Bufo (5-MeO-DMT): Sacred Earth Medicine, Ceremony & Transformation

By Christopher Shaw, LCSW-S CSAT-S RYT

Founder, Merkaba Temple & Merkaba Retreats

Co-Founder, ArcherShaw

There is a rare fire medicine that burns through soul-masks, ego-stories, and deep wounds. In the humble but potent form of Bufo—more precisely, 5-MeO-DMT—many have encountered states of truth, surrender, and revelation. At Merkaba Immersions, our use of Bufo within ceremony is held with reverence, intention, safety, and love. This post explores what Bufo is, where it comes from, how it works, what people encounter, and why the container matters deeply.

History & Origins

• Natural sources & Indigenous contexts: 5-MeO-DMT is found in various plants, and in the venom secretions of the Colorado River Toad (Incilius alvarius, formerly Bufo alvarius). (psychedelics.berkeley.edu)

• Traditional use: There is historical evidence of plants containing 5-MeO-DMT being used in shamanic, spiritual, or ritual contexts by Indigenous peoples in South America, the Caribbean, and perhaps Northern Mexico. (PMC)

• Western discovery & “Bufo alvarius” literature: The modern (Western) popular interest in Bufo was catalyzed by the pamphlet Bufo Alvarius: The Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert (1984) by Ken Nelson (“Albert Most”), which described the toad venom source, extraction, and effects. (Wikipedia)

Research & Effects: What Science Is Showing

While clinical trials are still limited, there is growing data (surveys, observational, naturalistic settings) that suggest Bufo / 5-MeO-DMT may offer:

• Rapid relief in anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, and suicidal ideation in some users. (PMC)

• Sustained improvements in well-being, life satisfaction, mindfulness, decreased psychopathology after single ceremonial or retreat-setting exposures. (PMC)

• Mystical, ego-dissolving experiences, profound sense of interconnectedness, feelings of unity, healing of identity, timelessness. (PMC)

• Some evidence of reduced addictive behavior, less reliance on prescription psychiatric medications, or improved coping with trauma. (PMC)

Risks & considerations:

• The intensity can be overwhelming. Some experience fear, terror, shaking, or loss of sense of self temporarily. (psychedelics.berkeley.edu)

• Physical risks, especially if combined with certain medications (e.g. MAO inhibitors) or with underlying cardiac issues. (psychedelics.berkeley.edu)

• Dosage, purity, set & setting, facilitation, and integration are crucial to safety and benefit.

Ethical & Sacred Cultivation

• Toad welfare & conservation: The Colorado River Toad is under ecological pressure. Over-harvesting of venom, disturbance of habitat, illegal trade, and the stress to toads are serious concerns. Ethical sourcing is essential. (Wikipedia)

• Synthetic alternatives: Some practitioners and researchers are using synthetic 5-MeO-DMT to avoid burden on natural sources or toads. These allow for consistency of dosage, reduced harm to animals, and more regulated material. (ACS Publications)

• Sacred stewardship: Ceremony, intention, and cultural respect when working with Bufo is essential. Practitioners must carry lineage or deep training, operate with humility, ensure participant consent, ensure integration support, ensure physical and psychological screening.

Preparing for a Bufo Ceremony

Here are common best practices derived from research and ceremonial traditions:

1. Physical preparation

   • Healthy diet, hydration, avoiding alcohol or other substances in the days before.

   • Screening for health conditions (cardiac, psychiatric, neurological) and medication interactions.

2. Psychological preparation / intention setting

   1. Clarify why you want the medicine. What wounds, beliefs, or patterns do you seek to release or transform?

   2. Meditation or journaling beforehand helps.

3. Setting & container

   1. Safe, sacred, private space. Support from someone who holds presence and is trained.

   2. Ritual elements: fire, song, sound, prayer, silence, breath.

4. Guide / Practitioner role

   1. Practitioner should have experience with Bufo, ethical training, ability to respond in crisis.

5. Integration plan — after the ceremony: space for processing, therapy or coaching support, community, journaling.

What a Bufo Ceremony Can Be Like

While every person’s journey is unique, many ceremonial accounts describe similar contours:

• Begin with opening prayer, song, invocation, cleansing ritual.

• Inhalation or vaporization of the dried toad secretion or synthetic equivalent. A deep inhalation, often guided.

• A period of intense, rapid onset: ego dissolution, non-ordinary states (often no form, vision, or narrative, but a powerful sense of boundlessness).

• Sometimes physical sensations: trembling, purging (crying, sweating), sometimes fear or resistance before surrender.

• Emergence: after peak, there is a soft return — reflection, gratitude, silence or sharing.

What Bufo Helps People Overcome or Work Through

From survey and ceremonial data, Bufo is often credited with helping people:

• Release deep trauma (birth trauma, childhood wounds, PTSD).

• Dissolve limiting beliefs about self, unworthiness, fear of death or separation.

• Heal patterns of addiction or compulsive behavior.

• Realign into clarity of purpose, connection, and gratitude.

• Deep spiritual insight: sense of unity, peace, forgiveness.

Practical Results & Testimonials

While scientific studies are still emerging, naturalistic and survey-based reports suggest:

• Many still report measurable reductions in depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation after even one well-held session. (PMC)

• Improved relational capacity, sense of meaning, life satisfaction, daily gratitude.

• Enhanced ability to tolerate uncertainty, improved emotional regulation.

Why Ceremony + Sacred Medicine Holder Matter

Using Bufo solo or without container carries risks:

• Without guidance, intense states can become overwhelming, frightening, or disorienting.

• Integration may be neglected, which can lead to psychological distress or unprocessed trauma.

• Ethical issues: source purity, dosage, safety protocols.

  
  

A sacred, trained practitioner offers:

• Safety (both physical and psychological).

• Holding presence: someone to guide you through peaks and valleys.

• Ritual / ceremonial frame: which offers meaning and structure, helping anchor insights.

• Integration: processing the experience, grounding in life, making changes thereafter.

Bufo in Merkaba Immersions & ArcherShaw Ceremonies

At Merkaba Immersions & ArcherShaw:

• Our Bufo offerings are always embedded in the full immersion: we do not isolate the medicine but integrate it into ceremony, ritual, embodiment, breathwork, yoga, fire, sacred support.

• We ensure screening, intention setting, post-session integration, community support.

• We value ethical sourcing (or synthetic where appropriate) and minimal harm to natural environments or toad populations.

• The Bufo component is part of a larger process: Activation & Alignment Immersions, which include multiple modalities so change is embodied, lasting.

Conclusion

Bufo (5-MeO-DMT) is medicine of power, of surrender, of profound transformation. It holds the potential to cut to the core of suffering and belief, to open doors that many have forgotten exist. But it is medicine that demands reverence, safety, preparation, and respect: for the medicine itself, for our bodies, for the spirits of the land, and for those who facilitate.

If you feel the soulful call, if your heart aches to step deeper, Merkaba Immersions and ArcherShaw ceremonies provide a space held in integrity, love, and power. May your path be luminous, your surrender brave, and your healing whole.

Blessings beyond measure, Om Namah Shivaya!

Christopher

Christopher Shaw is a spiritual guide, licensed psychotherapist, and shamanic practitioner with over 17 years of experience helping people heal from addiction, trauma, and disconnection. He blends psychotherapy, ceremony, and earth medicine to guide individuals, couples, and leaders into lives of purpose, love, and sovereignty.