Journey of Healing: From Warzone to Wisdom

**Thank You for Your Time to Read**

⭐️Having invested nearly $40,000 in my education in psychedelic therapy, I find myself facing significant financial challenges following my move back to the United States from Guatemala and embarking on my path as a mental health nurse practitioner. I am now reaching out for your support to complete this final, essential phase of my 3-year educational journey into a psychedelic therapy.

⭐️ I aim to raise $5,500 to cover the comprehensive costs of my journey to Gabon with my psychedelic therapist program: broken down as follows:

Financial Breakdown:

Flight: $2,200

Pilgrimage Fee: $1,812

Accommodations and Layovers: $500

Food: $400

Gifts for the Community: $588

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Total: $5,500.00

These contributions will enable me to not only meet the essential costs of my journey but also to support and give back to the communities I will be visiting. Should the donations exceed the target amount, the additional funds will be allocated towards transportation, unforeseen circumstances, and further gifts for the communities I engage with. This ensures that every dollar contributed will enhance the scope and impact of my work, extending beyond my individual needs to support the broader mission of healing and cultural exchange.

Introduction to My Journey:

Hello, my name is Rhabb Seymour. I'm here to share my story, offering insight into my background and where I come from. Born in Louisiana and raised in Mississippi, my journey into the realm of healing started early. I left home at the tender age of 17, and by 19, I had enlisted in the military as a healthcare specialist. My first duty station was in Germany, and shortly after, I found myself on a plane to Iraq.

My 15-month deployment to Ramadi, in the Anbar province, profoundly shaped my understanding of trauma, resilience, and the urgent need for comprehensive healing.

Following my deployment, I was accepted into the Army's practical nursing program. I graduated top of my class as the distinguished honor graduate and worked as an ICU nurse before leaving the military in 2011.

After my military service, my path delved deeper into holistic health, beginning with massage therapy school where my fascination with bioenergetics took root, leading me towards working on my initiations as a Master Reiki Practitioner. This was just the beginning of my forever journey of interest in different modalities of healing. Driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and personal growth, I ventured into the culinary world, graduating from the Natural Gourmet Institute in Manhattan. This experience significantly expanded my holistic toolkit, infusing it with the healing powers of nutrition and culinary arts.

My commitment to holistic wellness continued to deepen as I obtained 200-hour teacher training certifications in both Vinyasa/Hatha and Kundalini yoga and I continued diving into the training of authentic movement and dance therapies and breathwork facilitation training.

In 2021, I enrolled in a psychedelic therapist program, which has brought profound change within myself. I share this background not to boast, but to illustrate my dedication to understanding and facilitating healing. I am grateful for the opportunities of education and will continue to learn and grow for years to come.

During a moment of profound insight at the MAPS psychedelic therapies conference in 2023, at the conference I began thinking about the end of my psychedelic therapist training, I encountered a crossroads and observation while at the conference. I observed that many attendees had either psychedelic experience with no professional license or a professional license with no psychedelic experience. It was in that moment I rekindled my passion for nursing—I decided in that moment I want serve as a bridge between these realms and work WITHIN the system.

I decided during that trip to Denver at the conference that I would return to academia and work towards my mental health nurse practitioner license with the intention of harmonizing with my deep-seated desire to assist those lost in the shadows of their experiences with my intention to work within the Veterans Administration healthcare system.

After seven years of calling Guatemala my home, I decided to move back to the United States in January of this year (2024). This marked a challenging yet invigorating chapter in my life, it was seriously a death process for myself. ☠️

Today, I am currently dual-enrolled, juggling the academic demands of nursing school while completing my journey in the psychedelic therapist program.

My Vision and Commitment:

My views on the military and war have evolved over time. While my experiences have shown me the harsh realities of conflict, they have also reinforced my belief that war is part of our collective consciousness. I now come to understand in my walk that healing from war trauma is not just an individual journey, but a collective one.

I believe that war trauma impacts our collective consciousness and shapes our shared history, making healing a shared responsibility. I think by acknowledging this promotes communal healing, which I feel is crucial for our overall society's wellbeing.

This belief drives my dedication to combining traditional and psychedelic healing methodologies to help those suffering from PTSD and anxiety emerge from the darkness into light. My ultimate goal is to guide individuals back to the inherent light within themselves—a journey of remembrance and healing that I firmly believe in.

My life story, marked by significant ups and downs, serves as a testament to the transformative power of resilience, understanding, and love. I've come to terms with the past narrative that had driven my life. I now fully understand that my story was absolutely necessary to bring forth understanding that was woven from the depths of my own personal experience and heartfelt awareness and ultimately forms the bedrock of my mission to heal and to help those who may of forgotten.. to remember.

