Self Directed Psychedelic Healing II
Written by Barry Alexander
You might have decided to explore psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, and through navigation, you’ve determined an initial path for your healing journey. Navigation is the process of working with a psychedelic or entheogenic medicine informed therapist to uncover past and current traumas. Identifying these traumas helps define your intentions for healing. Once you understand what is holding you back, you and your therapist can identify the best version of yourself and work together to make this goal a reality. Entheogenic and psychedelic medicines may aid and accelerate this self discovery process, making them potent tools for self growth and healing.
Preparation
Are you ready for a direct experience with psychedelic or entheogenic medicine? Using these compounds should not be treated casually, especially if you have no prior experience with them. Supporting practices like meditation, journaling, and altering your diet prior to medicine day is crucial to minimizing risk and improving health outcomes.
It is essential that before you consider taking any form of psychedelic or entheogenic medicine, you must ensure that it is safe to do so. Any existing prescriptions, supplements, or foods should be carefully reviewed to reduce and eliminate harmful interactions. Interactions can range in severity from minor discomfort to potentially fatal effects. For instance, If you are taking an SSRI or other antidepressant, the experience and benefits of psychedelic medicines may be blunted or eliminated completely. Whereas taking Lithium, a commonly prescribed antipsychotic, and psychedelics could result in seizures. Consulting a trusted pharmacist or clinician to review the risks and understand drug interactions is recommended to promote one’s safety and the likelihood of a productive experience.
Work to find a pharmacist or other practitioner that inquires about any prescriptions you are taking and is aware of your mental or physical health contraindications. Risk reduction should be your top priority, so do not proceed forward until you feel confident it is safe to do so.
The Medicine
The largest obstacle to your self directed healing journey is the legal scheduling of the medicine involved in psychedelic assisted therapy and/or ceremonial use of entheogenic medicines. These substances are still labeled as schedule I status and illegal to possess, cultivate and distribute in the United States and other countries. The content shared here is strictly to inform those seeking theoretical knowledge of alternative options to mental health support and in no way condones or encourages illicit activities.
Three primary options exist for accessing psychedelic or entheogenic medicines: sourcing one’s own, joining a psychedelic church, or traveling to a jurisdiction that can legally support plant medicine retreats. This article will discuss the mycology surrounding medicinal mushrooms. Cultivating one's own psilocybin containing mushrooms provides one with the security of knowing the medicine's origin. Oftentimes one will also develop an intimate relationship with the mushroom through the direct cultivation process.
Cultivation
Some of the challenges one will face when sourcing their own medicine are determining adequate dosages, securing a safe place and ample time to consume the medicine, and afterward, integrating the experience. It's usually best to avoid intense, higher dose journeys unless you are supported when taking the medicine. To help one through their experience, one should have a trauma informed and culturally aware peer-supporter, sitter, facilitator, or therapist trained in psychedelic risk reduction with them during their journey.
Growing one’s own psilocybin containing mushrooms is an opportunity to truly connect with the medicine. By establishing a relationship with the mushrooms, one can cultivate respect and reverence for the organism.
There is no shortage of helpful guides and forums on the internet for those seeking knowledge. Sites like The Shroomery and their accompanying private Facebook group are known for their lively and active discussion boards. Sites like Double Blind Magazine are also known to offer courses and supplies to make one's learning experience easier.
Another option is to get involved with your local psychedelic clubs and societies, which may provide practical advice, or host mycology workshops covering the principles of culinary mushroom cultivation.
Seeking out your local Psychedelic Society and attending their online or in person gatherings is an ideal place to start. Some sites online have even compiled networking lists to make community engagement easier. Just remember to always follow the laws of your jurisdiction and your community.
Depending on one's connections and ability to self-educate, it could take weeks to source medicine. Capitalize on this downtime as it's an excellent time to do preparation work and define your intentions for using the medicine.
If you are fortunate enough to afford a therapist or can access a psychedelic peer-supporter trained in preparation and integration, you can define goals for your journey and explore potential roadblocks preventing you from being your best self. Regardless of the resources, you have at your disposal, the basic structures outlined in Cognitive Behavior Therapies and similar therapy protocols can provide helpful guidelines for your journey.
Ideal Practices Before Using The Medicine
If working with an experienced therapist or facilitator, discuss and devise a plan to help prepare your mind and body for your upcoming medicine day. There are numerous preparation practices, so a therapist or facilitator can help you determine which best suits your individual needs. I personally found mindful meditation and journaling before, during, and after practice with the medicine to be most useful.
Mindfulness meditation involves silencing the mind by purposely monitoring one’s breath and bodily sensations. Ideally, one should devote time daily to practicing mindful meditation for as many weeks as possible before one's medicine day. Learning how to calm the mind and body through one’s breath becomes a valuable tool to navigate challenging experiences should they arise when taking the medicine. An ongoing practice of mindful meditation builds one’s resilience through positive habit forming, and provides one with a powerful tool for personal integration.
Journaling is another essential tool in effectively preparing for and integrating an entheogenic or psychedelic journey. Should roadblocks arise when setting your intentions with an informed therapist or facilitator, make a note of these blockages to revisit during your healing experience.
Setting intentions will provide you with a general structure for navigating your journey, helping ease any anxiety or confusion that might occur during a session. General and flexible intentions like “being present and open to whatever happens on one's medicine day” often work well as intentions are not guaranteed outcomes. Use intentions as loose guiding points when you need to recenter yourself; set intentions, not expectations.
Taking good care of one's body through proper hydration, diet, and ample rest is also recommended. Try to avoid heavy and greasy meals and alcohol before taking the medicine. You may encounter some level of nausea with the medicine making it best to eat a light meal hours before or water-fast prior to your dose. This will help you avoid undue discomfort which could negatively impact your experience under the medicine.
Set and Setting
Finding and preparing an appropriate setting to act as a container for your journey will require a safe space free of noise and distractions, most likely in your own home. A single session can last 4-6 hours depending on dosage, so it's a good idea to prepare the space the day before taking the medicine.
Clean and remove any clutter from the chosen space. Have all the things you would like to accompany and aid you in your journey like water, a journal, and writing instruments.
Next Steps, Ready for the Medicine
The practices covered in this article are intended to prepare you for an intentional therapeutic entheogenic or psychedelic medicine experience in a jurisdiction where it is legal to do so. This is not exhaustive or prescriptive, and you may add or remove practices to adjust to your individual needs. Remember that the goal of preparation is to enhance safety and minimize the risks of challenging or troubling experiences. If you encounter a challenging experience during your journey, the preparation you have done may help you to move through it as opposed to suppressing and fighting it. Preparing one's setting and mindset may enhance and improve outcomes for personal insights and healing, making it an ideal practice for those seeking a positive journey.
Check Back In With This Series For Coverage On Medicine Day & Integration
