Author - Founder - Collaborator

A serene morning in Oaxaca, 2018. Photo by @soulreleaseproject

A serene morning in Oaxaca, 2018. Photo by Andi Bixel.

What is Whole Medicine?

When we reflect deeply on the notion of healing, there is a common thread that emerges—the idea of repair, restoration, and accessing our innate wholeness. The notion of medicine can conjure many associations, from pharmaceuticals to memories of soul-stirring experiences. What connects these concepts is the potential to help us: body, mind, and soul. To do us good—usually on a personal level.

Whole medicine proposes that healing is, in its very essence, collective. It denies the fantasy that some of us can heal while looking the other way at the harms being done around us.

Whole medicine is not just about feeling better; it is about living differently. Whole medicine insists that we do not stop with our own healing, but that we allow ourselves to be interrupted by the worthy pursuit of a more just and beautiful world. Whole medicine acknowledges that when we really let the medicines in...they could change everything by changing us.

Editorial Reviews

"The psychedelic landscape is quickly evolving. Ms. Martinez provides much needed ethical guidance for both psychedelic facilitators and the folks who want to use them, and she does it with grace and compassion. It's my hope people in the field will consider the careful recommendations in Whole Medicine. They couldn't be more timely."
Eugenia Bone, author of Mycophilia and Microbia

"Whole Medicine covers the whole relational landscape of therapeutic plant medicines and psychedelics. Rebecca uncovers and beautifully describes the ethos and interrelationships that sustain and balance this ecosystem below its surface.... The book is an amazingly comprehensive guide to ethical participation in this field, for whatever role you play within it."
Kylea Taylor, author of The Ethics of Caring

"...an important contribution to the psychedelic landscape at a pivotal time.... A must-read for anyone pursuing the psychedelic path that examines all aspects of living a psychedelic life with integrity—without ignoring the challenges the burgeoning new industry and grassroots community face—all told in a compassionate and thought-provoking way."
Michelle Janikian, author of Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion

"...a truly insightful, gentle, and thorough overview of approaches to inner work, reciprocity, sharing of power, consent, and accountability.... This seminal volume has evolved from the experiences of the underground therapists, the newcomers, and the Indigenous people who were first to learn of the magic and effectiveness of these healing arts.... Vulnerable souls who seek an end to suffering, together with those who attempt to confront and resolve difficulties of heart and mind, will find careful guidance herein."
William Leonard Pickard, author of The Rose of Paracelsus

"...an essential and much-needed contribution to the field. Rebecca's self-awareness throughout the book provides readers with a model of integrity and honesty when navigating the terrain of their own consciousness and the responsibility that comes with holding space for others. Rebecca offers a solid foundation for how to be in and with community as we journey together toward healing and liberation."
Julia Mande, systems change facilitator and organizational designer

"Discourse around psychedelics too often focuses on the individual and overlooks many relevant current and historical contexts, like the lasting legacy of historical trauma and systemic injustice. Whole Medicine invites us deep into multidimensional reflection and delves into layers often missing from our collective conversations."
Joseph McCowan, PhD, PsyD, clinical psychologist, psychedelic therapist, and researcher

"If you're interested in the new discipline of psychedelic medicine and therapy, Whole Medicine is a must-read.... Anyone curious about psychedelicassisted therapy should read this important manuscript."
Darron Smith, PhD, PA-C, codirector at the University of Washington Center for Novel Therapeutics

"Whole Medicine is vulnerable, personal, and honors lineage.... The sacred and the secular are woven together with the acknowledgment that the natural world holds both.... Marginalized and stigmatized voices are fully present in the reflections on what has occurred and, importantly, what is next in this psychedelic and plant medicine reemergence into the mainstream."
Courtney Watson, LMFT, founder of Doorway Therapeutics and Access 2 Doorways