In the past, we’ve gone over current drug reform efforts for psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy in California. Our focus today is on Berkeley residents and how they can seek legal therapeutic psychedelic services near them. In finding a psychedelic guide, the aim is to connect with a professional who has the skills and expertise to adequately support your psychedelic trip.
This means in preparation, integration, and throughout the actual experience. What are some practical ways to determine if a facilitator is fit to service your journey? What specific services embody the role of psychedelic guide? Is it really necessary to hire a facilitator? And perhaps of most interest, where can Berkeley locals find reliable psychedelic facilitators? Let’s dig right in.
What Qualifies a Psychedelic Therapist?
Our article on the most important qualities in a psychedelic therapist delves more deeply into the topic, but today, a brief overview would be of great benefit. We should first clarify the difference between a psychedelic therapist, a facilitator, and a guide. How do the roles differ and where do they align?
In its simplest definition, a psychedelic therapist is a licensed therapist who facilitates psychedelic experiences. However, because San Francisco, Oakland, and Santa Cruz are the only California cities to have decriminalized psychedelics, it’s rare that a licensed therapist would take the legal risk of these services.
Here’s where psychedelic facilitators and guides step in to bridge the legislative gap. A ‘facilitator’ and ‘guide’ share the same responsibilities,the difference exists only in verbiage. A qualified psychedelic therapist and professional facilitator/ guide assists in preparation and integration. These roles all sit in on your psychedelic experience as well.
So how can a psychedelic professional be qualified enough to service your journey? First, a psychedelic guide should have a personal relationship with psychedelic medicine. They should have first-hand experience journeying with psychedelics, many times.
You should resonate with the healing philosophy of your psychedelic guide. To better understand their philosophy, ask questions about their specialties, how involved they plan to be throughout the process, and even what called them to this career path.
Qualified psychedelic facilitators acknowledge that you are the true healer. The organically unfolding relationship between you and the psychedelic medicine shouldn’t be interfered with. This means that unless you’re under severe distress or in physical danger, a guide should not attempt to sway the direction of your journey.
Of course, a qualified psychedelic guide is also someone who has facilitated a good number of ceremonies for other clients. Ask potential guides if they can offer you access to client testimonials in order to get a better gauge on their rapport with clients and on the quality of their services.
Last, but certainly not least, you should assess how you feel upon first meeting a potential guide. Take notice of their space and the energy within it. Is this someone you feel comfortable being vulnerable with? Does their presence relax and empower you, or is there a vague feeling of incompatibility or distrust?
What is The Role of a Psychedelic Guide?
A common misconception is that a guide should be intentionally influencing the trajectory of your psychedelic experience. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. A qualified guide should know that external manipulation could create unwelcome, internal resistance within the journeyer.
Very simply, a guide/ facilitator should help you manage expectations surrounding your psychedelic experience. Before the preparation phase even begins, you’ll receive a health screening from your facilitator to make certain that this is a healthy option for your mental and physical circumstances.
Once you’re cleared for journeying, your facilitator will ask questions to understand more about your life, your current emotional state, your personal and family history, and the state of your current, closest relationships.
They’ll also equip you with all of the possibilities associated with altered states of consciousness, so that you are mentally and physically prepared to handle anything that might surface. Of course, guides will provide suggestions for an appropriate dosage and ceremonial environment.
During your journey, your guild will hold an energetic space that’s open, non judgemental, and overall conducive to your comfort and thus, healing. A guided psychedelic journey is very different from talk therapy. Some clients remain silent for most of their journey, while others process by verbalizing their experience. Your guide will meet you where your needs are.
In a psychedelic journey, it’s almost as if you are borrowing the nervous system of your guide. Your guide has done such extensive inner work that they are able to remain emotionally and energetically stable, both for themselves and for you. After your journey has come to an end, your journey through integration commences and should be led by your facilitator.
This process is vital as it helps you to process the experience and understand how it could be incorporated into your daily-to-day perspectives. Integration helps ensure a healthy and fluid transition between these altered states of consciousness.
