My name is: Dingle Spence.

My stomping ground is: Kingston, Jamaica. 

I’m known for being: A ceremony facilitator

I’m talking about: Beckley Retreats.

Before I started this work, I was:

I’m a physician and have been working in Jamaica in the fields of oncology and palliative care for over thirty years. One of my principal goals has been to provide relief from the suffering that living with advanced disease brings. In search of holistic means for the relief of suffering and the promotion of wellness, I have also trained in traditional Chinese medicine, reiki, homeopathy and shamanic energy medicine. I’ve been a lifelong meditator and feel aligned with Eastern philosophies and Buddhist traditions.

My interest was sparked when:  I was invited to take part in a retreat providing psychedelic assisted psychotherapy to parents who have lost a child. I had my first guided/therapeutic journey just prior to this, and it gave me deep insights into the potential healing power of a guided psychedelic journey.

How it works is: 

Psychedelics (I am most familiar with psilocybin) affect people on many different levels. Of course, there are the levels of the biochemical and physiological, the emotional and spiritual and also the energetic. For me, it’s a mixture of bringing all the elements together in a safe and sacred space that helps begin the powerful healing.

What makes it different is: The Beckley philosophy is founded on bringing together good science, safety, psychology and spirituality. Beckley facilitators come from a wide range of social, cultural and professional backgrounds with each facilitator bringing their own area of expertise into the team and the healing space for the maximal support of the participants. 

My favorite lesser-known detail about the ceremonies is: In Jamaica, the natural sounds of wildlife are always with you in ceremonies at Good Hope. In the daytime, it's the cackling of the crows and squawking of parrots in the far trees, with the quieter whirr of hummingbird wings right nearby. Sometimes, it’s bees in the palm flowers. At night, the tiny tree frogs start up their peeping call to one another. And always with the gentle whiffs of copal or incense or wood smoke from the nearby fire, bringing comfort into the ceremony space.

A lesser-known detail about me is: I love dogs and have six beautiful woofs of my own.

I hope people walk away feeling: Empowered, enlightened, lighter and happier. 

Psychedelics are such a powerful tool because: They can help people recognize that we are all one and part of a greater whole; and they can help us connect into the core of our being and lead us to true self-expression.

They’ve helped me because: They have helped me shed a lot of painful baggage I used to carry. Now, I feel so much lighter and freer and able to connect with the Divine in me at all times. 

The words I live by are:

Healing is possible, healing is real and the path is here.

One truth that is so important, but people don’t always realize is:

Loving kindness towards ourselves and towards others and all living beings is at the heart of our humanity. Sadly, this is not recognized or practiced enough.