Preparation in the days before a medicine journey or retreat
The psychedelic journey begins when you decide to take it. During the time between now and your journey or retreat, create time and attention for the following as much as possible:
Rest, movement, nutrition
Awareness of thoughts, dreams, somatic sensations, memories, synchronicities
Time for contemplation, prayer, meditation, quiet space to just be
Allow what wants to be seen to reveal itself
Create boundaries, begin thinking about integration landing - where and how will you create a nest for safe and unhurried processing of what unfolded?
Who will support you in the coming days and weeks as this process continues to unfold? Can they assist you in setting up your integration landing zone now?
Who might you need to set a boundary with for your own safe healing process?
What activities and obligations will best support your ability to attend to your own process, and what might be best to reschedule or cancel?
Where will you go to be alone, to contemplate, journal, draw, cry, meditate or rest?
Acknowledge any fears or hesitations, protector parts, allow them to be seen and heard
Discuss any of this with therapist, trusted friend
Allow that the process can not be controlled but can be trusted
Know that challenging material (traumatic memories, repressed aspects of current relationships, unhealthy patterns) may come into awareness whether you ask them to or not, trust that this is safe and healthy
Trust your own inner healing intelligence to be able to handle anything it opens to
Trust the divine / universe / higher power in whatever form resonates for you
Setting intention
Setting intention is a time-honored way to approach any deep inner work, whether psychedelic or other. It is a wonderful practice to fully consider all the different intentions that you might bring to this work, both the specific and the broad. This intention or set of intentions may shift, evolve or change as you feel into them. Explore this topic and the themes that arise intentionally, either with a therapist, a friend, or a journal.
Spend some time considering this from all angles. Consider the following prompts if useful:
What needs to shift?
What feels effortless and rewarding?
What am I not being emotionally honest with myself or my loved ones about?
Where am I stuck or afraid?
What is my growing edge?
How have I changed in the past year, five years, ten years, and what have I learned?
What are my deepest values and how do they show up in how I live my life today?
How could I allow my values to inform my life more deeply?
If I wasn’t afraid of anything, what would I do differently?
What do I have / do / embody that I want more of in my life?
What do I have / do / embody that I would like to leave behind?
What do I have the power to change, and can I see the first step to a desired change?
What do I not have the power to change, and can I imagine what it would be like to surrender to this fact of life?
Do I allow myself to rest, to love, to be loved, to fail, to succeed, to change my mind?
Do I want approval or do I want freedom?
Allow yourself to embrace any intention that feels meaningful to you, keeping in mind that setting intention is not at all the same as creating expectations or plans. Once you have fully explored all the intentions that feel relevant to your upcoming journey, the next step is to allow the recognition that you can’t control what will actually unfold, and that you will release intention fully and surrender to the flow when you actually take the medicine, trusting that whatever arises in your medicine experience is exactly what is needed.
Preparing to take the medicine
It’s good to have a simple practice to help us anchor into the present moment and release anxiety and the need to control, as we take the medicine.
Recalling the intention setting you did prior to the day of the journey, remind yourself of whatever was most salient and vibrant for you, then release it with complete trust that what comes next is precisely the next step on your journey towards embodying your deepest values.
Having a practice to use as the medicine comes on is good to help prevent thoughts trying to control the experience. Consider:
Breath practice - return attention to the breath when it wanders, feeling it at the nose or the abdomen, counting breaths 1-5 if needed to maintain attention
Mantra practice - return attention to a mantra when it wanders, using a mantra that resonates for you, or something like “trust, let go, be open” or “I surrender, I am surrendering, I have surrendered” or any other phrase that works for you
Sound practice - return attention to the music whenever it wanders
Noting practice - when thoughts arise, note “thinking” and disengage from the thought content, and let it go
Continuity of unfolding before, during and after the journey
Try to keep a log of this process in some way, starting before the session and continuing after. Many people like journaling. Even if narrative journaling is not your jam, keeping a brief log of what comes up can be very helpful later. Other ways to keep a record or create a thread might be creating art in any form, planting a garden that will grow and change with you, making playlists that evolve as you evolve and can evoke memories for you, recording voice memos or short videos, talking with someone who takes notes (this can be very helpful to allow you to unpack things with a sounding board), writing songs, playing music, doing a 30 day yoga course, joining an online or in person group processing things similar to your own, etc. The possibilities are endless. The goal is to keep focus on your process, and see it unfold in a way that reflects back to you that change is occurring.
