in common with low-dose ketamine than with high-dose M**A. This isn't just academic - it completely reshapes how I approach session preparation, music selection, and integration.
Stan Grof called it the difference between "psycholytic" (mind-loosening) and "psychedelic" (mind-manifesting) work. I think of it as the difference between exploring the X-axis (personal/psychological) and the Y-axis (transpersonal/spiritual).
Each medicine still has its unique flavor, but there are greater similarities than differences when we compare them at similar dosage levels.
What's your experience? Have you noticed how dramatically different the same medicine can feel at different doses?

02/22/2025

02/16/2025

If you’re navigating the world of psychedelic-assisted therapy or working at the intersection of psychology and spirituality, you need to read this book. 🌱📖

Wallace masterfully breaks down popular spiritual platitudes, revealing their philosophical gaps from a non-dual perspective. It’s also a really excellent primer to the non-dual view that Wallace teaches. There were moments I felt called out—realizing how certain ideas I’d unconsciously embraced actually fostered more suffering and self-division. 💡

Thank you, , for this offering. It’s such a needed addition. 🙏 For anyone in the New Age-adjacent space (which is basically the entire psychedelic community), this book is essential reading. It’s a must for those of us committed to deeper self-awareness, integration, and healing. ✨

02/10/2025

🌌 Let’s dive deep into the Z-axis - the dimension where personal healing meets universal connection.
Think of it as a spectrum: On one end, we’re learning the basics of healthy relationship - moving beyond just “speaking our truth” to exploring together, holding space for projections, finding what’s real between us.
But here’s the revolutionary part: We can only wake up so much alone. It’s in the crucible of closeness that our deepest work happens. Our stuck parts don’t just need understanding - they need relationship.
And then something magical happens. As we develop capacity, as our hearts become more available, relationship transforms from a healing tool into a gateway to service. We’re no longer just healing ourselves - we’re showing up for life itself.
At its highest expression, the Z-axis reveals the profound truth of interdependence. All causes and conditions co-arising. All awakening intertwined. We discover we’re always already in relationship - with each other, with life, with the great mystery itself.
How has relationship been a catalyst for your growth? Share below 👇

02/07/2025

✨ Let’s talk about what ego dissolution gets RIGHT.
While we often focus on healing trauma and personal growth (both crucial!), there’s something profound beyond the therapeutic - the vast expanse of consciousness itself.
That primal fear we encounter? It’s not just fear - it’s a gateway. When we feel like we’re dying, dissolving, disappearing... we’re actually on the threshold of the most profound realization:
We’re not becoming nothing. We’re joining everything.
It’s like passing through a membrane of fear to discover an ocean of connection on the other side. Our usual strategies fall away, yes - but what replaces them is beyond our wildest imagination.
Have you crossed this threshold? What did you find on the other side? Share your journey below 👇

02/06/2025

🎯 The journey isn’t about destroying the ego - it’s about building it, understanding it, and then transcending it.
While ego dissolution can be profound, starting there is like building a house from the roof down. First develop yourself (X), then explore dissolution (Y), finally learn to get over yourself (Z).
Rushing to transcendence often means personal wounds show up as cosmic drama. Better to heal the human before reaching for the divine.
What’s your experience with balancing ego development and dissolution? Share below 👇