While Bakersfield may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think about psychedelics, it’s undoubtedly part of today’s ever-evolving psychedelic world.
With a strong focus on country living, agriculture, and energy production, Bakersfield embraces a vibrant and diverse vibe with a rich history of hosting traditional and cultural events.
The city is home to several colleges, attracting a youthful population. As psychedelic laws continue to evolve in California, more and more people are becoming interested in and eager to get involved in the psychedelic realm.
Recent legislation regarding natural psychedelics and upcoming healing facilities has been introduced, potentially paving the way for more opportunities to use them. Instead of waiting, why not start your therapeutic healing journey now?
Let us help you get started and provide you with the information you need to begin your psychedelic healing journey. Today, we’ll discuss the difference between a psychedelic therapist, guide, and facilitator and what roles they play in your journey.
Building on our previous article on psychedelic therapy in California, we’ll also guide you on how and where to find a psychedelic guide right here in Bakersfield.
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The Difference Between a Psychedelic Therapist, Guide, & Facilitator
As you begin searching for your psychedelic journey, a few important factors must be considered. Where do you want to have this experience? What is your level of familiarity with psychedelics? What do you want to get out of this experience?
The answers to these questions will shape your path and guide you toward the best approach for your psychedelic experience, including who will be there to support you, such as a psychedelic therapist, guide, or facilitator.
A psychedelic therapist holds a medical license and is trained to facilitate psychedelic experiences. They are often therapists or counselors who integrate psychedelic substances into their therapeutic work.
Because psychedelic therapists are therapists and counselors, they also utilize talk therapy along with psychedelic therapy, which we refer to as the integration stage in a psychedelic journey.
When working with a psychedelic therapist, your psychedelic journey will take place in a licensed facility under controlled conditions. While this controlled setting may feel unfamiliar and somewhat uncomfortable, it ensures safety during the experience.
However, due to current laws surrounding psychedelics in California, most healthcare professionals won’t risk their license by being physically present during your actual psychedelic experience. Instead, they provide support during preparation and integration stages.
On the other hand, psychedelic guides and facilitators, which terms can be used interchangeably, offer the same services as psychedelic therapists, with the key difference being their background of expertise.
A psychedelic guide is a seasoned expert in the world of psychedelics. From personal healing journeys to facilitating other experiences, they’ve been through it all. While guides don’t hold a medical license like a therapist, their direct experience is highly valuable for this type of work.
What Is the Role of a Psychedelic Guide?
When you hear the term “psychedelic guide,” you may picture someone leading you throughout your psychedelic journey. Interestingly, this is quite the opposite of what a psychedelic guide does.
In reality, a psychedelic guide is there to provide support and attend to your needs while you are the one who is leading the journey. Guides don’t direct or guide you; instead, they allow your psychedelic experience to unfold naturally.
Having a psychedelic guide can significantly benefit your healing journey. They help you prepare for the experience, ensuring you have everything you need and helping you integrate the insights gained afterward.
As you embark on your journey, we’ll get you connected with a psychedelic guide. You will spend time getting to know each other to ensure a perfect match for your journey. Building a strong connection with your guide is crucial, so be sure to take your time to find the right match.
Your guide will also conduct a health screening to make sure you are mentally, emotionally, and physically ready for the experience. Certain conditions and factors may suggest that psychedelics are not right for you, and your guide’s role is to prioritize your safety.
For example, individuals with schizophrenia should avoid using psychedelics. Furthermore, it’s important to avoid combining certain medications, such as antidepressants, with psychedelics, as this combination could increase the risk of developing negative side effects.
From there, you and your guide will discuss your intention for seeking this therapeutic experience, which becomes the focal point of your journey. All the emotions and feelings that emerge during the experience will be directed toward this intention.
Creating the right environment is crucial for your journey’s outcomes, and your guide will take time to understand your needs. They will discuss the location, objects, and whether you want music playing or complete silence, ensuring everything aligns with your preferences.
During your psychedelic experience, your guide will be by your side from start to finish, offering support and assistance whenever needed.
Because they are experienced with psychedelics, they know how to handle any unpredictable situations that may arise. Therefore, your guide will keep extra blankets, clothes, and towels on hand, among other necessities.
If you begin to feel stressed and overwhelmed during your experience and face negative emotions, your guide is there to support you. They’ll help you work through these emotions and refocus on your intention rather than distracting you from the feelings you’re experiencing.
It’s important to embrace and experience all the feelings that arise during a psychedelic journey, as they have surfaced for a reason.
After the psychedelic experience is finished, your guide will continue to work with you and help you fully comprehend your experience, understand your emotions, why they arose, and how you can apply these insights to your life.
