Lysa Cooper

"You can do all the medicine work that you want but if you don’t have community and support, what are you doing? We need to be connecting and working together to move forward. That should be a major force in medicine work in general, and it has to be inclusive."

How would you describe your work? 
I’ve had such a rich history of different careers, but at the end of the day they all line up to be the same thing. What I do and what I facilitate is an overall space, feeling or vibe (my favorite word!) that allows people to feel safe, comfortable and fall in love with themselves in the fullest sense and then turn that love out and love everyone else, the world and the process. I work as a liaison between great practitioners of all types of plant and animal medicine, and as a connection to the medicine itself. 

How do you start with someone? 
I take a lot of time to figure out what is best for that person. Many people think they need a psychedelic experience, and after going over the details of where they are, I might suggest other things like therapy or a men’s group, or even public speaking to help them find their voice. It’s all about finding a practice that lets you drop into yourself. And then there is the  integration work, which is like a promise of accountability to really commit to building a practice, where you can integrate whatever you are doing whether it is medicine or something else. 

What psychedelics are you working with? 
People have been coming to me for microdosing a lot recently, and I am currently working with a new mushroom microdosing company called The Kind Teacher that was started by a childhood friend. I find that microdosing mushrooms is one of the first steps in showing up for yourself. Working with psilocybin is a way to start going into your own personal story, whether that is looking at past trauma or creativity in your future. What I have noticed for myself is that it really awakens an inner connectivity with my own consciousness and with everyone around me. 

What made you want to work with The Kind Teacher?
A lot of companies are mixing things with mushrooms, saying they will do this and that for you - like what has happened in the cannabis space - but mushrooms don’t really work like that. The Kind Teacher is really in their integrity and doing the right thing, educating themselves and taking things to the next level. The cleaner the mushroom is, that is something I can stand behind and work with without any fear or judgment. The other company I like is Mycology Psychology.

What led you to this space? 
I have always had a strong relationship with psilocybin and have been a participant and practitioner of mushrooms since I was in high school. I knew about Bufo for many years before I actually was able to receive it. Once I started working with it myself, I realized this was the medicine I needed to work with and facilitate for others as well. I am at my happiest when I am in service and I hold some mean mother fucking space. 

What is Bufo? 
It is an animal medicine, not a plant medicine, and there is a very distinct difference. It is the poison that is extracted from these beautiful Sonoran Desert toads. For me it is really a beautiful and incredible heart opening medicine, you smoke it and it lasts for only 25 to 30 minutes. You could say it's like 15 years of therapy in a 25 minute session. 

What does individual change have to do with collective evolution? 
We have to start with ourselves, to tap into our own personal empathy and then you take that empathy out on the road. And talk, and share, and exchange and commune. Get off your screen. Get out of your house…and your own way! The way to make real change is as a communicating community. 

What role does community play in personal growth work? 
It is everything, it is what is going to keep you alive. You can do all the medicine work that you want but if you don’t have community and support, what are you doing? We need to be connecting and working together to move forward. That should be a major force in medicine work in general, and it has to be inclusive. 

How do you make your work accessible? 
The first thing I said after my first Bufo experience was “I need to be bringing this work to black people.” There is a bridge to be gapped, especially with black women. No offense to anybody but we are the saviors, the first mothers! We keep saving the world and we get no credit for it! I want to bring this heart work to my own black community and indigenous community, to make it accessible to all and not just the Burning Man crew. 

Do you consider yourself a healer? 
I don’t like the word healing, or the word wellness. It is pure health, we are trying to stay healthy. The truth is we are all healing and breaking at the same time… and what we are actually doing right now is dying. I know that a big part of my future work will be around dying.

Who have been your biggest teachers? 
I grew up in the 80s so my influences were people I was spending time with, like Andy Warhol and Allen Ginsberg. I have been a sponge of art, culture and music my whole life, which is a big part of my practice. Elena Brower and Ally Bogard are my yoga teachers. I am an avid reader, often listening to 3 books and reading 12 at the same time! 

What are some of your daily rituals and practices? 
Physical practice is very important to me, to be fully aware and conscious of the body. I have been doing gyrotonics twice a week for years, and I do an immense amount of breathwork. I also spend a lot of time with my people, I show up, not just for myself but for others. I am a good friend! I do a full round of Kambo four times a year with Natasha Berger, the same woman I have been sitting with forever. 

What's on your bedside table?
An altar. Actually, my whole house is full of altars because I am praying all the time. I also like to collect, and it is a great way of bringing pieces I have together. I also have this new deck my girlfriend Tasya brought me, The Untamed Elemental Deck. What is next to me at all times right now because I just got back from New Mexico and it was so dry is Nellie Tsosie's Natural Pinon Cream.

What words of wisdom do you always find yourself sharing? 
Keep it cute, and put it on mute! 

What is the best advice you've ever gotten?
My brother’s best advice, “no matter what you do, don’t get shot.” It isn’t a joke, it's the best advice that anybody could ever give. 

What are the 3 things that you’re grateful for? 
My mind, my body and my soul. 

What are 3 books you recommend?

Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants 

Womb Awakening 

The Woman Who Turned into a Jaguar 

Photos by Na'ama Givoni and Miki Ash