I am inspired to write this because a kind, gorgeous and strong holistic psychotherapist and colleague of mine named Cody Wiggs died April 24th, 2021. I wrote this blog right after he died.

Cody’s mission is to share the power of psychedelics and nature based healing. I trust him as a therapist and for me, that is rare. I admire Cody because he spoke openly about his work in meditation and the psychedelic movement. He feels protected by sharing this ancient wisdom because of the trust in clear path.
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​Cody and I went out to lunch several months ago to talk about our common interest in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy and we spent most of the conversation talking about, death.

We discussed how psychedelics offer a doorway into this place of curiosity and wonder about the existential places we go with the guidance of these medicines.

Cody said, “Of course, we think about death. Of course, we wonder what it would be like to take our own life. Of course, we wonder about what’s on the other side of this human existence. What if we as therapists could normalize these thoughts, fantasies and feelings? How could this allow for our clients to feel more whole as we talk about these inevitable facts? Can we start to see death in everyday life and build a relationship with this inevitable part of our existence?”

Psychedelic assisted psychotherapy offers us a direct pathway to these questions. In this work, we get to serve as a death doula of sorts, supporting people to look into the dark, decaying, rotting parts of themselves that need to be tended to.

For when we see the decomposition of our bodies, actions, minds and spiritual realms beyond this physical plain, we start to see more clearly. When we have an opportunity to safely deteriorate, to completely fall apart, to have an experience of death without fully walking through the door of death itself, we can awake. We can shed the boxes that society creates for us. We can release the past traumas that trick us into feeling broken. We can see clearly the narratives we create for ourselves and that we can change them if we choose to. With these medicines, when used as such, we are able to see options beyond our boxes.

For there is value in being present with the exhale alone.

As Cody and I dove into this shared philosophy, I could feel both of us relax more into the present moment of being alive. How perfectly that works.

Cody died just a few months later.

I always want to know how people die, don’t you? I wonder why this is. Maybe because we really do live how we die?

I’m not sure how Cody died, but I do know that I am sad. I know he was just getting going with his beautiful career and life. And I know he was and still is a radiant, bold, and bright eyed angel guiding us along the way...