Siddiq, founding director of the association, grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. He has been exploring the intersections of nature connection, meditation, and psychedelic medicine for the last 15 years.
He is a scholarship winner of the Somatic Plant Medicine Integration certification and and Trauma-informed Plant Medicine Masterclass offered by Atira Tan. As signatory of the North Star ethics pledge for psychedelic practitioners, he is guided by integrity and sincerity as foundational principles in his work.
His approach to psychedelic assisted therapy is grounded in an ongoing intensive study of the latest clinical research from the leading universities in the world. Influenced by the pioneering work of Dr Gabor Mate and Dr Basel van der Kolk in uncovering the somatic dimensions of trauma, his toolkit is based in psychosomatic therapy and incorporates elements of Dr Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing, Dr David Bercelli's Trauma Release Exercises, emotional release exercises from the Reichian tradition of body-based psychoanalysis, and breathwork-based methods of nervous-system autoregulation.
He has spent months on intensive silent retreat, focusing particularly on nature-based practices of embodied contemplation such as pilgrimage and wilderness rites of passage. He has developed relationships with many species of fungi, building bioreactors and countless compost piles to produce inoculum for feeding soil fertility, foraging for wild edible and medicinal mushrooms, fermenting food and drink with wild and cultivated aerobic and anaerobic fungi, and setting up a laboratory for cloning and growing wild and cultivated species for mycoprotien, mycogardening, and mycotherapy. He has grown intimate with the life-cycles of mushrooms, from spores to mycelium to fruit. His investigation of psychedelic fungi has led him to study the ethnomycological traditions of the world, from modern curanderos to precolonial Native Americans, Siberian shamans, ancient Greek Mysteries, all the way back to the ceremonial practices of our paleolithic ancestors.
My experience with Siddiq has been fantastic from the first email onwards - I immediately got a sense that these were good people and felt able to trust the process completely.
Although it was lovely Elena who actually facilitated my psychedelic journey, I imagine Siddiq would have been equally as gracious, kind and good humoured.
Highly recommended.
5.0
Verified
Thank you Siddiq
Very well organised. So appreciate your great communication & for selecting Milwena for my guide. She was really great.
5.0
Verified
My experience with Siddiq as a facilitator
Siddiq is extremely well read and offered me, prior to our session, a very useful & helpful collection of esources to both approach the psilocybin trip, integrate it, as well as processing trauma.
But more importantly Siddiq is calm, warm, and grounded. Throughout my stay with Mycosomatic Magic, as well as during the actual trip, I felt that Siddiq was able to assume the role of leader and guide without being condescending or forcing any beliefs or interpretations on me. I always felt that he cared about me as a human, so to speak, and had a basic instinct of respect (in the good meaning of that word).
Siddiq's calm and grounding was also a beneficial resource during the trip itself. When I expressed certain emotions Siddiq did not tighten up or feel uncomfortable with them, but stayed with me fully and just said "let the mushrooms guide you".
5.0
Verified
Great experience
I recently had the privilege of participating in a session facilitated by Siddiq, and I must say it was a truly meaningful experience. From the moment I reached out to inquire about joining a psilocybin session, Siddiq was incredibly attentive and supportive. He took the time to address all my concerns and provided invaluable materials to help me prepare for the session, including a wealth of resources like videos, podcasts, and books. These resources served as a roadmap for further exploration and reflection, both before and after the session.
Upon arriving at the retreat, Siddiq made me feel completely at ease. He listened attentively to my apprehensions and took proactive steps to ensure my comfort. The relaxation exercises we engaged in beforehand were instrumental in calming my nerves and fostering a sense of acceptance.
Throughout the session, Siddiq was a steadfast presence, guiding me through each stage of the journey with compassion and expertise. His unwavering support, whether it was holding my hand during moments of fear or offering insightful suggestions when I felt lost, was truly invaluable. Even after the effects of the mushroom had subsided, Siddiq remained by my side, helping me process and integrate the experience.
The following day, we took a rejuvenating walk in the woods, allowing me to reconnect with nature and engage in meaningful conversation. Through it all, I came to a profound realization: individuals like Siddiq are the catalysts for healing in this world. His dedication, empathy, and wisdom have left an indelible mark on me, and for that, I am deeply grateful.
5.0
Verified
Clearly an experienced and confident facilitator!
My experience with Siddiq was great, he seemed very confident answering all my questions and definitely helped me feel comfortable with the whole experience- including preparation and the integration. He's very knowledgeable about working with mushrooms and all the current studies and was able to help me understand the benefits of psilocybin therapy. Really a great person to work with, thank you Siddiq!
Verified
