Psychedelic preparation involves familiarization with personal content without judgment, paired with mindfulness practices and logistical planning. Building a repertoire with your facilitator enhances trust and support, while being witnessed enhances accountability, and the overall therapeutic potential of the journey.
In this article we begin by addressing audience questions regarding how age, weight, and dietary choices influence psilocybin dosage. While these factors do play a role, they are less critical than once thought. Instead, considerations should include the body’s digestive processes and hormonal cycles.
Throughout the article, several key themes related to effective psychedelic preparation are outlined. We place emphasis on the concept of “practice rounds,” where individuals engage in self-exploration and mindfulness to mentally and emotionally ready themselves for the journey. This preparation offers an opportunity for self-discovery and inquiry by mapping internal narratives and challenging personal stories that shape one’s experiences.
The article also highlights the importance of building connections with facilitators and support communities. Establishing trusting and safe relationships with these guides can enhance the overall experience by providing support and fostering a sense of vulnerability. Additionally, practical planning, such as managing responsibilities, setting up the physical space, and taking care of personal hygiene, is essential to facilitate a meaningful experience.
The article underscores that preparation is crucial not only for navigating the immediate psychedelic journey but also for integrating its insights into daily life. As the article concludes, it explores the transformative power of being witnessed and supported by a community and facilitator.
This article is inspired by our insightful podcast episode hosted by Psychedelic Passage co-founder, Jimmy Nguyen, which you can listen to on all streaming platforms.
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Key Takeaways
- Mindfulness and Emotional Awareness: Developing mindfulness practices, such as tuning into one’s needs and being present, is essential for preparing for a psychedelic experience, helping individuals manage their emotions and deepen their connection with themselves.
- Self-Exploration Through Practice: Preparing for a psychedelic journey involves excavating personal content, including emotions and narratives, which primes individuals for a more productive experience by familiarizing them with what may arise.
- The Importance of Being Witnessed: Sharing discoveries with facilitators and being witnessed during the experience fosters accountability and support, enhancing the therapeutic potential of the journey and grounding individuals in their emotional work.
- Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic-assisted therapy near you in the United States.
Question From The Community:
Is age and weight relevant when determining psilocybin dosage, and is it better to take it on an empty stomach rather than a full one?
While age and weight do play a role in determining psilocybin dosages, they are not as dominant as once thought. We have seen people of a small stature take very large doses, and conversely have seen larger people with a very small minimum effective dose.
There are also elderly people in their 80’s and 90’s successfully navigating deep psychedelic experiences, so it’s never too late.
Psilocybin mushrooms, for example, are affected by digestion, and thus the timing of ingestion and the body’s digestive state can influence the experience.
What’s really the hidden factor in dosing is our hormonal cycles. For example, our gut releases over 20 peptide hormones, making it the largest organ to produce hormones in our body (Martin et al., 2020).
A balanced approach might include a light fast of 4-8 hours before consuming the mushrooms, particularly if opting for a light meal with essential nutrients. Our cofounder, Jimmy Nguyen opts for a green smoothie with frozen fruits, coconut cream, greens and water.
This approach ensures that you have enough calories to appropriately navigate a psychedelic experience, without being overly full risking drowsiness or nausea.
It also invites you to cultivate a mindful relationship with what you put into your body and use as fuel leading up to the psychedelic experience.
For women, there’s an entire added layer to the interaction between our hormones and psychedelics. Estrogen and serotonin have a close relationship just beginning to be explored, especially in the context of psychedelics.
Studies with Estradiol, a synthetic form of estrogen, shows that this hormone clearly impacts the serotonergic system by affecting the synthesization and reuptake of serotonin (Bendis et al., 2024).
While we know there’s some sort of relationship there, it’s still greatly misunderstood pending more studies.
We do know that the same symptoms, like depression and irritability, that can arise from menstrual disorders, like PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), are the same ones that microdosing can actually alleviate.
Recommended Reading: Can Psychedelics Help Women’s Health & Menopause?
Knowing this, if your menstrual cycle has a noticeable effect on your mood, like heightened depression or anxiety in the weeks leading up to your period, it should at least be acknowledged in your preparation planning.
Maybe having a psychedelic trip can help you reset, maybe it would make it worse and you rather wait until your hormones balance out. Whatever you decide, let it be deeply personal and intuitive.
The Universal Skills Concept
It’s important to note that the same skills you use to navigate psychedelics are applicable to everyday life as well, and as you use psychedelic experiences as a tool in your path to self discovery, it’s only natural to carry what you learn over into everyday life.
So yes, you’re here to learn about psychedelic preparation, and that you will! But keep in mind how these skills can assist in personal growth and maintaining balance in the future.
