About the Author

James Mbela is a passionate musician, integration coach, plant medicine facilitator, and author of Healing with Psychedelics and Shamanic Plant Medicines: A Practical Guide. Over more than five years as a professional journey facilitator, he has guided nearly a thousand people through deep medicine work, and his writing draws directly from that hands-on experience rather than from theory alone.

His background spans both ancient and modern approaches to healing. James brings over fifteen years of dedicated yoga and meditation practice, a three-year apprenticeship as an iboga provider, and initiation into the Bwiti tradition. He is a certified holistic nutritionist, a certified life and wellness coach, a trauma-informed coach, an herbalist, and a practitioner of Taoist healing arts. This range lets him meet each person as a whole, addressing the body, the nervous system, and the deeper work in one integrated framework.

Music runs through everything James does. Classically trained in guitar performance and composition, he is also a producer and a player of the Bwiti mouth harp and a range of medicine and shamanic music. Sound is not a side interest but a core part of how he holds space and supports healing. His path also carries an unexpected thread: he began in computer science, working in network security and architecture as well as general computer technology. That blend of the technical and the ceremonial gives him a rare, wide-ranging skill set, and a mind that moves easily between precision and intuition.

James is also a committed voice in the ongoing conversation around psychedelic and plant medicine ethics, a frequent participant in discussions on safety, responsible practice, and the respectful stewardship of these traditions. He hosts the Cura Medicina podcast, where he explores healing, consciousness, and the practical realities of medicine work with a wide range of guests.

He is the founder of Summit Garden Wellness, a multimodality healing retreat in Costa Rica, and of La Luz de Vida Church, a legal ceremonial container for iboga work. James has served as a volunteer firekeeper for indigenous elders and remains a supporter of indigenous communities in Costa Rica and Gabon. Deeply compassionate toward all life, he is guided by a single steady intention: to help people heal safely, to honor the traditions that make this work possible, and to leave a meaningful contribution while remaining humbly in service.