#05 - Kerry Rhodes: The Supporter’s Role

Kerry Rhodes is a former NFL safety who played in the league for 9 years, first for the New York Jets and then for the Arizona Cardinals, until 2013. Today he is a musician, writer, director, producer, and actor, who hasn’t exactly shied away from talking about his own personal use of psychedelics and how they have changed his life for the better.

What we discuss:

• Kerry’s experiences with psychedelic medicine
• the role psychedelics could have for folks in professional sports leagues
• the role of the supporter: what does it look like to support a family member, a friend, a loved one through the ibogaine experience?
• How to best support someone who is about to undergo an ibogaine treatment
• The importance of preparation, integration, and community
• advice for those in a supporter’s role

Why it’s important: Supporting a loved one through a traumatic period in their lives can be incredibly challenging, because it requires a level of surrender on the part of the supporter, too – a sense of trust in the process, and a willingness to let go of control. Kerry’s experience shows us how vital support from a loved one can be in taking the initial step to seek treatment, and how that support can allow a person to learn to trust the process, too.

Relevant Links:

• Forbes story about Kerry Rhodes’ ayahuasca experience
• Trailer for The Medicine documentary featuring Kerry Rhodes
• The Medicine documentary website
• High Impact Healing: Kerry Rhodes interviewed about Ibogaine
• Kerry Rhodes on Twitter