PAIJE ALEXANDRA WEST
Psychedelic Doula, Writer and Mentor
Paije Alexandra West is an international retreat host, psychedelic guide and mentor having supported thousands of individuals through ceremony, sacred medicine and trainings over the last decade.
She is the founder of two international companies that reflect her values and experience. ALTAR is an intentional microdosing brand specializing in education, resources and supplements. ETÉREO is her new experiential company and awaited retreat and event center set on 24 acres of desert land in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Paije now works in tandem with her husband of thirteen years, and is the mother of two beautiful children. She and her family live in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
EXPERIENCE + EDUCATION
Paije Alexandra West’s mother served as her first spiritual teacher by using the language of astrology, metaphysics and tarot throughout their daily lives. As a small girl, she was deeply connected to nature, creating earth altars and spending much of her time alone outside or reading. She has always felt a powerful connection to the spiritual world through her mediumship gifts through clairaudience and clairsentience.
Paije has offered intuitive readings using archetypes and meaning-making systems for 15 years. Prior to giving readings professionally, she completed the trauma informed Tarot for the Wild Soul course lead by expert tarot teacher, Lindsay Mack. During her time in Portland, Oregon, Paije assisted Kim Krans of The Wild Unknown, learning about ceremonial facilitation through Kims popular Mystic Truths workshops. Paije is a self taught astrologer having studied the planets and stars for 20 years.
In her early twenties spent in San Francisco, Paije self-published a collection of short stories and continues to share her writing with the intention of supporting others in shadow work through personal narrative. After the deeply transformative home birth of her son 12 years ago, Paije began her calling in the caregiving arts as a traditional full-spectrum birth, postpartum and termination doula, helping women, birthing people and their families navigate pregnancy and early parenthood. She received her initial birth doula certification at Natural Resources in San Francisco and soon after dove into postpartum care at Mother Tree in Portland, Oregon.
As a young woman, Paije experienced treatment resistant depression, anxiety, undiagnosed ADHD and C-PTSD. After exhausting western modalities and medication in attempts to support her challenging mental health symptoms, she turned to psychedelic medicine and the doorway finally opened. She quickly understood that the medicine is only a small part of the story, and then dove into various alternative healing modalities to include somatic experiencing, parts work, talk therapy, and re-connected to her spirituality and Celtic lineage in a deep and meaningful way through ceremony and ritual.
Paije began her initial training with Peruvian medicine woman and mystic Maria Teresa Chavez, who served as her mentor for many years. She has worked with a wide variety of teachers, healers and coaches over the last decade and Paije continues to use the doula model of care as her foundation for her work in psychedelics. Doulas are emotional caregivers, space holders and advocates who work diligently not to impose their beliefs and biases on their clients, but offer resources, education and referrals to those they work with.
Understanding that healing and transformation is a holistic experience that is rooted in community care, Paije collaborates with various licensed therapists, social workers and groups to bring in an additional level of support for her retreats and integration services. Primarily working with western people, she values the intersection of both clinical and ceremonial models, know that each perspective has merit in modern healing spaces.
Paije has worked in various Ibogaine clinics serving 5-MeO-DMT to support those emerging from ibogaine experiences for psycho-spiritual reasons, opiate detoxes and for those suffering from substance use issues. As an underground facilitator for many years who now works “above ground” in Mexico, she has safely assisted underground providers in medically supervised ibogaine flood doses over the years. Paije currently supports POI Ibogaine Institute in Los Cabos with preparation, aftercare and individual sessions post-detox. Paije’s devotion to the powerful plant medicine iboga took her to Gabon, Africa in 2021 for her Rites of Passages and Bwiti Initiation with the Missoko Bwiti people of Gabon.
Her continuing education includes the Center for Optimal Livings Course: Psychedelics for Those With Substance Use Issues created by Julianna Mulligan, featuring Dr. Gabor Mate. With a deep knowing that the “body keeps the score” she has also completed the Trauma & Somatics Practitioner Course and has delved into the world of Internal Family Systems through various workshops and trainings. Additionally, she has trained with the Zendo Project, a psychedelic peer support non-profit that offers workshops and educations around challenging experiences with psychedelics.
Paije considers herself a student of life and honors being on each side of the student-teacher axis. She mentors other helpers and caregivers, and continues her life long quest of inner knowing.
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Paije offers individual mentorships and trainings for those interested in weaving sacred medicine into their caregiving roles.
Additionally, she offers a remote foundations course for integrating psychedelics into pre-exising coaching, counseling and caregiving services.
The next cohort of trainees gathers in June 2024. -
Paije aligns with trauma-informed practitioners who are centered in holistic models of care with an emphasis on community and radical acceptance.
Paije and her team are seeking investors to support the creation of a physical space through ETEREO.
If you are interested in collaboration or supporting Paije’s new visionary retreat center, please reach out directly using the contact page.
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If you are interested in a scholarship or donating to our scholarship funds, please reach out directly using the contact page.