Awakening To Life: 5-Meo-DMT Preparation & Integration with Steve RioAwakening To Life: 5-Meo-DMT Preparation & Integration with Steve Rio
The Awaken With Alyssa Podcast
Alyssa talks with Enfold co-founder Steve Rio about 5-MeO-DMT, focusing on preparation, somatic trauma work and integration around this intense psychedelic experience. They discuss who this work is for, how safety and readiness are assessed, and why deep support before and after ceremony is crucial.
46:02•13 Oct 2026
Awakening to Life: 5-MeO-DMT, Somatic Healing and Deep Integration with Steve Rio
Episode Overview
- 5-MeO-DMT is framed as a powerful somatic intervention aimed at the nervous system rather than just a psychological experience.
- Enfold requires prior therapeutic work and uses careful screening to ensure their retreats are not someone’s first step in healing.
- Preparation includes three weeks of education and two on-site days to build trust, context, and nervous system readiness before high-dose work.
- Integration is ongoing and involves somatic practices, community support, and close attention to old mental stories trying to reassert themselves.
- Steve stresses that compressing years of therapy into a short process is intense and demands capacity, support, and commitment after the ceremony.
“"I think what it's able to do is 30 years of somatic therapy in a single session."”
What drives someone to seek a life that feels truly awake rather than just "fine"? This conversation between host Alyssa and guest Steve Rio speaks directly to people sitting at that crossroads – especially those in recovery who feel stuck even after years of therapy, somatic work, or sobriety.
Steve, co-founder of Enfold in British Columbia, shares how he and his wife, Austin, support people working with 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic he calls "the strongest somatic or psychological intervention on the planet." He explains that many guests arrive saying they’ve done the work, know their trauma, and can feel where they’re stuck, yet nothing seems to shift. For them, 5-MeO-DMT is framed as a deeply somatic, nervous-system-level intervention, rather than a purely psychological trip.
You’ll hear Steve break down how Enfold carefully screens people, why their centre "is not the first step on a healing journey," and how they build three weeks of preparation and a five-day on-site process around a single intense ceremony.
With humour and honesty, he describes the high-dose session as "about an hour long, but it’s like the most intense thing you’ve ever experienced," and stresses that the real work continues in integration — from somatic practices and community support to watching for old stories creeping back in. Both Steve and Alyssa stress that this isn’t a magic fix or shortcut.
As Steve puts it, compressing "10 years of therapy" into one week brings powerful results, but also big emotional waves that require time, support, and willingness to face long-avoided fears. For anyone rebuilding life after addiction or trauma and feeling drawn to psychedelic work, this episode offers a grounded, practical look at what deep preparation and integration can actually look like.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re truly ready for a big intervention like this, what would it mean to prepare your body, mind, and life for that kind of shift?
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