Is it Really Necessary to Hire a Psychedelic Guide?
Is hiring a psychedelic guide required to have a therapeutic psychedelic experience? No, absolutely not, because once again, you and your are the primary cause for your personal change. You may feel instinctively inclined to have a close friend or family member tripsit you. However, this often results in cases where the journeyer has a challenging time fully surrendering to the experience.
In a psychedelic state we embody the most raw and unfiltered versions of ourselves. How far can you truly allow yourself to surrender in the presence of people you personally know? We feel much less judgment in the presence of people we do not have personal associations with.
Many seek a psychedelic journey to address their depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Typically, the depth of these emotional states involve much suppression and repression. This is why having a professional present should be strongly considered. They have knowledge regarding safety and calming crisis management that our relatives likely do not have.
Another factor to consider is that in these states, we are very energetically in-tune with the environment and the people around us. Someone who doesn’t have practice with regulating their own nervous system, could unknowingly emit energies of fear, worry, or judgment. These energies are sensed by the journeyer and could very likely cause them to embody those same emotions.
There’s always the option to have a peer tripsit you while going through preparation and integration phases with a professional guide. The downside to this though, is that the guide won’t have first-hand knowledge of what really occurred during your journey.
They’ll be counting on your recollection of events. However, if a guide is present during the journey, they may help you interpret the event from not only your perspective, but from what they themselves witnessed.
In addition, a professional psychedelic guide has the experience to assist in preparation and integration processes. So, no, it is not necessary to have a psychedelic guide present during your ceremony. However, it is the safest, most supported option, especially regarding trips that involve heavy intentions.
Where to Find Legal Psychedelic Experiences Near Berkeley 2022
Right now, two options exist for seeking therapeutic psychedelic experiences in Berkeley, California: Ketamine clinics and guided psychedelic journeys with Psychedelic Passage.
1. Ketamine Clinics
Ketamine is not a traditional psychedelic. After its long history of use as an anesthetic, researchers have come to study its potential therapeutic benefits. Many people find that ketamine-infusion therapy offers relief from treatment-resistant depression.
Therefore, exploring this option may serve as a tool on the larger scale of your healing journey. In full disclosure though, we want to note that nearly 50 percent of the clients approach us due to failed ketamine therapy or because of short-lasting benefits.
This is largely because the quality of support varies greatly from clinic to clinic. Therefore if you’re seeking to find a ketamine clinic near you, conduct research to ensure that you receive appropriate help in preparing for the experience and integrating it as well.
2. Guided Psychedelic Journeys with Psychedelic Passage
Here at Psychedelic Passage we facilitate therapeutic psychedelic experiences across the United States. Our mission is to offer equal access to these potentially life changing treatments by placing emphasis on harm reduction practices and offering informative resources on psychedelic use.
Our carefully curated network of highly experienced psychedelic facilitators will guide you through the necessary preparation involved in a therapeutic psychedelic experience. Then, we will sit with you through your psychedelic experience, ensuring your safety while allowing the sufficient space for the experience to unfold organically between you and the medicine.
After your trip, we guide you through the process of integrating your findings and new-found perspectives. We understand how personal a psychedelic experience can be. That’s why we can facilitate therapeutic psychedelic experiences right from the comfort of your own home.
Find Your Next Psychedelic Journey in Any Major Berkeley Area
- Telegraph Avenue District
- Downtown Berkeley
- Solano Avenue
- Berkeley Marina
- University Avenue
- Lorin District
- Elmwood District
- North Shattuck
- UC Berkeley
- Gilman District
Explore How it Feels to be Connected
Navigating this fresh space of psychedelic medicine can be intimidating and you shouldn’t have to do it on your own. If you’re interested in embarking on a therapeutic psychedelic journey, we encourage you to book a consultation with us.
Psychedelics have the power to catalyze large-scale change in our lives and part of destigmatizing their therapeutic use involves widespread access to educational resources. If you’d like to learn more about all-things-psychedelic, check out our resources page. That’s all for now, friends. Safe journeying!
