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Join John, Margi, and Samantha Shelley us as we explore the story of what would lead a super-faithful and believing Mormon mother of three to try psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybin) for the first time…and what happened next.

Stephanie can be found on instagram as @stephanieannagain. Her business profile is @hairandmakeupbysteph or check out her website, hairandmakeupbysteph.com 

Samantha Shelley can be found at Zelph on the Shelf or Samantha Shelley Coaching

You can work with Margi through her website, BeautyintheNow.org


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7 Comments

  1. Gary Clark April 2, 2023 at 4:09 pm - Reply

    I particularly resonated with Stephanie’s description of how The Brethren’s b.i.c brainwash effectively replaces the members’ authentic connection to their own humanity with a surrender of control to the dictates of The Brethren. It’s nothing short of soul rape: Violating vulnerable babies and repurposing their very existence to serve the agenda of the only true church.

    I also appreciate Stephanie’s pointing out that The Brethren (and Christianity) have transmogrified the core teachings of Jesus (the human) and remanufactured him as a God and Savior … two roles he never claimed.

    For a stunning account of the life and times of the real Jesus, you can now read “Jesus: My Autobiography” channeled through Tina Louise Spalding and published recently in 2015. The true Gospel of Jesus Christ has actually been restored for real – dictated by Jesus himself. No need to rely on the New Testament with all of its omissions and misinformation. Check out Jesus’ autobiography on Amazon and read some of the 88% 5-star reviews. You will be shocked to see how much the authors and editors of the New Testament deleted and added to Jesus’ actual teachings.

    Please consider suspending your disbelief in “channeled” text long enough to expose yourself to the Story of Jesus … in his own words … spoken in perfect contemporary English … instead of listening to clueless, fake prophets. Jesus talks in detail about the condition of the world today, and what we can do about it.

  2. Jenni Ferrin April 3, 2023 at 5:34 pm - Reply

    I’m very interested in the thoughts that led Stephanie to be divorced within 4 months. It sounded like her husband was a decent guy and that this shift happened very suddenly. I know their journey is personal, but without going into details I would really like to know some of what brought about such a drastic decision (and no judgment here—just curiosity). Hearing this makes me very afraid to ever consider trying mushrooms, as enlightening as it may be. Every marriage has its struggles, and it terrifies me to think that psychedelics could cause mine to be magnified and lead me to decide that divorce is the next step. Is this common??
    I would also be very interested in hearing about her parents’ and her ex-husband’s perspectives about all of it, including how they’ve handled her siblings’ choices to leave the church.

    • Paul April 5, 2023 at 11:49 pm - Reply

      echo all this Jenni – very curious about her parents and ex-husband take.

  3. Chandra Smith April 11, 2023 at 5:07 pm - Reply

    This is in reference to the member saying alcohol is less harmful than other drugs. I have children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Because it is so unknown here in the United States, it is fully recognized in Canada, we did not figure out this is what was going on until my twins were 12. We took a 6 month course on this and join support calls weekly. Alcohol is by far more dangerous than most drugs as it is related to fetal development . People are more affected by fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder than autism and many aren’t even aware they are affected by this if their parents don’t admit they were drinking while pregnant or if they are unaware of this disability. Alcohol is not therapy it is a depressant. It is crazy to me that someone would say that. This is just informational on the topic of Alcohol.

  4. Jared April 14, 2023 at 12:39 am - Reply

    Ditto Paul and jenni

  5. Diane April 15, 2023 at 3:57 pm - Reply

    There are things I agree with in this podcast. I think everyone has some harm done at church, I think everyone has some harm done in their family, I think everyone has some harm done in their career, I think everyone has some harm done in their neighborhood. I often feel like post-Mormons equate the word harm with negative experience. Some of my negative experiences in all these realms of life were my fault. Unfortunately walking out of the church will not prevent any future negative experiences coming my way from somewhere.

    Loosey-goosey mushroom life sounds all great but there is so much it does not address. Does the mushroom “no one is ever unworthy, and all life is beautiful in the now” address Ukranian women doing their dishes crying in the now while bombs go off around them or other women who struggle to feed their family crying about the beauty in the now? I can find no way it addresses those issues at all other than maybe it can teach those women to breathe deeply. I feel The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints addresses both the joy and the suffering life brings. It promises to make broken things whole even if it does not all happen in the beauty of the “now.”

    I have never done psychedelics and don’t throw out the possibility that psychedelics could have some possible future beneficial use, but I have had my breath taken away by the beauty of a sunset and also felt I have seen the earth breathe while holding fast to my belief in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Claiming that Ms. Brinkerhoffs interpretation of what the Church believes is the only interpretation is arrogant. Most faith journey’s even of the faithful include unwinding and rewinding of faith. For her to say no TBM has ever experienced a different point of view is arrogant again.

    Lastly I have a temper and have harmed other people because of it. Do these mushroom people feel they have never caused harm to others? Doesn’t harming others make one unworthy to some extent? I have harmed others and felt unworthy. I want to know a way that things can be healed if possible. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at least has a plan for that whether or not you think it works.

  6. Ben Valentine May 6, 2023 at 12:29 am - Reply

    How can seemingly intelligent people with significant church experience have such fundamental misunderstandings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no more hopeful, optimistic, positive interpretation of Christianity than that found in the CoJCoLDS. I conclude the agenda of the speakers overwhelms their intellect.

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