Emeline Crutcher
What inspired you to become a psychedelic therapist?
Serving medicine was actually not something I saw for myself until about 2.5 years into working with plant medicines and studying shamanism. Initially, I entered the plant medicine and shamanism world for my own healing and trauma recovery, and although I had many profound and life changing experiences during these 2.5 years, it was when I started incorporating somatic therapy and somatic embodiment practices into my life that things started to shift in big ways that were very grounded and tangible in daily life. My background in science led me to dig deeper into this work to understand more about the research that helps explain why working with the body on the level of felt sensation is so important and how our body holds onto the memories of traumatic events in a way that can’t be accessed working with the mind alone. As I began to understand more about how our nervous system and body experience and store traumatic events and chronic stress, and the long term impact of that, so much started to fall into place for me. The changes I was seeing in myself through engaging in somatic practices while in the expanded states of awareness given by plant medicine were undeniable. It really felt like I’d discovered the missing puzzle piece to integrating plant medicine experiences into real grounded changes in day to day life. However, when I looked around at the plant medicine communities around me, it felt like true embodiment was really missing from the spaces I was a part of. In many cases it even seemed like the body was treated as more of something to be overcome, rather than the wise and beautiful gift it really is. It was really at this point that I knew I needed to build out offerings so that others could experience this deep connection to their physical vessel and learn how to cultivate a deep and loving relationship with their own bodies so we can all begin living on this planet in harmony with all physicality.
Can you share a defining moment that shaped your approach to therapy?
A major defining moment that informs how I work with people and hold space is when I experienced in no uncertain terms that you are only allowed access to what the body is storing as deeply as the sense of safety you have built with your body. I grew up in an environment where everything was done through force, and that was how I’d lived my life – always “making things happen.” Through working with the body, I learned that if you want to heal the deepest core wounds that we carry as a collective, we must learn to be soft, gentle, and unconditionally loving with ourselves. There is literally no other way. That also means that blasting people open with strong doses of medicine will only get you so far. While this can be helpful in some cases, there are layers of core beliefs and wounding that can’t be reached with stronger doses of plant medicine. These layers can only be reached by one’s own loving conscious awareness after spending time building a loving and trusting relationship with the body on a daily basis. Safety is a feeling, not a thought, and it is cultivated through relationships of consistent love and compassion over time. This means that my aim in working with people is to provide them with awareness and tools to begin developing this deep relationship with their body so that they can alchemize deep core wounds and limiting beliefs for long term life changing results.
How would you describe your therapeutic philosophy?
My philosophy is that almost all human conditions that we have pathologized come from a core wound of disconnection. This core wound of disconnection results in a felt sense of separation and lack of safety in this physical form, and this in turn creates the experiences of suffering that are so commonly a part of the human condition. My work focuses on reconnecting the conscious awareness with the physical body as well as the rest of the Earth so that we remember who we really are, and re-learn how to feel safe and supported by ourselves, the Earth, and those around us.
What core values guide your practice?
Kindness, compassion, respect, accountability, and integrity
How has your experience with psychedelics influenced your therapeutic style?
Plant medicines have taught me on an experiential level the importance of working with the body and how we store experiences from our own life as well as the lives of our ancestors in our cells, tissues, and organs. These experiences led me down the path of combining somatic therapy with plant medicine, and the medicines continue to teach me how to create grounded changes here in this physical reality through working in collaboration with the body.
What do you enjoy most about working with clients on their psychedelic journeys?
Bearing witness to the transformations that people undergo through their work with somatics and plant medicine is such a beautiful gift. Knowing that the work I am doing is creating real change in real people’s lives is really the most I could ask for in any role, and doing this work allows me to feel so much of that change as it is being made.
Ph.D. in Genetics and Neurodevelopment from Baylor College of Medicine
Initiated as a Pampamessayoc in Q’ero Andean Shamanism
Trained as a Venusian Temple Priestess of the Rose Lineage.
· Integration Sessions: Assisting clients in processing and making meaning from psychedelic experiences.
· Preparation Sessions: Helping clients set intentions and prepare mentally and emotionally for their experiences.
· Guided Sessions: Details on how guided sessions are conducted, safety protocols, and client expectations.
· Holistic Support: Incorporation of mindfulness, meditation, or other therapeutic practices.