After the journey
In the immediate hours, you will want to allow the insights to settle in such a way that they are not disturbed or prematurely concretized, but that you can access them in an ongoing way. In the final phase of medicine, as it is wearing off, it’s great to have the chance to verbalize to your sitter and have them take notes. This does not need to be a therapy session (though it can be, with your therapist). Consider things like:
What was the emotional theme of this experience? Was it familiar? If so, in what way?
Were there specific insights? Make some kind of notes so they don’t slip away.
Were there somatic sensations of interest?
Did your body express in any way? Did you feel it if so? Make a note of where in the playlist this occurred, what the physical expression was and what the emotional experience was at that time.
Were there visuals? If so, did they seem relevant to your process? Were there any symbolic aspects? Make a note, even if they aren’t understood.
Did the music hold any meaning or emotional relevance, whether good or bad? Did that relate to anything that had come up in the preparatory stages?
Were you aware of any of your life issues in a new way?
Were you aware of your sense of self changing in any way?
Were you aware of others, whether people (living or dead), or spirits, or a sense of the divine / universal consciousness? Did this relate to anything you felt prior to the medicine experience?
Was there any sense of fear, conflict or grief? If any “negative” emotions arose, were you aware of relating to them in a different way than usual?
Did you experience time differently than usual?
Did you experience sounds differently than usual?
Did you experience thoughts differently than usual?
Is there anything bizarre, confusing or out of the ordinary that you want to make a note of to contemplate further?
Did you note any patterns in your thoughts or feelings that have been historically a problem, and if so, did they shift or reveal themselves in any new way?
Coming home / landing zone
All journeys end, and your time in psychedelic space will be over all too quickly.
In order to maximize the benefit of this powerful work, it is important to consider your “reentry” plans, and create sufficient time, space, care and attention to this process. Allow yourself to settle gently into the aftermath of a big experience, letting it reveal itself in an unhurried manner, and thoughtfully choose how to resume your life obligations. This is no less vital to a successful experience than the process of preparation.
If you will be returning from a bigger event such as a multiday retreat, it is especially important to think ahead before leaving on this adventure as to how you will support your process on your return, not leaving such plans to the last minute.
Integration can go on for weeks or months, and it begins with an intentional approach to coming back into your home, resuming your duties, and engaging with relationships, with a willingness to question and reassess previous habits and expectations.
Timing: The time that you set aside for your process after retreat is important to allow this experience to soak into your life and work its magic. If possible, take some additional time off from work or other commitments. For a bigger experience, see if you can create a week or more with the minimum of obligations. If your schedule and finances allow, after a multiday retreat, consider going to another day or two of protected space, such as an Airbnb with your partner, a few nights at a summer home, or something similar. If you can’t arrange this, create what you can in your own space.
Landing zone: Consider your surroundings when you return to your home after this experience. Where will you physically be landing? What areas or relationships in your life are causing you difficulties? Can you create a space where you take a break from these areas? What activities bring you peace? Are you able to work those into your integration routine? Make yourself as cozy, simple and inviting a space as possible to arrive in when you return home, including easy, favorite foods, a clean and inviting room or house, beautiful flowers, favorite music, easy access to enjoyable activities such as arts and crafts, musical instruments, etc. Consider what would make you feel held in a spa-like environment and bring this into your surroundings as much as possible.
Activities for re-embodying. A transcendent or out of body experience can be deeply transformative and beautiful, and also can require intentional practices to bring that experience into one’s embodied existence. One main priority in this time is adequate rest and sleep, allowing the body and nervous system to relax and metabolize the experience without our conscious participation. Other important practices to help reembody include time in nature, contact with the earth, being in the sun or wind, moving the body (hiking, dancing, lifting weights), and certain therapeutic practices like somatic experiencing. This can be a wonderful time to receive bodywork, soak in a hot tub, or plant a garden.
