**The following information is presented as harm reduction information. It is highly recommended to check in with a health care practitioner before choosing to work with psychedelics; especially if you have pre-existing medical conditions and are using any medications as there can be adverse contraindications between psychedelics and other pharmaceutical substances.**
These medicines are very powerful and it is important to foster reverence and gratitude when going into an experience. Maybe you’ve tried microdosing, but if it is your first time working with a higher dose of mushrooms, here are some important things to keep in mind when preparing for your journey.
In terms of physical preparation, it is important to show up as healthy as you can for your journey. While this can mean different things for different people, here are a few common suggestions:
Leading up to your journey, try not to introduce any new medications or supplements and remember that it is normal to feel a bit anxious or fluttery going into an experience like this.
If you are new to expanded states of consciousness, it can also be helpful to experiment with other healing modalities ahead of your journey. There are so many ways to reach heightened states of consciousness and psychedelics are one of the most potent by far. To prepare for what will be an intense adventure, try to gain some experience with cold exposure and/or breathwork.
Both of these wellness modalities can be very powerful in their own right and also have limited barriers to access. They are helpful in preparing your physical body and somatic system for a psychedelic voyage because they can both help you connect to your breath and give you a strong sense of what it is like to sit in discomfort. Although your psychedelic journey might very well have many pleasant elements, it is also common to experience discomfort during psychedelic sessions.
In addition to preparing your physical body for the experience, it is also crucial to prepare your mind. Remember the word psychedelic literally means “mind manifesting”. What is active and present in your mind leading up to your journey will likely become a focus of your experience. Given this, it’s very important to pay attention to what you mentally consume in the days leading up to your journey. Try to avoid consuming news or content that you would consider violent or upsetting.
In helping to support mental clarity, it can be very useful to take a break from social media and news outlets for a week or so. Try your best to clean your digital palette and make some space in your mind for yourself and your intentions.
Your intentions are what you would like to get out of the experience and perhaps how you might want to show up in the psychedelic state. You can think about them as a golden arrow that you release into the psychedelic space. Intentions carry magic and they help to guide your mind in a certain direction.
Intentions are one major distinguishing factor between therapeutic and recreational uses of these medicines in that they help to create a container for your own experience and they change the way psychedelics work. They turn chemicals into tools. The more precise your tool, the better it works, so try to distill your intention down into something simple and powerful that can serve as an anchor during your experience.
Finally, regarding intentions, it is important not to confuse them with expectations. Oftentimes, we don’t get the experience that we expect, but we get the experience that we need.
When working with higher doses of Mushrooms, safety is the most important ingredient in an effective set, setting and dose. Whether you are working with a guide, a friend or by yourself, you have a responsibility to ensure that your safety is being considered with care and attention. Here are a few important considerations to keep in mind…
I hope these tips are helpful in allowing you to prepare for a psychedelic journey with mushrooms. If you would like to learn more about psychedelic preparation, please check out the following resources:
I would LOVE to hear any feedback you have on what I have shared. Please feel free to reach out to me directly: michael@theflyingsage.ca
With psychedelic love and gratitude,
– Michael