“I’ve sat in a number of ceremonies now, and thus far my ceremony with Tree of Life is at the top of the list. Emeline is one of the most intuitive, tapped-in shaman I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. It’s like she has a 6th and 7th sense of where I was at (emotionally, physically, etc.) without me saying anything. It’s the kind of instinct that only comes from having deep and intimate personal experience with plant medicine and traveling deeply inward on her own healing journey.
Her somatic practices, breathwork were eye-opening… and I just felt layers-upon-layers of trauma and tension being shed from my body.
The most unique thing about the way she facilitates is she puts such a strong emphasis on grounding. I’ve never experienced that level of grounding in my life. So many ceremonies open you up so much to the spiritual heavens that it can make you feel fragile, raw and vulnerable as you get back to the real world. We can have the most profound visions of past lives, alternate dimensions, spirit guides, etc., but at the end of the day, we’re still living on this planet and this dimension… and we still gotta ground all of that back into this reality if we really wanna make an impact on our lives.”
– Joey
“Chaos. We all live in it and we can’t escape it. I let it get the better of me and let it drive my life which resulted/results into broken relationships, lack of patience for my children and missing all the signs of help that are right in front of me. Time management with work, kids, obligations and self love has not been sustainable thus far for me to do with grace and stability. I know it’s possible though, it has to be. I can do all these things while staying centered and present. I’ve had enough therapists explain this space to me and I get the concepts but I couldn’t connect it completely like I have been able to now……
…..I live in the untethered space at the moment. I intend to remain here.
I’m taking my integration seriously and have already partaked in the first integration meeting which was very helpful. I will lean on my other support systems I have at my disposal. I am so grounded (new concept for me).
Everything flowed so well during the retreat with Emeline and Sonia and the love held in that room was exactly what I needed. The somatic work was really a hug for my heart and soul and I released tension from an old injury that has never healed properly. This is where healing starts. I can’t say enough good things about the whole experience. So much so that my husband will be partaking in one of the next ones. From the bottom of my heart thank you so much. If you feel called to heal I highly suggest you choose Emeline to hold your hand xoxox”
– Mandy
“I had been considering attending a plant medicine ceremony for awhile, but was not particularly interested in the time and expense involved in traveling overseas. Then, I came across Emeline on IG and was immediately struck by the quality of her presence in her posts. I watched several of her videos, did my due diligence to vet her and her sources for the medicines, and after speaking with her on the phone, felt very confident that I could trust her. I was not wrong. I attended her July 2024 three-day Somatic Healing and Sacred Plant Medicine retreat in California and was blown away. First of all, I like that she keeps the number of participants small so that everyone gets the time and attention they need. Secondly, the vegetarian meals were amazing, and she went out of her way to customize the menu to accommodate my very strict dietary requirements. Also, there is plenty of time to spend on your own in your room or outside. But what I most loved about the experience and what I think is unique about the Tree of Life ceremonies is the incorporation of bodywork. Having trained as a massage therapist myself, I already understand the power of deep tissue and myofascial techniques for releasing stored trauma in the body, but I never would have guessed that combining somatic work with the technology of the medicines would have such a profound effect on me, particularly post-retreat. As I write this, I am still deep in the integration phase and truly appreciating the amazing support she offers for this most important part of the process, including 1:1 consultation, group Zoom calls and links to embodiment exercises. It is obvious that this work is a calling for Emeline, and I love how available she is and how connected I feel to her whether she is in front of me or miles away. I recommend Emeline, her co-facilitator, Sonia, and the Tree of Life Temple wholeheartedly.”
– Suzy
“I did the Somatic Healing and Sacred Medicine Retreat in early August. It was a profound experience. I have done other medicine retreats in the past but this was in a league of its own. Emeline is an amazing being and I am so grateful for the experience of the retreat and her masterful facilitation. Here emphasis and support on somatic integration is so key. For anyone wanting to do some sort of a medicine journey I totally recommend her and the the Tree Of Life Temple.”
– Galen
“This was the most amazing experience. My desire was to understand where my life was leading me. I left with an expanded sense of love, fearlessness and direction. I am in my body in a way that has expanded beyond my physical form.
I have given gratitude to the mother for my body and thanked the father for breathing every cell in my body, and water for holding me together! I feel that now! I feel every breath is a rebirth! Thank you”❤️❤️❤️
– Tee