Integration support: Integration is probably the most important aspect of the psychedelic experience, and often the most neglected. I encourage you to find a structured way to bring focused integration work into your process, and to find someone who can assist with that - whether a therapist, a trusted friend, an integration coach or other person who can be nonjudgmentally supportive of your process, including any ups, downs, confusion or difficulties. Sapience Therapy offers low cost virtual integration sessions with an integration specialist which you can read more about or sign up for here. We are also anticipating starting integration circles soon; please inquire if interested.
Ongoing integration practices
There are an infinite number of ways to engage with our inner process and nurture the new inner relationships, insights, understandings and ways of being that can emerge during a psychedelic experience. These are just some general suggestions. The key is to feel into what resonates for YOU. What would you do for yourself if everything was allowed and available to you? What would you decline to do? What steps towards change seem just past your current daily routine? Incorporate the next small step in the direction you are intending to go, allowing things to be as messy and imperfect as they need to be.
Remember that your neuroplastic window is 72 hours at baseline but this can be extended by working with the experience, creating new patterns and ways of being in your life which will be reinforced in your neurology the more you practice them. Mood may or may not be noticeably different immediately. Look for subtle changes like increased energy, increased flexibility, decreased reactivity, and an increased ability to say “yes” to desired life changes / activities, and to say “no thank you” to that which no longer serves. Utilize mindfulness in whatever form works for you - be aware of your inner and outer state as often as possible. Choose things that bring ease and joy whenever possible.
Journaling, writing, recording your thoughts with voice memos or videos
Drawing, painting, crafting, doodling, knitting, sculpting, making found art, collages
Running, dancing, rock climbing, doing yoga, weight training, any kind of exercise that brings you into your body and out of your thoughts
Being in contact with the non human world: hiking, swimming in natural bodies of water, bird watching, “earthing” (putting body in contact with the earth), laying in a hammock outside, climbing trees, gardening, feeding squirrels or ducks, hanging out with pets or other animals
Contemplative practices: meditation, prayer, reading poetry, philosophy or scripture of a kind that inspires you, attending meetings, circles or services which resonate for you, devotional practices, making an altar in your home where you can place things that come to you that remind you of your process, or your relationship with the mystery
Music: making music, listening to music, learning a new instrument, exploring new types of music on Spotify or Pandora, attending live performances or playing in them, singing either in a group or in the car or in the shower. Listen to the playlist from your psychedelic journey, if that resonates with you.
Humor: finding comedy that hits that button in you of truth, acceptance, and hilarity, allow yourself to laugh, allow that this is all absurd and what better to do than enjoy it?
Eat well. Choose the healthiest food that brings you pleasure, the most enjoyable food that is good for your body
Sleep well. Figure out what your optimal sleep time would be, and put yourself to bed with 30 minutes more than that before you need to be up
Move your body. Find something that you enjoy that moves your body and do it for at least 30 minutes a day
Care for your body with bodywork if that is nurturing for you. Get a massage, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustment etc.
Avoid toxic habits including alcohol, tobacco, mindless recreational substance use, doom scrolling, TV binge watching, gossiping, or any other habit that stresses your body, wastes your time or brings down your energy. You can feel this from within, pay attention and see what might fall into this category for yourself
Don’t apologize. Prioritize your own self care and if anyone pushes you to compromise it, set a boundary without apologizing. If they keep pressing, consider whether this person / obligation is something you need to keep in your life at this time
Say yes. When something you would love to do or bring into your life presents itself, say yes if at all possible, even if before, you would have declined due to anxiety, old habits or self-denial
Find some small daily practice to honor your experience and keep it in your mind each day, such as 5 minutes of meditation before starting your day, or bringing a potted flower into your home and tending it each morning, or “morning pages” journaling or reading a verse of poetry or speaking tenderly to your cat
Remind yourself to have the gentleness, kindness and patience with yourself that you would give to a 3 year old in your care. If this seems hard, gently question why that is?
Don’t over-schedule! If being at rest with nothing to do is uncomfortable, sit with that and see what needs to be revealed in that discomfort
These are just some brief thoughts and ideas borne of experience with this process. There are an infinite variety of ways to do this process. I would love to hear feedback from anyone on these suggestions and other things not contained in this document.
Happy travels!