CFTH Podcast - Episode 5

Within the animal health profession, there can be an overwhelming amount of un-processed grief both on the side of our clients and within ourselves. What is more, is that this grief may not always be understood by the general public or otherwise labelled as disenfranchised grief. But what is becoming more clear, is consistent exposure to animal injury, client emotions, ethical dilemmas, moral injury, and death & dying can result in a grief which can have many strong effects on us and our patients. Join us as we speak with Alexandre Jodun, a psychotherapist with deep passion for grief work, to discuss some of his experience and how this may show up within our profession.

Alexandre Jodun is a psychotherapist, psychedelic facilitator, ritualist & ceremonialist with a creole-diasporic ancestral heritage. Through a decade of training within integrative and process-oriented, as well as earth-based, animist and shamanic paradigms, his sacred activism involves tending the fertile edges of human-becoming and bridging worlds. His eclectic work is in service to the remembering of essential wisdoms, practices, and initiatory processes for ripening into mature adulthood, such that living culture may emerge to carry the future ones.

He is an advisory circle member and facilitator of the Soulful Life community (alongside Francis Weller, Holly Truhlar, Erin Geesaman Rabke & Carl Rabke), and currently coordinates training of new psychotherapists for the Metavision Institute. He also serves on the admissions team for AWE (NGO) and their upcoming 3-year Ecstatic Mysticism training program. On his personal path, Alexandre practices vegetelismo and is in an avid apprenticeship with Master Plant Teachers, particularly Tobaco (Nicotiana Rustica) and various Amazonian trees, under the Mamancunawa lineage - which deeply informs his work and life. He lives in the Sacred Valley of Cusco, Peru. 

Alexandre has some wonderful on-going and future offerings including:

• Men of Depth & Soul - 5-month men’s online program (Facilitated by Alexandre Jodun & Carl Rabke, and with guest teachers Francis Weller & Joshua Schrei):

• Soulful Life Online Community (Facilitated by Alexandre Jodun, Holly Truhlar, Erin Geesaman-Rabke & Carl Rabke):

• Somatic Divination (Using The Dream-body & Animist Perspectives) June Online Workshop w/ Hosted by Process-work Online

• AWE NGO (Conservation of Traditional Knowledge)

• In-person Grief Ritual in Salt Lake City, Utah (August 2024) - for more info, sign up to Alexandre’s newsletter here.

And we are so pleased to announce that Alexandre has agreed to join us in community to co-create ritual grief practices in veterinary medicine. If you are interested in joining this live event on May 3rd, 2024 - please visit here.

Thanks for listening,

Dr. Steve 🐾

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Additional Resources:

A Healing Bridge

Francis Weller - Website

Francis Weller - The Wild Edge of Sorrow

MentorVet - Understanding Grief in Veterinary Medicine

Death Studies - Exploring the loss and disenfranchised grief of animal care workers

DVM360 - Disenfranchised grief: Why pet owners aren’t allowed to mourn

Anthrozoös - Pet Loss: Understanding Disenfranchised Grief, Memorial Use, and Posttraumatic Growth

Martin Prechtel - The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief & Praise

AWE - Ecstatic Mysticism

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Protection. Ai’ Cofan, Ecuador. 📸 @drstevekruzeniski

Dr. Steven Kruzeniski is a Veterinarian and life-long student of One Health, Human Support & Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. For over a decade he has been living and working across The Americas, Africa & Asia. His work combines social veterinary service & educational advocacy for animal welfare; support of veterinary professional wellbeing; and Psychedelic Harm Reduction. He currently provides virtual and in-person wellness support in the Sacred Valley of Peru for people and their beloved pets.