The Light Switch of Presence: What Three Years on a Plant Medicine Healing Journey Taught Me About Consciousness
By Daniel Zofness
In September of 2022, I “woke up.”
Not in the buzzword way we tend to use the term, but in the raw, disruptive, shake-you-to-your-core way that only a true awakening can bring. I had started working with plant medicine, particularly psilocybin, and it cracked something open inside me.
What followed has been almost three years of deep, messy, beautiful, and at times overwhelming work. A healing journey that was equal parts terrifying and liberating.
And through it all, I kept wondering: Am I conscious now? Is this it?
I’d have moments of stillness, clarity, even bliss. But they would pass, and I’d find myself back in the spiral of overthinking, worrying, and chasing the “next” moment of insight. Consciousness felt like something to catch, something fleeting.
But then—something shifted.
The Light Switch Moment
Today is May 7th, 2025, and in the last couple of weeks, I’ve felt a change.
It’s like a light switch flipped inside me—not a dramatic explosion, but a quiet, steady click.
The realization? The power of presence.
I’ve become aware of how often my mind drags me away from the moment. Into future scenarios that don’t even exist yet. And not the pleasant kind—usually the stressful ones. Thoughts that carry a tone of worry, fear, or anxiety.
And here’s the wild part: my body reacts as if those thoughts are real. I feel tightness in my chest. My stomach knots. My energy drops. I start living in a reality that isn’t even happening.
The Space Between: What Consciousness Really Feels Like
But here’s what I’ve learned:
If my thoughts are powerful enough to pull me into a negative, imagined future—and make me feel it fully—then they’re just as powerful at doing the opposite.
I can use that same mental energy to imagine joy, excitement, peace, or gratitude for things that haven’t happened yet.
And that changes everything.
I’ve also discovered something I now believe is at the core of what it means to be conscious:
There’s this space.
A gap between when I start thinking the negative thought… and when I realize I’m thinking it. That space between the thought and my return to the present—that’s consciousness. That’s awareness.
And the more I live in that space, the more I understand what it really means to be present.
Ego vs. Essence: What Are We, Really?
Through this journey, I’ve come to see that:
The essence of who we are is presence. It’s what remains when we strip away the noise.
The ego is who we think we are. It’s the voice narrating, planning, worrying, and judging.
The future is neutral. So is love. So is money. So is success. They only become “good” or “bad” when we give them meaning.
Our thoughts give shape to reality. But presence gives truth to it.
Why This Matters (for You, Too)
You don’t need to sit with plant medicine to explore this (though for me, it’s been a life-changing teacher).
The real practice is in the returning—noticing when your thoughts drag you away from the moment, and gently coming back to now.
That’s it.
Because presence isn’t something you achieve. It’s something you practice.
And when you do? It changes how you experience life.
Final Thoughts
I don’t claim to be enlightened. Far from it. But I feel more grounded than I ever have—not because I’ve “figured it out,” but because I’ve stopped trying to.
The present moment isn’t something to chase. It’s something to return to.
Again and again.
Because the present is all we ever truly have.