Psychedelic experiences are a unique container of an altered state of consciousness for you to practice skills that then you can bring into your own life.
Preparation is inherently where you also begin the integration process, as it has direct ties to how and what you will bring back with you.
Think of it as identifying what may be illuminated during the psychedelic experience, taking an internal inventory of content that may come up, or content you want to interact with further once under an altered state of consciousness.
Psychedelic Preparation as Practice Rounds: Excavating the Self
Preparation serves as practice for the main event—the psychedelic experience itself—by allowing for internal exploration and familiarization with personal content.
This process involves excavating aspects of oneself, such as emotions, bodily responses, and deeply held narratives or stories, which often dictate how we perceive our lives and experiences.
Interacting with these parts of ourselves that we may shy away from, in a sober context, primes us to be prepared for them, making the actual psychedelic experience less daunting and more productive.
Good coaching can actually give you the confidence you need to examine the uncomfortable or even traumatic content of your life in an intentional context. You then have the opportunity to observe your bodily or emotional responses to this content.
Treating preparation as practice rounds not only familiarizes you with your personal content, but it helps you exercise the navigational tools you will need later on in the psychedelic experience in relation to that content.
Compassionate Inquiry: Noticing Without Judgement
While you begin uncovering the deepest parts of yourself, it’s important not to pass judgement. Imagine you’re an archeologist and you have just dug up an artifact from an ancient civilization.
Curiosity-driven questions immediately arise; How was it used? How did it get here? Who made it? How did that civilization acquire the ability to make it?
Applying the same level of curious inquiry absent of negative judgement, to your own self-discovery is the most conducive way to map your own internal landscape.
Our emotional content is important, but the narratives and stories we tell ourselves are most important to examine because they dictate how we experience our lives.
In the cases where our narratives or things that have happened in life hold too much power over us, it’s very much possible to change those narratives by examining and challenging them, and in turn find our own sense of personal liberation from them.
Developing Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness is not only a tool for everyday life but a critical component of psychedelic navigation. Practices such as mindfulness of breath, being present in the moment, and non-resistance support both preparation and the psychedelic experience.
Being able to “come back to the present” can be extremely helpful if you find yourself ruminating about the future or overthinking the past.
“It would be great if along with every prescription of SSRIs, they also taught you a little bit about mindfulness and self-awareness and then possibly being able to get the most out of that feeling of “slowing down” from your feelings and emotions that oftentimes people report with SSRIs.”
Another useful skill that stems from mindfulness is regularly tuning into your needs.
“In my own psychedelic experiences, I like to make sure that every hour, hour and a half I’m checking in with my body, my feelings and emotions, my energy level, asking, what does it need?
It’s almost like these little pit stops along the way of the racetrack of the psychedelic experience so that I can make sure that my wheels and engine are intact to make it through the next several laps.”
Recommended Reading: Psychedelic Preparation: The Power of Bodily Attunement
By honing skills like emotional regulation and body awareness, individuals can better anticipate their needs and responses during the journey. These tools of mindfulness help manage challenging emotions and facilitate a deeper, more present connection with the experience.
Practical Planning and Personal Care
Similar to the internal inventory you’ll be doing, practical logistics are just as crucial in preparation. Take time to organize the space you’ll be in for your psychedelic experience.
Think about addressing lingering tasks or things on your to-do list, and clearing responsibilities from your schedule so that you have one thing to do and one thing only: to be present for your journey.
Maintaining good hygiene and resolving minor discomforts ensures that unexpected irritations do not disrupt the journey, especially when psychedelics can cause an overall hypersensitivity.
Something as minor as chapped lips may be enough to postpone a psychedelic experience a week or so to avoid the possibility of that discomfort being at the forefront of your experience.
Building Connections with Facilitators and Community
Connecting with one’s facilitator and psychedelic community is integral to preparation. Trust and safety, essential for vulnerable exploration, are cultivated through relationships.
This involves engaging with facilitators and community members, understanding their roles, and allowing oneself to be supported throughout the process. Such connections extend to the relationship with the psychedelic medicine itself, fostering mutual respect and understanding.
Many of our clients have said that the preparation phase is an excellent way to build comradery with your facilitator that carries into your psychedelic experience.
Cultivating the repertoire between yourself and your facilitator also gets you familiar with the specific ways and formats in which they can be supportive and resourceful.
Even if you show up the day of your ceremony with something on your mind that you hadn’t previously disclosed with your facilitator, don’t be afraid to bring it up, never underestimate the power of a last minute conversation to help foster a trusting relationship.
Acknowledging the Power of Being Witnessed
Being witnessed in preparation and during the psychedelic experience lends a sense of accountability, support, and realness.
