Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Mrozek. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?

I spent one year at juvenile hall, 3 years at a residential rehab (non profit govt funded program) and 2 years at corporate medicine. At all 3 locations the emphasis on harmful pharmaceutical interventions was glorified and pushed and it became apparent to me the for profit pharma industry and the havoc they reap on vulnerable and susceptible populations. This pushed me into ‘holistic’ and ‘alternative’ medications and learning how to educate clients on the shortcomings of the traditional medical model.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc, – I pursued my degree in Clinical Psychology and earned my LMFT Licensure. I then became curious about psychedelic medicine and began to study different traditions and orientations for delivering mdma/psilocybin psychotherapy.

what type of products/services/creative works you provide, – I’ve created an association for professionals working in the medicine space to come consult within. It is a membership organization that provides consultation groups to support the personal and professional development of facilitators. I am currently launching HTEM.COM and will be providing online education around ‘how to eat mushrooms’. I also work 1:1 with clients providing psychotherapy

what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others. – problems relating to human existence. Problems relating to human suffering. My zoomed out perspective which is ‘holistic’ in that it takes into consideration the mind, the body, the emotions, the energetic body and spirit and the integration done around these holistic areas set me apart. My critical thinking skills as it relates to mainstream america and the new paradigm shift help me in supporting clients whom are noticing this transition as well but are unsure what to make of it.

What are you most proud of – I came from a very dysfunctional family, father suffers from meth addiction, brother is in prison, mother struggles with severe weight issues and chronic depression and i’ve been able to alchemize my history to create a better reality for myself within and without. My endurance and perseverance are my strong suits.

and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc. – That there are communities to support the alternative paradigm shift emerging. That healing and ‘actual medicine’ is underway. That everybody can heal themselves without a medicine and we are all connected through the collective in emerging and shifting the current state of our country and our individual lives

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn my victim mentality and my unhealthy ways of communicating. Growing up the granddaughter of mexican immigrants, the daughter of a meth addict and the product of a ‘single family household’ that lived in poor neighborhoods, there was a very large part of me that felt I was ‘owed’ something from the world. I also believed that ‘Everything is out of my control’ since I had minimal resources. Both of these distorted core beliefs lent themself to an individual that was powerless, hopeless and helpless. I had to learn that I have power, that I am in control and I can make change at any point in time despite my history and my environment. I had to learn that even though the circumstances were dire, at some point, I was ‘choosing’ it over and over again and had to ‘choose’ something different if I desired different. I also had to learn that even though I felt my upbringing was ‘unfair’ in comparison to most others, that it DID NOT MATTER. The world operates in regards to what you put in and if you are a passive bystander waiting for ‘something’ to go right, you will be waiting for a while and the universe / society doesnt give 2c about my history or how ‘unfair’ it was for me growing up.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Absolutely. While it was not completely conscious why I was embarking on a degree in psychology other than ‘it interested me’ more than other professions, It is completely serendipitous and ‘all makes sense’ now. I have made full circle. It is not coincidence that I spent a large part of my career working with women in recovery from addiction while I had a father suffering from addiction. In fact, some of the women I was treating were part of his community and had even been to his house! It takes one to know one, I have first hand knowledge what its like to see a family member succumb to addiction and have a passion and understanding that is invaluable when sitting across from clients. Similar to addiction, I also feel my experiences with the criminal justice system lend myself to helping out clients who are battling recidivism and complex traumas that lead to incarceration. I find my history was experienced by me in order to prepare me for the battles of my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: WWW.ALTEREDPRACTITIONERS.COM
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alteredtherapy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/257887242832976
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-mrozek-lmft-16085b35?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fduckduckgo.com%2F
• Other: personal IG https://www.instagram.com/theashcarmen/