SALVIA HEALINGS – A Conversation with Christopher Solomon
In an interview for the episode 38 of the MINDBEND podcast, I connected with Christopher Solomon, aka “Salvia Healings” on Instragram. Christopher is a dedicated salvia guide and somatic psychotherapist. Together, we explore the often misunderstood yet profoundly healing plant, Salvia Divinorum. With a reputation for both disorienting and therapeutic experiences, salvia is often shrouded in mystery and sensationalism. Christopher’s grounded and thoughtful approach to the plant offers a refreshing perspective on its potential for healing and self-discovery.
For the longest time, Christopher was simply “Salvia Healings” in my mind—a mysterious name tied to an Instagram account that stood out among the chaos of more provocative content on salvia. I purposefully didn’t dig any deeper into your profile because I wanted to learn more from him directly. It was really Christopher’s sincerity and lack of sensationalism that immediately struck a chord when I first found his work online.
Christopher humbly accepted the compliment, acknowledging the common absurdity surrounding salvia in online spaces. “There’s a general air of sensationalism,” he explained, “people take high doses and have strong experiences, and they want to tell a good story.” However, as someone who has worked with salvia for years, Christopher emphasizes its gentle, grounding nature when used intentionally in low doses. “You can take a big dose and transcend space and time, or you can take a tiny little dose and use it for a simple, gentle meditation session.”
For Christopher, salvia isn’t about the outrageous stories or viral videos that often portray it as a reckless trip—it’s about intentional, therapeutic use. Over the years, he’s developed a practice that blends salvia with somatic therapy, allowing individuals to connect deeply with their bodies and minds. “There’s something about salvia that becomes more private, more personal over time,” he reflected, suggesting that the plant encourages introspection and mindfulness rather than flashy experiences.
Christopher’s own journey with salvia began in high school, when the plant was still legal in most U.S. states. Like many curious teenagers, he bought it from a local smoke shop, where the lack of guidance made for confusing and slightly dissociative experiences. “The guy at the smoke shop couldn’t really give any advice. He just said, ‘It’s not for human consumption,’ but we both knew what I was buying it for,” he laughed. Initially, these experiences didn’t seem to offer much beyond a fleeting dissociative state—until one day, he decided to meditate beforehand. That simple act of taking ten slow, deep breaths before smoking completely transformed his experience.
“That’s when I actually met the salvia entity herself,” Christopher revealed. The plant spirit materialized next to him, and in that moment, he felt a profound telepathic communication and an overwhelming sense of love. This experience opened his eyes to the importance of intentionality when working with salvia. “It’s almost like you can’t approach it recreationally, or you’re going to have a terrible time,” he explained. From that point on, Christopher’s relationship with salvia became a practice, one that deepened his understanding of its therapeutic potential.
With further exploration, Christopher began to notice the plant’s tangible benefits for mental and physical health. Salvia became an effective tool for alleviating depression, insomnia, and emotional regulation. “It was also great for boosting my immune system and offering pragmatic advice for life decisions,” he explains. These effects, combined with a growing sense of synchronicity in his life, convinced him that salvia had far more to offer than just a wild trip. It became a cornerstone of his self-care routine and eventually led him to pursue training in somatic psychotherapy.
Today, Christopher’s professional practice revolves around guiding people through salvia journeys. He conducts most sessions via Zoom, using carefully dosed amounts of the plant to help his clients access mindfulness and healing. The plant’s unique interaction with the brain—specifically the kappa opioid receptor system—sets it apart from other psychedelics. While it doesn’t interact with serotonin receptors like LSD or psilocybin, salvia’s effects on the kappa system make it a potent analgesic and a viable option for people on SSRIs or those dealing with opioid withdrawal.
What makes salvia truly unique, however, is its ability to transport users into entirely different dimensions of consciousness. Christopher recounts guiding clients who report the opening of portals or feeling as if they are straddling two worlds at once. “Salvia reality feels way more objectively real than any shift in perception from LSD or DMT,” he said, describing the intensity of these otherworldly experiences. Despite the depth and intensity salvia can offer, Christopher is adamant that it doesn’t require a full immersion into “salvia land” to be therapeutic. “You don’t have to go to the deep end to experience healing,” he assures.
One of the most interesting aspects of salvia is the healing that can occur at low doses. Christopher’s work often involves helping people heal trauma or rewrite previous negative experiences with the plant by using small, manageable doses. His sessions combine the plant with somatic therapy, guiding individuals to tune into their bodies, track the sensations they feel, and explore their emotional and energetic experiences. In one particularly memorable session, a client who often suffered from panic attacks felt his heart rate increase but found that his emotional anxiety didn’t follow. The physical and emotional responses had decoupled, offering him a new perspective on his anxiety and how it manifests in the body.
Salvia’s healing power extends beyond emotional and mental wellness. Christopher shares a story of spontaneous physical healing during one of his early salvia experiences. A swollen lymph node that had plagued him for months disappeared within minutes of using the plant, a phenomenon he later discovered was not uncommon among other users. This potential for physical healing, coupled with salvia’s non-addictive nature, makes it a powerful yet underappreciated plant in the realm of psychedelics.
Despite its profound effects, salvia remains relatively obscure in the broader psychedelic community, primarily because it doesn’t work in the same way, neuro-chemically speaking, as the other “classic psychedelics.” But Christopher also attributes this to several other factors: its non-recreational nature, its initial discomfort for many users, and the fact that it doesn’t offer the same immediate personal relevance as substances like psilocybin or MDMA. Salvia experiences can feel bizarre or disconnected from one’s life, yet Christopher insists that these seemingly random experiences still bring about deep energetic shifts.
It seems almost the default, that there are deeper implications of working with salvia. In a world where many are searching for healing, salvia offers a unique path—one that requires intentionality, mindfulness, and an openness to exploring new dimensions of consciousness. For Christopher, it’s about helping people feel okay, grounded, and present in their bodies. “Healing doesn’t have to be this profound, mind-blowing experience,” he says. “Sometimes just feeling okay is the greatest gift.”
We did discuss his awareness of some pharmaceutical companies’ efforts to distill the analgesic effects of salvia into a commodity, but capturing the true essence of this secret plant remains a mysterious effort. Christopher’s work with salvia may still be on the fringes of the healing and psychedelic communities, but his approach is undeniably profound.
Through thoughtful guidance, careful dosing, and a deep respect for the plant, Christopher is helping individuals unlock the healing potential of a misunderstood medicine. As salvia continues to quietly offer its gifts to those ready to listen, guides like Christopher are ensuring that its true essence remains accessible to those seeking genuine healing and connection.