navigating psychedelics
what is a “mystical experience”?
The “mystical experience” can be engaged through accessing transcendent states of experiences such as psychedelic medicines, however it can also be achieved in other practices such as fasting, vision quests, drumming, meditation, etc.
HOW DO THESE MEDICINES WORK?
As a person goes through a mystical experience, they may remember something traumatizing and be able to work it through and even heal from it. Many of these experiences offer more of a witness perspective and/or new comprehension and understanding about what happened and how to integrate their trauma into a greater experience of wholeness.
“The telescope is to astronomy and the microscope is to biology what psychedelics are to psychology”
- Stan Grof
effects of the felt experience
Some medicines come on quick and strong, while others creep in slowly. Typically, there will be a noticeable buildup of energy in the body accompanied by a faster heartbeat and a curious state of mind as one approaches the peak. When the medicine is at it’s pinnacle, the effects can take a person by surprise in good and challenging ways.
When comparing the medicines, the average duration of the experience is generally around 4 hours, though some are much shorter, and others are substantially longer. The peak experience can last several hours without letting up and sometimes it fades in and out or comes in waves. Some journeys can be very strong and intense while others mild or even non perceptible.
how weird are things going to get?
Transpersonal experiences are the reality a person enters when they transcend their everyday reality and the confines of that structure. The reality of the material, such as the organization of time and space, five sensory perception, assessments and measurements, attachment to thoughts, things, and ways of being become hard to grasp or can even disappear completely.
This might sound scarry, however once a person learns to acclimate, voyagers develop trust in the intelligence and compassion of these medicines and in time are able to surrender to the experience more easily.
It is important to remember that the psychoactive effects are temporary and will wear off. A transpersonal experience may take you outside of your comfort zone, however generally they also bring you back down in due time and have a way of putting you back together in one piece.
tools for navigating
There are an infinite number of possibilities when it comes to tools you can use to either enhance or bring ease to the intensity of the expansiveness of the experience. Tools can bring calm when you need a breather, bringing you light when they need love and support, or activate a greater sensory experience when you are ready for more active engagement.
Here are some example Tools for Navigating you might consider:
Photos of loved ones or people who grant you inner strength
Mantra, prayer or affirmation specific to your intentions and faith
Relax your physical body one muscle at a time
Breathing exercises
Stones or gems, crystals
Essential oils or other aromas to ease or enhance
Art supplies, a journal or voice recording device
skills for navigating
Stills allow a person to be the researcher, observer, and active participant in their journey. They help you remember what came up in order to process it in the integration afterwards. Skills can help you to deepen and further the depth of your connection to your intention so that you can get more out of your experience.
Here are some example Skills for Navigating you might consider:
Observe your thoughts
Feel and listen to your emotions
Hear your judgements, worries and fears
Note your doubts, insecurities and shame
Track the narrative voices in your head
See yourself from different angles, how others experience you
Invite positivity and good energy
Take note of signs, symbols and significant moments to process later.
Allow your energy to flow and travel without resistance.
ways to maximize the experience
Here are some additional examples of ways to Maximize the Experience you might consider:
Set Intentions
Show up ready to do the work.
Take an active role in the experience
Remember to breathe
Rest into the journey
Go inward
Observe areas of resistance
Have compassion for yourself
Surrender your fear
Say yes to each moment
Trust you are safe
Stay in the process
Radical responsibility
potential outcomes
You might not have the experience you were looking for.
You might not have a psychedelic experience at all; sometimes this happens.
You might have a challenging experience leaving you with more questions than answers.
You might feel as if you are dying, or have a death and rebirthing experience.
You might experience feelings of being violently sick.
You might experience flashbacks to traumatic experiences from your past.
You might not feel the support you need from your loved ones.
Your integration could be difficult with lots of emotional things to process.
You might discover a radical change in your worldview or perspective.
managing disappointments
These medicines give you what you need, not necessarily what you want. Ultimately, what you want is what you need first. It is important to recognize that the most disappointment comes from the ego’s attachment to externalizing problems and solutions.
Here are some good ways to manage disappointments":
Accept that there may be disappointments.
Manage expectations, and continue to release them throughout the experience as they arise.
Stay focused on what the experience is offering in the moment and move your focus away from what it is not offering.
Have faith in these experiences to continue to unfold, recognizing much of the work happens sub-perceptually.
Address or talk about your disappointments.
Acknowledge any discomfort, doubts, or underlying anxiety and concern about how you will integrate your experience.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Book your FREE 40 Minute Discovery call to explore if Psychedelic Facilitation & Integration Coaching are a good fit for you.