I believe that healing is an act of remembering—not just who we are, but the strength and light that reside within us amongst the shadows of our being. It is a journey from darkness to illumination, where support, love, and understanding are the guiding lights to pull us out of our darkest days. My dedication is to those navigating this path, especially veterans who have given so much and face unique challenges in their return to peace. ️

My mission is to be a bridge and help in filling in the gap between conventional and psychedelic therapies, offering a holistic approach to healing that encompasses the totality of the human experience. I stand ready to continue this crucial work, guided by the wisdom gained from my own journey and the profound lessons learned from those I aim to serve.

Together, I believe that we can remember and reclaim the light that defines us all.

My Global Healing Journey:

My journey into holistic understanding and healing has expanded beyond the borders of the U.S., leading me to a seven-year, life-changing experience in Guatemala. It was there that I was fortunate enough to develop deep relationships with some beautiful Kaqchikel people. They welcomed me as family, and we forged strong bonds as I integrated into their community by the lake.

The recent transition from Guatemala was challenging; I left behind the family and friendships I had found. My time in Guatemala was a profound learning experience that I cherish deeply and will carry with me forever in my life.

My fortunate adventures within the psychedelic therapist program have brought me to some amazing opportunities to engage with the A'i of the Cofan community in Ecuador and to glean wisdom from the Huichol people in Wirikuta, Mexico. I have visited and learned at the renowned Mayantuyacu in Peru, known for its healing hot springs and the Asháninka tradition of plant medicine. These encounters, along with transpersonal intensives in Colombia, have deeply enriched not only my approach to holistic healing but also brought me closer to understanding my true self and my purpose.

I believe one of the best things we can do for healing the collective is to truly know and accept ourselves, including our deepest and darkest parts.

Currently, I am nearing the completion of this three-year program in psychedelic therapy, which has taught me a blend of Western psychology and indigenous traditions and so much more. It has provided me with friends that I call family forged by witnessing the depths of personal remembrance that we've experienced together. I am grateful for this unique educational journey and the emotional unraveling of myself as it has allowed me to weave the knowledge with the humility gained from indigenous communities which then is applied directly into my therapeutic practice. In May, I'll embark on an enriching internship at an ibogaine clinic in Mexico, focusing on veterans exploring mental wellness beyond conventional treatments.

It's a profound honor and blessing to have these opportunities and to have been welcomed into these cultures outside of my own and to carry forward their teachings in my work here in the United States. The psychedelic therapist program concludes with a pilgrimage to Gabon to learn from the Babongo and Massango communities. This experience represents final step in my psychedelic journey within this program, and this is also where I am seeking donations from my community to help in this process.

The Journey Ahead: A Pilgrimage to Gabon and The Support I Need:

In this crucial juncture, I am reaching out to community, with humility and absolute vulnerability, out for your support to complete this vital phase of my educational journey in the world of psychedelic therapies.

This support is essential not just for the continuation of my professional development but also for deepening my capacity to guide effectively. How can I guide others through their darkness if I haven't ventured into those depths myself? This pilgrimage is not merely a trip; it's a necessary step toward authentic experience, allowing me to walk the walk, so I can genuinely talk the talk. It's about facing the darkness to bring light, understanding, and healing back to those who need it most.

Conclusion and Gratitude:

♥️ In closing, I want to express my deepest gratitude for taking the time to read my story and considering a contribution to this special journey. I stand at a pivotal juncture, not just in my personal and professional life but in the broader quest to bring healing, remembrance and understanding across communities. ‍

I wholeheartedly believe in the power of community — it's a force that has guided and supported me throughout my journey. If each one of my friends and supporters on social media contributed just $1 or $5 to $10, we could easily meet, or even surpass, this fundraising goal. It's a small act that signifies belief in collective action and the shared vision of a healed, interconnected world.

Your support, no matter the size, represents a significant leap towards actualizing this mission. It's not just a donation; it's a vote of confidence in the power of community, healing, and the potential for transformation that lies within each of us. Together, we can make this journey a reality, extending the reach and impact of holistic and compassionate healing. If contribution is not possible, I understand completely and also know, I thank you just you reading this and also ask kindly to share this story within your communities. This act alone helps support my journey tremendously.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your consideration, your support, and your belief in this cause. ♥️ Let's turn this vision into a shared achievement, proving once again that together, we can overcome even the most formidable challenges.

Thank you - Gracias - Matiox - Pamparios

May you always be guided by the light within,

even through the darkest times.