Aaron Strong, MA, LMHC
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Seattle WA
When I started working with plant medicines in 2018, I found it difficult to find a licensed counselor who had personal experience with psychedelic therapies. Integrating my profound and often confusing journeys was paramount to progress and health, yet finding such a person I could trust was a challenge. And so I now orient my practice to providing such support to clients who seek traditional plant medicines and other psychedelic means to grow and heal.
Please note: Although I don't offer psychedelic sessions or substances myself, I can provide pre-journey preparation and information, resources and referrals, and post-journey integration. May we grow and heal together!
I personally came to work with plant medicines— ayahuasca in particular— in 2018, having struggled with alcoholism and other self-destructive coping mechanisms for much of my life. Working with ayahuasca uncovered long-repressed and forgotten childhood trauma, and over time, with skilled plant facilitators and mentors, I was able to “reveal, feel and heal” the psychic scars that had been festering within me for some 50 years, and which were driving such addictive and damaging behaviors. I experienced a paradigm shift, and have witnessed many, many of my own clients come to health & wellness using traditional methods handed down through carefully-tended lineages.
In addition to working with psychedelic medicines, I have been an active and committed student of Buddhism for more than 25 years, practicing within the Zen and Vipassana traditions. This practice provides a wonderful balance to the sometimes chaotic and profoundly weird journeys the medicine offers. I’ve also continued my conversation with plant medicines on an ongoing basis, expanding my understanding and sharing my learnings with others.
When I'm not exploring the far corners of consciousness, I cook, ski and lounge with my family, brew kombucha, play Bach (badly) on the piano, and spend as much time in Nature as I can. Before becoming a therapist, I was a freelance photographer for nearly 20 years in Aspen, CO, shooting many commercial and editorial campaigns for national clients.