Chicago and Washington, D.C.-based Soma Phoenix is a psychedelic researcher and integration consultant who works with individuals seeking healing from trauma and spiritual transformation. As an attorney, Soma advocates for drug policy reform and supports the idea of cognitive liberty, or freedom to explore consciousness on our own terms. Soma provides private integration support services and is the founder of Psillygirls.com, a site devoted to community building, spiritual support, and discourse around psychedelic experiences and insights.
A Chicago native, Soma spent years in the underworld of pharmaceutical litigation as a litigation support attorney, dredging through the sorrow and heartache of people with illnesses and horrific injuries. She went on a quest for ancient information that might help alleviate this misery, exploring topics from herbalism to hoodoo and occultism.
Soma seeks to destigmatize the use of sacred psychedelic medicine in communities of color, who are often most vulnerable to PTSD from the effects of trauma. Soma provides education about the benefits and history of psychedelics to groups lacking access to these valuable resources. As part of the People of Color Psychedelic Society, Soma is helping to reclaim and highlight the legacy of sacred mushrooms and their use by healers in Huautla de Jimenez Mexico. Featured in High Times magazine, the group comprised of people of color, women, and queer folk provides support space for sexual assault survivors; recognizes the contribution of underrepresented groups’ work in psychedelic thought, research and activism; and offers educational resources about herbology, plant medicine and healing trauma through psychedelic exploration.
“When people are focused on survival in the form of worrying about making ends meet, basic safety concerns, surviving trauma, and the plethora of issues people of color face, there is less motivation to explore the concept of self-realization—a topic seemingly observed for rich white folks,” Soma says. “My community was so entrenched in survival that we had become totally disconnected from our higher spiritual selves, which ironically turns out to be have been the key to our ancestor’s survival.” Soma’s mission is to unite fringe thinkers interested in exploring altered states of consciousness as a means to address the issue of survival on this planet.”
Soma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies from Iowa State University and a Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center.
Cosmic Sister (@CosmicSister) awarded Soma Phoenix a Women of The Psychedelic Renaissance grant to present “Psychedelic Sankofa: Remembering Our Past to Protect Our Future” at Spirit Plant Medicine Conference in Vancouver, BC.
Psychedelic Sankofa: Remembering Our Past to Protect Our Future
Soma Phoenix is building a community of people who, like her, are curious about why we exist and are on the journey to find the answer. She finds a special joy in discussing a psychedelic trip with a fellow person of color, sharing common themes of realizing their divinity and the comfort in knowing there’s more to life than what we were led to believe. Another important element of these discussions is understanding that the superstitions and wisdom of elder family members has basis in ancient tradition, waiting for us to explore. This thirst for ancestral knowledge led Soma to the sacred town of Huatuala de Jimenez in Southern Mexico, birthplace of the famous curandera María Sabina, where she met with healers, locals, and family members of the Legendary Spirit Woman and learned that consciousness exploration through plant medicine is part of the legacy of the world’s indigenous people. María Sabina shows us a rich tradition of herbalism, spiritualism, and otherworldly exploits and serves as our bridge to the other side of the veil. Soma will discuss some of the clues and guidance our ancestors have left about the use of plant medicines. This workshop will discuss how the Ghanaian concept of Sankofa, “remembering our past to protect our future,” will be of upmost importance as we evolve.
Follow Soma Phoenix on Instagram (@psillygirls)
Website COMING SOON: Psillygirls.com
