On March 6, 2018, I was walking home from work in an ice storm. Three days later I awoke in an MRI machine with a tube sticking out of my throat. Apparently, I'd slipped on the ice and hit my head, sustaining a massive traumatic brain injury. I spent the next two years getting back to a place where the people around me could no longer notice the effects of my injury, but that deception required great effort on my part.
I was no longer able to work so I spent my free time researching brain injuries. I learned that the University of South Florida studies has proved that psilocybin, the active component in psychedelic mushrooms, generates the growth of new brain cells; psilocybin is able to bind to receptors in the brain that stimulate healing and growth. In mice, the researchers found psilocybin to actually help repair damaged brain cells.
Though I hadn't used psilocybin mushrooms for years, I had much experience with them when I was younger and I'm a fan. I tried to learn about microdosing mushrooms but the information available was confusing and contradictory. I began to use what I thought were microdoses of mushrooms but this was in comparison to the recreational usage with which I was familiar and my concept of a microdose wasn't very micro. It was more of a medium (or higher) dosage. Even without a structured protocol, I discovered many benefits in using psilocybin and my healing progress was remarkable, but after six months the healing hit a plateau. I later learned that my unstructured usage had led me to build up a too-high of a tolerance to get the true benefits of the plant medicine.
At that point, fate intervened and I met Sabina Malinalli, an altered state guide. Sabina is a remarkable human and her guidance proved invaluable. She helped me develop a structured protocol that led me back to the path of recovery. That was four months ago, as of this writing, and the effects of following the protocol that Sabina helped me develop have been so remarkable that it feels like I have been reborn. Receiving the assistance that she so graciously extended to me has been one of the greatest gifts that I have ever received.
Darwin Holmstrom
Just three months ago I was in a state of aimless drifting, feeling stuck in historical trauma and unresolved wounds that I couldn’t unwind on my own. I felt a deep desire to reconnect with a broader field of intelligence and call in the support to realign with my soul purpose, welcome currents of ease into my body, and tap into the energy of clarity, creativity and compassion.
With little to no experience of Sabina’s work, I was unsure of what to expect and whether things would shift/change. At the same time, I had deep faith and confidence in Sabina’s wisdom, steeped in direct experience and years of embodied learning. I trusted her ability to hold me through whatever arose, felt warmed by her patience in the presence of my doubts, and touched by her integrity in creating an individualized approach that honored my body’s pace…slow, yet steady.
Coming into shared presence with Sabina was both revealing and inspiring. Every time she anchored space for our intentions and prayers, something greater came through. I found myself speaking freely, letting words paint landscapes, touch longings, and reveal what I could not see alone. I often left our sessions feeling as though something magical had happened in the spaces between us. My heart always felt fuller, more expansive and connected.
It has been such a gift and deep honor to work with Sabina and be guided by her presence and care throughout this journey. I would highly recommend working with her, again and again.
- T. N. R.