As Kate predicted, the inspection turned out fine. Everyone did their job. Bubba and I acted as camp counselor. We talked to the inspectors about more generalized things regarding communal living, and referred the specifics to Doc and Kate. Bubba found a suit jacket and pipe and really got into his role, much to Kate’s consternation. If one of the inspectors asked him a question, he’d take about 5 minutes puffing on his pipe and looking like he was thinking his ass off, before even starting to answer. Then he’d start making shit up, and even throw in some made up statistics. He impressed the hell out of the inspectors.
As expected, Raven didn’t show, nor did Kate expect him to. He hung out with Tasha and they built a lean-to by the river. Andy, feeling snubbed, tried on several occasions to approach the inspectors and offer his considered opinion on things. Each time, a look from Kate warned him it would be safer to turn around and head in the other direction, which he did.
In spite of everything, we managed to convince the inspectors we knew what we were doing, which is true, at least for Doc. He knows what we’re doing. The truth is the inspectors didn’t look much past the basic health standards and were quite flexible on those. They know Doc is on a completely different vibe, and his success can’t be denied. He’s produced his own society here on the commune, and the inspectors can see it’s much more peaceful and inclusive than their own. Any worry and the need for further prep for the inspectors was just Kate being anal.
Regardless, things are now back to normal. Me and the boys are back to slinging bullshit in the shed, and Leita’s been helping Doc. She’s very busy. We seldom cross paths except for meals, and later at night. Just as this place has become a mecca for youth, it has become a great source of healing for the wounded or broken.
From daybreak until dawn, all Doc does is tend to those who have lost their way. He talks with them, establishes relationships, and interrupts limited thinking with logic that challenges and redirects it.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
He’s qualified to prescribe medication, and does, providing it free of charge. He also employs therapy. He believes Pharmaceuticals deamplify a mental condition, but don’t do anything to develop the neural pathways needed for patients to cope with their situations. For that he turns to psilocybin mushrooms and cannabis. With the mushrooms, he usually holds a session mid-morning everyday. They’re by invitation only, and until recently, usually had six people attending. What Doc does is he guides people through the psilocybin experience. What he’s doing with these experiences is building neural pathways to places in the mind where there had been barriers. He’s using psilocybin to develop and reinforce neural pathways that bring a wider spectrum of experience.
Where institutional methodology doesn’t come close, Doc is building pathways of coping and self-management. In fact, his guided trips are known to produce the greatest spiritual and transformative experiences many claim to ever have had. Everyone’s trying to get into his sessions. It’s an amazing thing to experience. I know, because I’ve been through a few. I don’t know how to explain it other than Doc walks right into your mind and directs you from one actualizing moment to another.
When he gets you where he wants you, he starts saying things like, ‘Now see, we have come to a place where light surrounds you. Let’s spend a minute with this energy and see if we can find what you’re looking for. Sure enough, it will come to you. He gives you very few prompts, but you always find understanding you know to be fundamental to your life, and how you proceed. These are indescribable understandings that add to your identity. You come out of a session with Doc more than you were when you entered. You’re more aware. You understand what’s important.
Leita’s been learning how to help guide people, and now they can handle a few more people per session. She’s really happy. ‘I’m finally getting a chance to do something with my life’ as she puts it. Anyway, I’m not promoting the use of psilocybin, or cannabis for that matter. For all I know, these things can produce the opposite results in some people. In the right hands though, I do believe they are an undervalued tool in our spiritual awakening.