Jigsaw Journeys

Going away to simplify my life. 🌿✨

Also me: packing for every possible weather condition, emotional state and hypothetical social occasion. 😂🧳

Because apparently *letting go of what no longer serves me* does NOT apply to the seven outfits I might need.

Minimalist in spirit.
23kg in reality.

**JJ Unfiltered 🌍**

🍄 What if they’re not just mushrooms?

People have described psychedelic experiences as everything from journeys into the subconscious to encounters with something that feels completely beyond our ordinary reality.

So here’s a question just for fun…

**Medicine for the mind? A doorway into consciousness? Or portals to somewhere else entirely? 👀**

What do you think is actually happening when psychedelics radically alter our perception of reality?

What if the person who spent 14 years fighting drugs ended up believing psychedelics could help people heal?

That's exactly what happened to Neil Woods, a former undercover UK drugs officer who infiltrated organised crime for over a decade.

After leaving the police, he struggled with PTSD and what he describes as moral injury. An ayahuasca retreat in Peru became part of his own healing journey — and today he's helping create psychedelic retreats for emergency workers.

I find stories like this fascinating because they challenge our assumptions.

Not because psychedelics are a magic solution. They aren't.

But because sometimes the people who have seen the most damage are also the people most open to asking difficult questions about healing.

For me, this story is also a reminder that the retreat itself isn't the destination.

Preparation matters. Safety matters. Integration matters. The real work often begins when we come home.

I'd love to know your thoughts.

Does it surprise you that a former undercover drugs officer is now advocating for carefully supported psychedelic retreats?

Sometimes the most caring thing you can do for everyone around you is recognise when you have nothing left to give. 🌿

Rest isn’t selfish. Stepping away isn’t selfish. Choosing yourself isn’t selfish.

We’re told to put on our own oxygen mask first for a reason.

So… how full is your cup today? ☕💚

And what would help you refill it?

Solo travel has taught me that I am a strong, capable, independent woman who can navigate the world on her own. 💪🌍

It has also taught me that I have absolutely no idea which bus I'm supposed to get. 😂

Independence doesn't mean knowing what you're doing all the time.

Sometimes it just means being willing to ask, get it wrong, laugh about it… and try again.

**JJ Unfiltered ✈️**