Episode 91

Written By Michaela Carlin
 
 
 
 

Can plant medicines catalyze both profound spiritual awakenings and physical healing from chronic illnesses?

On this episode, Michaela Carlin welcomes Mee Ok Icaro, a writer and sacred medicine advisor with an incredible story of healing a life-threatening autoimmune disease – and the sexual trauma that it was rooted in – through a spiritual and physical purification process guided by ayahuasca.

Mee Ok shares the challenges of her initial solo ayahuasca ceremonies, her deep work dieting various master plants from both Amazonian and North American traditions, and her exploration of ancestral healing through Korean shamanism.

Michaela and Mee Ok also discuss the challenges of Western medicine's limited perspective on healing; the potential of earth medicines in modern medical practices; and the remarkable power of plant intelligences to meet people across dimensions of mind, body and spirit.

Mee Ok Icaro is a unique and powerful voice in the world of visionary medicine and personal growth. As a writer, book doula, sacred medicine advisor and integration specialist, life purpose coach and guide, Mee Ok is dedicated to helping individuals heal and find their path in life. Skilled in Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry, a method she has personally integrated for over a decade to transform her own life, she integrates many teachings from a variety of traditions, from ancient to modern.

With a passion for writing and a talent for prose, Mee Ok is an award-winning stylist and poet. Her work has appeared in notable publications like the LA Times, Boston Globe Magazine, and Michael Pollan’s ‘Trips Worth Telling’ anthology. She was even featured in Gabor Maté’s New York Times bestseller ‘The Myth of Normal’ and the Netflix docuseries [Un]Well. With over a decade of experience working with ayahuasca and dieting seven master plants, Mee Ok is curing a near-fatal autoimmune disease, scleroderma, and is dedicated to helping others heal and recover their birthright of authenticity and truth.

Mee Ok holds a BA in Philosophy from Boston University and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction, and has studied the history of sexuality and medicine at Harvard. She is currently in the process of being initiated in her own indigenous tradition of Korean shamanism (mudang) and as an ayahuasquera in the Shipibo lineage. With a diverse set of passions, including racial and disability equity, adoptee advocacy, social justice, film, literature, doggies, and drag, Mee Ok is a curious soul with a wealth of knowledge and experience she loves to share.

Episode Highlights

  • On ayahuasca and healing illness

  • Michaela discusses Mee Ok's journey using ayahuasca to heal from an autoimmune disease called scleroderma

  • Mee Ok explains scleroderma in detail and its impact on her life

  • Mee Ok shares the intense physical effects and visions during her first ayahuasca journey

  • The struggles and processes involved in her initial self-administered ayahuasca journeys

  • Transformational aspects of these experiences

  • Mee Ok describes her spiritual experiences and physical healing through ayahuasca

  • The powerful experiences and healing work done in retreats led by Gabor Maté, highlighting the differences between solitary and guided ayahuasca experiences and the deeper trauma healing during these sessions

  • Teachings from ayahuasca, spiritual beliefs, and the unique connection Mee Ok shares with plant medicines

  • Mee Ok elaborates on spiritual insights gained, her shift from atheism, and working with various traditions balancing masculine and feminine energies

  • The importance of humility and wonder in learning from plant medicines

  • Mee Ok’s reconnection with her roots, upcoming initiations, and the powerful blend of her cultural heritage with her healing practices

  • Learning from indigenous practices, including the importance of integrating traditional wisdom into modern healing practices

  • Mee Ok shares about the various master plants she has worked with from different traditions

  • Modern culture and identity

  • Moving through significant trauma from sexual abuse 

  • How ayahuasca integrates with other healing practices

  • How physical ailments mirror internal trauma and the significance of understanding one's illness in the context of personal history

  • Misconceptions about health, trauma, and how modern fragmentation affects understanding and treatment

  • Mee Ok’s advocacy for broader awareness and support for those with chronic illness and trauma

  • Gender identity, cultural identity and how sacred medicines influenced Mee Ok’s view on gender fluidity and personal identity

  • Addressing pedophilia and child abuse

  • The historical context of child abuse and the need for legal changes and cultural healing 

  • Insights into the systemic issues in modern healthcare and societal views on child rights, linking historical issues with contemporary problems

Mee Ok Icaro’s Links 

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Mee Ok Icaro’s Gift To You

* * * * *

Special thanks to Jeremy Colbert (Taragápe) for the original podcast theme music.

You can find out more about Jeremey’s work here:
taragape.com and @taragape

Michaela Carlin
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