My name is Anna Papadakis, and I’m a body-centred therapist working at Kundalini House. My journey has taken many shapes—beginning as a birthworker, doula, and educator, and evolving over the past 20 years into a deeply intuitive practice of Body Centred Therapy (BCT). All of this has been grounded in exploring the depths and many layers of the human body and consciousness.

My personal healing journey has been the bedrock of my work. From living in a commune in India to working in e-commerce, from supporting births to developing my own hybrid therapeutic modality, I’ve always followed the thread of inner transformation. Along the way, I’ve explored a wide range of workshops, sessions, modalities, and trainings.

In 2018, after years of inner work and curiosity, I experienced my first Ayahuasca ceremony. It felt like coming home. Since then, I’ve woven Ayahuasca and other plant medicines into my personal healing and growth.

Western Medicine vs. Indigenous Wisdom

In the Western model, symptoms are often seen as problems to be fixed—pain is something to be suppressed or removed. Indigenous medicine traditions take a different view. Medicines like Ayahuasca don’t avoid pain; they create a space of profound love that allows us to enter our pain, not to be consumed by it, but to be transformed. They help us remember our deep interconnectedness with all living things. Once this truth is felt—in your body, mind, and soul—it can never be forgotten.

The Bridge of Body Centred Therapy

Body Centred Therapy offers a powerful bridge to help us reconnect with our inner world. In my work, I know there is no such thing as a wrong thought, sensation, or feeling. When we welcome everything—memories, visions, instincts, intuition, and emotions—with presence and curiosity, we begin to meet unmet needs, heal trauma, and release long-held patterns.

This process requires unconditional presence. I define unconditional presence as love in action: the kind of love where we’re met just as we are. From that space, our body’s innate intelligence can lead the way. This is true alchemy. In BCT sessions, I offer this presence—and it’s still only a small reflection of the love that Grandmother Ayahuasca pours into us.

A New Era in Healing

Sacred plant medicines like Ayahuasca, psilocybin, and Huachuma (San Pedro) have been used for thousands of years in Indigenous traditions for healing and spiritual growth. In the West our relationship with these medicines is very young. We don’t have connection to the lineages of healers who know the plants. That’s why respectful, well-informed preparation and integration are more important than ever—for safety, for healing, and for lasting change.

Too often, I see people enter plant medicine spaces hoping for a quick fix, or treating it as a replacement for other therapeutic work. Many come out the other side overwhelmed, asking, What just happened?

The Importance of Preparation and Integration

Preparation and integration are not optional—they are essential parts of the plant medicine journey.

Preparation involves setting clear intentions, aligning with dietary and emotional guidelines, and cultivating self-awareness to meet the medicine with clarity and readiness.

Integration is the practice of bringing the experience back into your daily life—processing insights, making meaning, and embodying new ways of being. This stage can take a long time, it can be messy and confusing without support, but it’s where true transformation takes root.

Navigating Expectations, Fears, and Hopes

So many people come into plant medicine influenced by YouTube videos, documentaries, or stories from others. Expectations can be sky-high—and fear is often right alongside. Difficult experiences and confusion are common when people don’t have the tools to make sense of what arises. That’s why working with experienced guides and therapists who understand the many layers of these journeys is so important.

The Role of Body Centred Therapy in Plant Medicine Work

Body Centred Therapy supports both the preparation and integration phases by helping people tune into their physical and emotional landscapes. The body stores our experiences. With a somatic approach, we can practice surrender and safely access, feel, trust and process what lives inside us. These are vital skills for navigating the sometimes intense, often profound terrain of plant medicine ceremonies.

Helpful Resources

In late 2024, I started a YouTube channel with Michael Gueron, a trusted Ayahuasca ceremonialist. Together, we aim to provide grounded, practical information for those walking the plant medicine path. I now offer one-on-one support for preparation and integration, both in-person and online.

Learn more:

Conclusion

Plant medicines offer powerful opportunities for healing—but they are not magic pills. True transformation happens through intention, presence, integration, and support. When paired with somatic therapy and compassionate guidance, these sacred journeys can awaken deep healing and open us to a more connected way of living.

If you feel called to this path and want support with preparation or integration, I would be honoured to walk beside you.

Book a session (in person or via telehealth) at annapapadakis.com.au or visit kundalinihouse.com.au