Dr. Tanya Maté, N.D., is the Integration Director at the Temple of the Way of Light, an ayahuasca healing centre that works with Shipibo healers in Peru. In the video below, she recommends and describes the “Show Me, Help Me, Teach Me” framework for setting intentions for psychedelic experiences. This approach encourages participants to explore their goals for the session with clarity and depth. It emphasizes a collaborative and exploratory mindset, allowing the substance to guide insights. Here’s a breakdown of the approach:
1. Show Me:
• This intention focuses on gaining clarity or insight. Participants ask to be shown something significant about their lives, such as patterns, challenges, or hidden truths. It invites the experience to reveal what is most important or relevant at that moment.
• Example: “Show me what I need to understand about my relationships.”
2. Help Me:
• This aspect emphasizes personal growth and healing. Participants request support in working through emotional pain, trauma, or specific challenges. It reflects a willingness to accept assistance and surrender to the process.
• Example: “Help me heal the fear I feel about my future.”
3. Teach Me:
• This intention is about learning and gaining wisdom. It invites the experience to provide lessons or guidance for navigating life. Participants open themselves to learning from the experience and integrating those lessons into their lives.
• Example: “Teach me how to be more compassionate toward myself and others.”
Benefits of the Framework
• Clarity and Focus: It provides a structured way to articulate intentions, giving the experience direction without rigid expectations.
• Flexibility: Encourages openness to a range of outcomes, whether the experience is insightful, healing, or instructional.
• Integration: The format naturally lends itself to post-session reflection, helping participants connect insights to their initial intentions.
This approach is often used in therapeutic and ceremonial contexts to enhance the depth and meaning of psychedelic experiences while fostering a sense of collaboration with the process.