I’m really excited to welcome a guest to the podcast for the first time! If you’ve got a chronic illness of any kind, I’m sure there’s one type of person you practically see more than your own family - doctors. One of the most frustrating things that can happen when you have a chronic illness is being told that all your test results have come back as normal and hearing the words “there’s nothing wrong with you”. What if your doctor could empower you to learn more about how to heal yourself?
My guest today has done lots of additional training beyond the standard medical degree, and alongside her own experience of anxiety and long Covid, is uniquely placed to comment on how the standard medical model is very limited when it comes to chronic illnesses. She’s even got lived experience of how psychedelics can help to heal you, and this is an especially interesting point of conversation! We met through a Dr Gabor Maté Compassionate Inquiry retreat last year, which we are both trained in and bring our own experience to.
That guest joining us is Dr Aisling Quiery, an NHS GP with a background in addictions work who also works as a Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner, Maturation Coach, and psychedelic guide at Imperial College London. Aisling believes that, to really heal, symptom management or lifestyle and behaviour change is not sufficient and that to move forward, we need to dig down to the roots, to our early childhood experiences and the adaptations we made in order to survive. Aisling works to guide her clients inwards, to bring compassion and curiosity to all parts of themselves so that they can heal.
I hope you love this first guest interview episode, and if you have anyone you’d love to see on the podcast, please contact me via any of the links below and let me know!
In this episode, we’re chatting about:
What Aisling believes are the main limitations of the medical model from her perspective as a GP
Aisling’s own experience of anxiety and long Covid
Why it’s important that GPs validate their patients’ experience of chronic illness or trauma but also empower them to heal themselves
The idea that psychedelics can be used for healing and Aisling’s own experience of this
How Aisling’s body remembered her birth, and how implicit memories are held in the body but are often not able to be recalled
Skip ahead to what you need…
[01:30] Introducing this week’s guest, Aisling
[06:52] What Aisling would like to change about the medical model
[12:19] Aisling’s thoughts on medically unexplained symptoms from her own experience
[21:32] How doctors can empower their patients to heal themselves
[32:38] Using psychedelics as a medicine for healing
[42:33] Aisling’s experience of using psychedelics in the jungle
[55:02] What Aisling wishes she knew when she was younger
[58:22] Stay connected with Aisling
Mentioned in today’s episode:
Connect with Aisling:
Connect with Jenny, Chronic Illness Coach:
DISCLAIMER: Everything mentioned in this podcast is only my/my guests’ opinion and should not be a substitute for seeing a medical professional. Please seek advice from your doctor and confirm with them that they are happy for you to implement something you heard on the podcast.
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