Discussing the challenging aspects that appeared during the experience may be difficult, but your guide understands this as they’ve been in your shoes before. They know how to effectively work through these feelings, ensuring your healing journey is truly transformative.
Is It Really Necessary to Hire a Psychedelic Guide?
While we highly recommend working with a psychedelic guide, it’s not a requirement. Opting to work with a guide can significantly enhance the outcomes of your journey and provide valuable support, but ultimately, you are the one in complete control of your healing journey.
The decision to work with a guide or not depends on your reasons for embarking on this journey and how you intend to fulfill your intentions.
As we’ve learned, psychedelic guides play a significant role beyond trip-sitting. They help you prepare for the experience, as proper preparation is key to a beneficial journey. Without adequate preparation, there is a higher chance of experiencing a “bad trip.”
Navigating a challenging trip can be tough, especially if you’re new to psychedelics. It’s easy to lose focus on your intentions and get consumed by negative emotions.
A psychedelic guide has gone through similar experiences, so they truly understand what you’re going through. This perspective allows them to provide you with the support you need and assist in any way possible, such as helping you shift your focus away from negative emotions.
Psychedelic experiences often bring up intense feelings, and processing this experience alone can be challenging. If you choose not to work with a psychedelic guide, it’s recommended to at least work with a therapist to process and discuss your experience.
For thousands of years, psychedelic journeys have been led by shamans or other psychedelic professionals, highlighting the importance of having guidance for a beneficial journey. However, in the end, the choice is truly up to you.
Options For Legal Psychedelic Experiences in Bakersfield 2023
While recent legislation shows promise, psychedelic therapy is not yet available in Bakersfield. However, you can still have a therapeutic psychedelic experience through ketamine clinics and guided psychedelic journeys with Psychedelic Passage.
1. Ketamine Clinics
As the new and exciting world of psychedelics emerges, it’s no surprise that ketamine clinics are in the spotlight. Offering potential in treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD, ketamine treatment has become appealing to many.
Ketamine’s fast-acting benefits make it a standout among other treatments, which often take longer to show results. The effects of ketamine can be felt in as little as 30 minutes, and the typical session lasts around an hour, not including preparation procedures.
However, it’s important to note that the lingering effects of ketamine can be felt for up to 3 hours after the session, making it unsafe to drive yourself home. This could lead to accessibility issues, especially since multiple ketamine sessions are required for lasting benefits.
Additionally, it’s important to consider that ketamine therapy may not always include talk therapy, which is crucial to the healing process. Therefore, you might need to explore other options for accessing talk therapy, which could also present accessibility challenges.
Before embarking on your healing journey with ketamine, take the time to consider all the pros and cons of this type of therapy. Once you are well-informed, you can confidently find a ketamine clinic near you and begin your transformative experience.
2. Guided Psychedelic Journeys With Psychedelic Passage
If you are unsure where to begin your psychedelic journey or are seeking guidance on accessing one, we are here to help. At Psychedelic Passage, we’ve made it our mission to provide you with the most safe and transformative journey possible.
We’ll get you connected with our pre-vetted network of psychedelic guides who are located across the country. So regardless of where you live, they can travel to you, allowing you to have your psychedelic experience in the comfort of your own home.
Additionally, they are well-versed in the psychedelic world, giving you the freedom to choose from a wide range of psychedelics to use during your journey.
We offer a personalized 5-week ceremonial program designed for your healing journey that includes preparation, integration, and in-person support from your guide, resources on the psychedelic therapy process, microdose coaching, and text and email support.
Additionally, we provide a microdosing program that includes microdosing resources, text and email support, and microdose coaching sessions with your guide. For your convenience, these sessions are conducted entirely over Zoom, making it easy to access from anywhere.
Our ultimate goal is to ensure you have the therapeutic psychedelic experience you deserve. That’s why our network of guides offer income-based pricing tiers, ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to embark on this transformative journey.
Our Network of Guides Service Every Major Bakersfield Area
- Downtown Bakersfield
- Oleander Sunset
- Seven Oaks
- Silver Creek
- Madison Grove
- Riviera – Westchester
- Rio Bravo
- Lakeview
- Stone Meadows
- Avalon
- River Oaks
- Homaker Park
- Stone Creek
- Tevis Ranch
- Laurelglen
Connect With a Local Psychedelic Guide Today
Psychedelic experiences have the potential to be life-changing, and we are dedicated to making that a reality for you. Take the first step by booking a consultation with one of our knowledgeable psychedelic concierges, who will connect you with our network of psychedelic guides.
We hope this article has provided you with a comprehensive overview of psychedelic professionals and where you can find a psychedelic experience in Bakersfield. If you’re eager to learn more, head on over to our resources page or check out the Psychedelic Passage podcast. Embrace the journey of self-discovery!