Sharing one’s internal discoveries with facilitators or trusted individuals enhances the therapeutic potential of the journey by creating a tether from your emotional content to something physical, like your facilitator, grounding your thoughts in reality.
The power of observation is no joke, as we see from the ever-famous and puzzling double-slit experiment, proving wave-particle duality.
Being observed is to be held accountable. It’s easy to forget the hard work when no one is there, right? It’s almost human nature to want to take the easy way out. Of course, this is a terrible therapeutic model and you’d hardly get anything done!
That’s why giving someone else the role of accountability frees you up to focus on the material in front of you, while your subconscious knows you’re being cared for (and observed).
Embracing these best practices not only enriches the psychedelic journey but also invites broader personal growth and healing. Preparation is a universal skill set, applicable both within and beyond the psychedelic landscape.
Mitigating The Chances of Surprises
You can prepare and prepare until you’re up to your eyebrows in it, and psychedelics can still find ways to marvel you with things you could’ve never imagined to show up in your experience.
- Learn How One Client Embraced The Unpredictability: Stemming from an anonymous interview with one of our clients, read for yourself how to roll with the punches and avoid common mistakes.
- Discover A More Detailed Therapeutic Plan: Explore the ideal frequency and duration for consuming psilocybin mushrooms while reading up on the best microdose practices.
- Take It Into Your Own Hands: Discover how you can test the potency of a variety of substances from the privacy of your own home.
- Integration as a Form of Healing: Sometimes after a psychedelic experience you find yourself in need of healing and hashing out all the information it had to offer, so that you can make conscious changes that benefit you.
- The Importance of Safe Sourcing: Discover reliable sources for purchasing mushroom spore syringes to support your psychedelic therapy journey in our carefully curated article.
- I Have Anxiety But Want to Try Psychedelics. Is It Worth It? You may be surprised to discover 8 ways in which psychedelics help with anxiety.
Client Testimonial:
“The facilitator held the space with a completely calm energy. She didn’t get in the way of the plant medicine. In fact, I believe having a witness created a more meaningful experience. I went into a deep journey and I knew I was being looked after.
Her energy was dialed into letting the plant medicine take care of the experience. I am very grateful to have experienced my journey with a high frequency, naturally flowing energy in the room.” — Psychedelic Passage Client
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is it important to be familiar with my personal content before a psychedelic experience?
Familiarizing yourself with personal content primes you to it and allows for deeper self-exploration during the psychedelic journey.
By examining emotions, narratives, and bodily responses beforehand, you prepare yourself to navigate complex feelings more effectively, making the experience more productive and meaningful.
2. What role do mindfulness practices play in preparing for psychedelics?
Mindfulness practices, such as breath awareness and present-moment tuning into your needs, help anchor your awareness and manage emotions.
These practices create a foundation for self-regulation and enhance your ability to process challenges during the journey, fostering a richer connection with your experience.
3. What role does the facilitator play in my psychedelic preparation?
Facilitators provide essential support, guidance, and a sense of safety throughout the psychedelic experience.
Building a rapport with them helps create a trusting environment where you can openly share your thoughts and emotions, making it easier to navigate vulnerable moments during your journey.
4. How are preparation and integration related?
Integration begins during the preparation process. Reflecting on your intentions and the insights gained during the experience can guide you in applying those revelations to your daily life.
By having the same facilitator beside you for the entire process, they can help you weave the ideas from preparation and the insights from the psychedelic experience into actionable integration techniques.
5. What does it mean to be “witnessed” during a psychedelic journey, and why is it significant?
Being witnessed refers to sharing your experiences and discoveries with a trusted facilitator or community member, which adds a layer of accountability and support.
Being witnessed makes the whole thing feel a little more “real” and tangible. This connection grounds your emotional work in reality, enhances therapy, and serves as a reminder that you are not alone in your explorations.
6. Is there a recommended dietary approach leading up to a psychedelic experience?
A balanced approach often includes a light fast of 4-8 hours before consuming psilocybin mushrooms, along with a light meal rich in essential nutrients if you choose to eat.
This helps ensure that you have enough energy for the experience without feeling too full or sleepy, allowing for a more comfortable and focused journey.
References
Bendis, P. C., Zimmerman, S., Onisiforou, A., Zanos, P., & Georgiou, P. (2024). The impact of estradiol on serotonin, glutamate, and dopamine systems. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2024.1348551
Double-Slit Experiment (9-12) – NASA. (n.d.). https://www.nasa.gov/stem-content/double-slit-experiment-9-12/
Martin, A. M., Sun, E. W., & Keating, D. J. (2020). Mechanisms controlling hormone secretion in human gut and its relevance to metabolism. Journal of Endocrinology, 244(1), R1–R15. https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-19-0399