Episode 26 | Matthew Stevens

What this episode covers

In this episode, Joe sits down with shamanic practitioner Matthew Stevens for a deep, raw, and eye-opening conversation about spirituality, healing, and altered states of consciousness.Matthew shares his personal journey from corporate life and deep grief into the world of shamanism, including powerful experiences with ayahuasca in Ireland and Peru. The lads dive into everything from DMT, mushrooms, and plant medicine to meditation, soul retrieval, and the idea of multiple spiritual realms.This episode balances curiosity, skepticism, and real-life experience—covering both the potential benefits and serious risks of these practices. It’s a fascinating listen for anyone interested in mental health, spirituality, or exploring consciousness beyond the everyday.⏱️ Timecodes00:00 – Intro & Welcome Back High-energy intro, Joe sets the tone and introduces Episode 26.00:10 – Meet Matthew Stevens Introduction to Matthew, his work as a shamanic practitioner, and how Joe discovered him.01:00 – Joe’s Curiosity About Ayahuasca Joe talks about learning from YouTube and his fascination with plant medicine.02:30 – What Ayahuasca Actually Is Matthew explains ayahuasca, DMT, and how the brew works in the body.04:00 – Matthew’s Origin Story Losing both parents, depression, and the start of his spiritual journey.05:30 – The “Calling” & First Ceremony How a chance encounter led Matthew to his first ayahuasca experience.06:45 – First Ayahuasca Experience (Intense Story) Fear, “splitting,” and being guided through the experience by a shaman.08:15 – Other Realms Explained Introduction to shamanic journeying, drumming, and altered states without drugs.09:30 – Life Transformation After Ayahuasca How that one experience changed Matthew’s direction completely.10:30 – Training & Peru Experience Trips to the Amazon, working with shamans, and differences between traditions.12:00 – What Is Shamanism Really? Breaking down misconceptions—spiritual practice vs religion.13:00 – Do You Need Plant Medicine? Why most shamans don’t actually rely on psychedelics.14:00 – The Three Worlds (Shamanic Cosmology) Middle world, lower world, upper world explained.16:00 – Joe on Wanting the Experience Joe opens up about wanting to try ayahuasca himself.17:30 – Real-Life Transformation Stories Stories of people healing relationships and addictions through ceremonies.19:00 – Risks & Warnings Matthew discusses bad experiences and why guidance is crucial.20:30 – Different Types of DMT Experiences Ayahuasca vs smoked DMT vs frog medicine.22:00 – Set, Setting & Safety Why environment and intention matter massively.23:30 – Meditation & Daily Practice How meditation can reach similar states over time.25:00 – Stress, Health & Modern Life Discussion on stress, illness, and disconnect from nature.27:00 – Matthew’s Background Growing up in Ballyfermot, early spiritual experiences as a child.29:00 – Corporate Life vs Spiritual Calling Balancing a pharma career with shamanic work.30:00 – Leaving the Job & Taking the Leap Matthew opens up about walking away from corporate life.31:30 – Why More People Are Getting Sick Stress, diet, modern lifestyle discussion.33:00 – Psychedelics & Society Why substances like LSD were suppressed historically.35:00 – Death, DMT & the Afterlife Concept Deep discussion on death, consciousness, and crossing over.37:00 – Shared DMT Experiences Why so many people report seeing the same entities.40:00 – Retreats & Real-Life Practice What actually happens on Matthew’s retreats.41:30 – Shamanic Tools (Hapé Explained) Breakdown of the tobacco snuff and how it’s used.44:00 – Soul Retrieval Explained One of the most powerful concepts—recovering lost parts of yourself.47:30 – Healing, Grief & Letting Go Emotional healing and processing trauma.48:30+ – Death, Dying & Spiritual Support Working with people at end-of-life and emotional closure.

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