Plantscendence
Welcome to Plantscendence, a new podcast hosted by filmmaker Jon Reiss. Join us on a transformative journey as we explore the world of plant medicine and its profound impact on healing, personal growth, and artistic expression.
Within each episode, Jon engages in insightful conversations with a diverse array of experts, practitioners, artists, grief counselors and everyday people who have harnessed the power of plant medicine to heal trauma, navigate loss, unlock creativity, and become more their true selves.
Guests for the ten episode first season include poet and musician Vera Sola, author and pioneer of microdosing Jim Fadiman, actress Gina Gershon, artist and Nganga Chor Boogie, US Army veteran Itzel Barakat, author and teacher Spring Washam, artist Doris La Frenais, plant wisdom practitioner Sitaramaya Sita, grief counselor Larry Carlat and healer and author Tricia Eastman.
Jon Reiss is a critically acclaimed filmmaker, author, and media strategist. He began his film career at the fabled Target Video, where he shot seminal punk bands, including Black Flag, X, Iggy Pop, Throbbing Gristle, and The Cramps. Reiss then filmed and edited a series of videos documenting Mark Pauline’s Survival Research Laboratories. After directing numerous music videos, including, notoriously, Happiness in Slavery for Nine Inch Nails, he directed the feature films Bomb It, Better Living Through Circuitry, and Cleopatra’s Second Husband. Through his company 8 Above Reiss also helps filmmakers navigate the new distribution and marketing landscape.
Plantscendence
#1 Vera Sola: Iboga Unlocks Musicianship
How Iboga gave Vera Sola her singing voice and cured her lifelong endometriosis. In this episode of Plantscendence, we talk to poet, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Vera Sola, whose musicianship arrived as a shot in the dark after a transformative plant medicine ceremony in 2017. Vera talks about the profound impact that entheogens, and iboga in particular, have had on her creative process, spiritual practice, and physical wellbeing, including her recovery from lifelong debilitating endometriosis. She reflects on the power of sitting with darkness, and how delving into one’s shadow self can be a means of “seeing the world through the eyes of a child.” This episode offers valuable advice for those considering embarking on their own journeys, emphasizing the importance of preparation, integration, and choosing the right practitioners.