Today we’d like to introduce you to Lewis Birdseye IV.
Hi Lewis, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
This is a hard question to answer. I’m most certainly a product of my experiences and my journey. There are layers to me. I consider myself, first and foremost, a human being—a member of the human race. I suppose that I have always wanted to make a difference during my time on Earth. One of my earliest memories was of throwing my allowance out of the window in hopes that a homeless person might be able to buy food with it. At that time my parents were renting a duplex on Blackstone Blvd in Providence, RI—so this effort was totally wasted—but I’ve always thought it important to offer what you can to those who don’t have it/need it.
I’ve always been a seeker. When I was 15, I participated in a year-long exchange program (AFS) in France. In University, I decided to volunteer for a summer in Ecuador, ultimately staying nearly 4 years. I’ve spent over a year in Egypt and I speak fluent French & Spanish. I’ve done a variety of things in my life. From working at Lazaar’s Bazaar to working production in a perfume factory, co-founding a clothing and goods export company, serving as a medical interpreter and working as a crisis responder in several community response teams. I graduated in 2014 from the University of Oregon where I completed a B.A. and double majored in French & Political Science.
I suppose I’ve always struggled with my own mental health in some aspects, but after reading Michael Pollan’s “How to Change Your Mind,” I became fascinated with the potential healing benefits psilocybin can offer. After several experiences of my own, witnessing how it was able to reframe how I related to certain elements of my past, I decided that this was a field to which I felt I could not only succeed in but contribute to. This decision coincided with Oregon leglislating psilocybin services, and I enrolled in SoundMinds’ facilitator training program in March of 2024.
I obtained my license in October of 2025 and began facilitating at Ripple JourneyWork in Eugene, OR in early 2026.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say that the road has been smooth, but I have learned to savor/value the difficult moments (and memories) and they have made me a stronger and more resilient human being. I think that this work still incites a lot of stigma in people. I know that the majority of Oregonians remain unaware that psilocybin assisted therapy is even a viable option.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a psychedelic facilitator and I work with psilocybin at Ripple Journeywork in Eugene OR. I also hold a QMHA-I certificate. I work with people of all ages, genders, and nationalities. I have worked with people from all over the world. I would say that my specialty is creating a container where my clients feel safe and supported, enough so that they are able to go deeply inwards during the administration session. My philosophy is that if this safe container is created, the clients own inner healing intelligence will surge forth. Some facilitators interject themselves too much into the process. I think that the wonderful nature of psilocybin is that this isn’t really necessary. If good rapport has been established between the facilitator and the client, solid preparation has been done, and a safe container is created during the administration session, in most cases there is little that a facilitator has to do during a session.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
My favorite book is Candide, by Voltaire. Favorite podcast–Psychoactive (with Ethan Nadelman), and “Living An Energetic Life” by Dr. Joseph Bernard (Substack).
Pricing:
- $1000 base facilitation fee (2 prep sessions, 1 integration session)
- 1500 (unlimited prep sessions, 3 integration sessions)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ripplejourneywork.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lewis.birdseye
