Our Story

From Service to Healing

My name is John Epperly, a U.S. Army and Navy veteran, twice honorably discharged with commendations.
My journey into plant medicine is deeply personal.

At just 18, I served on an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team—disarming military, improvised, and potentially radiological explosive devices. From 1968 to 1970, I worked undercover in the northeastern United States on a domestic anti-terrorism team. Those years brought constant fear, stress, and exposure to life-threatening situations.

Years later, a compassionate VA psychiatrist helped me understand how those experiences shaped my relationship with trauma, fear, and death—and how they ultimately became the foundation for my healing and personal transformation.

Living with Invisible Wounds

After my service, I carried wounds no one could see.
I struggled with alcoholism, but through faith, determination, and support, I entered recovery and have remained sober for 46 years.

Over the following decades, I worked in mental health and addiction treatment, creating and managing several successful recovery programs. Yet, I came to realize that I was still living with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—marked by insomnia, hypervigilance, fear of failure, and the pain of repeated broken relationships.

One night, while watching the film The Hurt Locker, about an EOD team in Iraq, I began grinding my teeth so severely that I eventually destroyed them. That moment became a wake-up call. With help from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, I began proper treatment and learned to accept that I was living with PTSD—a condition I had once dismissed as weakness. Understanding that truth changed everything.

A New Chapter in Mexico

After leaving the high-stress world of addiction treatment and experiencing another divorce, I sought to rebuild my life.
I moved to Mexico, hoping for financial stability, a slower pace, and a deeper sense of peace.

It was here that I discovered plant medicine under the guidance of an ethical and experienced facilitator. My first experiences with psilocybin mushrooms and later ayahuasca were transformative—lifting anxiety, restoring sleep, softening my fear of death, and helping me reconnect with humanity in a profound way.

Through those ceremonies and ongoing meditation practice, I found a renewed purpose and a deep appreciation for life that continues to grow.

Helping Others Heal

Today, I work alongside experienced plant medicine teachers and facilitators to support individuals struggling with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, and addiction.

I am especially committed to helping U.S. veterans with PTSD find ethical, safe, and qualified plant medicine providers in Mexico like I was able to do.

My mission through Plant Medicine Mexico is to connect seekers with trusted and compassionate guides who honor both modern safety standards and the sacred traditions from which these medicines originate.

We are fortunate to have a core team of highly qualified professionals and Plant Medicine Masters who help review and endorse programs that meet our values of safety, integrity, and cultural respect.

Together, we believe in the power of plant medicine to heal, transform, and reconnect us to the deeper parts of ourselves—and to each other.