7 Questions for a Safe Psychedelic Trip
The room is quiet. My two partners and I exchange quick looks. No, everything looks good, we can just observe and hold space. “Will you hold my hand?” one of the participants asks me. I quitely move over to where she’s sitting, near the window, and softly put my hand on hers. “You’re okay. Just embrace whatever is happening.” She squeezes my hands, her eyes still closed. Whatever she’s going through — she is not alone.
“Just look at that ceiling!” the couple cuddles on the couch, their faces in awe, pointing out more and more details to each other, their voices filled with wonder. “No, really, look,” the girl tells me. I smile and look up. The ceiling is white, with just the hint of a crack in the paint. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asks admiringly. I have to hold back a chuckle. Yes, yes it is.
“Well, what was your first experience like?” the woman looks at one of us, waiting for the answer. We’re nearing the end of the session and so far she’s tried focusing on others. “Is there any reason why you feel a need to focus on others instead of your own experience?” I ask her. She pauses briefly, comes up with an explanation. “I guess I just like stories.” I consider her answer. With her background, I know it’s not a lie. But it doesn’t sound like the whole truth, either. “Well, what’s the reason you’re not focusing on your own story?” This one requires her to go deeper, to really search for the hidden answers inside her own mind…
It’s a warm evening in May 2017. My boyfriend and I are lying in a hammock. The festival is over, but the terrain is still open and we grab the opportunity to have a psychedelic experience with magic mushrooms. He’s done it before, but for me it’s the first time I’m trying an entheogen: a substance that’s supposed to expand my mind and bring me closer to the divine. I’m anxious. My mother has never been overly strict, but I got the message early on: excessive drinking is bad, smoking is bad and drugs is worst of all. Any drugs. Which is why it’s taken me 28 years to start experimenting.
As the psylocybin kicks in my anxiety melts away making place for awe. The leaves over our heads transform into a jigsaw puzzle and when I close my eyes I see a labyrinth with a lost girl. That girl is me, but it’s also the here-and-now-me who has to guide her through the darkness. And this version of me is not afraid. She’s determined and gentle. There’s tears, vulnerability and also love as my partner and I explore our consciousness and share what’s been buried for a very long time. And even once the trip is long over I know: this experience will remain with me for years.
It does, and a year and a half later I decide to start guiding others who want to use psychedelic substances for therapeutic purposes. It takes a lot of learning, reflection, preparation. Together with likeminded tripsitters, amongst whom my partner, we work on an intake and a preparation guide. I take courses on psychedelic substances and integration of experiences. And most importantly: we host our first sessions and gain experience.
We’re not alone. In the Netherlands, more and more enthusiasts guide psychedelic sessions. Some, like us, work with psychedelic truffles. Others work with ayahuasca, mescaline cacti or ibogaine. As a community we’re slowly gravitating to professionalization of psychedelic therapy: codes of ethics, courses, intervision. But as in any growing field we also encounter challenges. One of these is when a man’s suicide is (apparently mistakingly) attributed to an Ayahuasca session conducted several months before. Despite the misinformation this causes a storm in the Dutch media. A pending court decision is finalized and the ban on Ayahuasca in enforced.
Plant medicine and specifically psychedelic plants, mushrooms and animals have amazing properties. The potential here is amazing. More importantly, I believe in a free society we should focus on harm reduction rather than prohibition. I also believe in the near future this will become reality. But in order to make that happen we need to join our efforts and show governments that with the right information psychedelics are safe. Which they are, but…
There are also risks. Now I’m not telling you whether or not to try any substance, but I want to stress that any risk you take is not just putting you at risk. It’s putting the psychedelic community as a whole at risk. The rights we’re gaining all over the globe are still fragile and it’s upto all of us to deal with the concerns of society.
That’s why — if you decide to experiment with psychedelics — I would love to ask you to consider the following points:
- Are you mentally in a stable place? Psychedelics can change your perception in ways you can’t imagine. Are you ready to face what’s inside of you, even if this means letting go of comfortable illusions? How’s your support network? Do you have people you can go to if your world view is shattered or would you have to face any insights all by yourself?
- If you’re working with a tripsitter, are they skilled enough to guide you? Psychedelic experiences are unpredictable and I’ve experienced first-hand how easy it is to overestimate oneself. A first way to check whether your tripsitter knows what they’re doing is to ask them about the dangers of the trip. A skilled guide is aware of possible complications and won’t try to downplay them. Ask your tripsitter how they deal with possible issues. While you’re at it, check whether your tripsitter generally has a good reputation, if only through word of mouth. As in all fields, incompetence, power abuse and even sexual abuse do occur and you want to discover this before you enter a vulnerable state.
- What’s the legal situation around the substance you’re consuming? Some substances are legal (or at least decriminalized) in some places, others not so much. The situation differs per country, sometimes even per city. What legal risks are you taking?
- How’s your physical health? Do you have any issues with your kidneys or heart? Most psychedelics are stimulants and put some strain on your kidneys. Do your research before experimenting.
- How’s your mental health? Do you suffer from psychoses, schizofrenia or bipolar? Research on psychedelics and their influence on mental health is still in early stages, but there is some indication that most psychedelics may trigger episodes (such as depressive or manic episodes in people with bipolar). Please keep in mind many psychological conditions are genetic, so be mindful if you’re not diagnosed yourself but have mental illness in your family.
- Are you taking any medication that might interfere with the substance? This goes for medication for both physical and mental issues and is especially relevant if you’re on anti-depressants. Depending on the substance there might be other interactions. St. John’s Wort is a supplement that is often mentioned when it comes to interaction. Also, make sure not to mix your psychedelic with alcohol and be very, very careful around cannabis. Though in some cases cannabis might be an enhancer for your trip, in my personal experience it’s also the one substance that tends to trigger all sorts of mental issues.
- Are you in a safe environment? Especially if you’re tripping without a sitter, make sure you pick an environment that would be safe for a child of 5 years old. Despite common practice, a big festival is generally not the best place to have your first experience, especially when going for a large dosage and doing it all by yourself. If you’re in our country and you want to go outside please avoid busy roads, railroads, high buildings, open fire, deep water and such.
This list is not exhaustive. Other questions that come to mind are “Can you be sure the substance is of a good quality?” and “Are you with people you can trust?”
All in all, do your research and for the love of psychedelics, be smart about it.
And a few parting words:
All too often people say “well, I’ve done this and that and it was perfectly fine so it’s not a risk”. Don’t be naive. People are different, psychedelic effects are different. Psychedelic trips are different. Unpredictable. Circumstances are unpredictable. A risk doesn’t mean things will go wrong. It just means things can go wrong, there’s an increased possibility. Yes, your gamble might pay off. Or it might not. In the end, it’s up to you. I’d just like to ask you: please don’t become the next dark newspaper headline.
