Is a Psychedelic Trip Right for You?
When we think of a psychedelic trip we often have mixed thoughts about it. Maybe where we grew up people were on Acid, LSD, or even Shrooms. There has been research done on psychedelics since the 1940’s but somehow because of the culture of the 60’s and 70’s and how public figures interacted with them a stigma around them became quite apparent along with laws restricting their use and banning further research. So it is no wonder why some people are confused as to what they help and why people are turning to them to heal things like trauma instead of pharmaceuticals because there is a culture of natural medicine use developing in many places.
There are many types of psychedelics, MDMA, LSD, Psilocybin that is found in some mushrooms, ketamine, and other plant-based medicines that are used in indigenous cultures. When you grow up around plant medicines you understand what they are used for along with the sacredness of it all. If you grow up in the United States, however, outside of indigenous cultures you may not understand the ins and outs of the plant medicine and how it could be beneficial to you.
For example, psilocybin is commonly used for depression and PTSD. It helps with serotonin in the brain and helps to build new connections in your brain to help you be able to work through some of the depression or trauma symptoms that you are having. It can even help one to work through specific traumas that maybe you had long buried and tried to forget. Ketamine (which is legal and commonly used as other plant medicines are not legal in most places) is another substance that can help you process and work through trauma as well. It has a different delivery system and it is gentler on a journey than psilocybin is. Two different medicines that help you journey to better your mental health.
As your reading this you may wonder, “How do I know if this could help me?” Well psychedelics can help with a variety of things. Depression, anxiety, feelings around death, connectedness problems, suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, trauma, and even for some they help addictions to improve. Many people feel frustrated with lack of traditional talk therapy, therapeutic programs, traditional pharmaceuticals, and maybe even other more invasive treatments that have not helped. If this is you, you may be a good candidate for exploring psychedelic assisted therapy.
What I will say is if you are considering doing a psychedelic assisted therapy session, it is important to do the following:
1. Research, Research, Research. Make sure you know which medicine you want to use, what the contraindications are, if it is legal in your state, and if not where can you go. You will also want to ensure you are safe to go on a journey.
2. Pick your providers carefully. Ensure that whoever you are using is trained in administering the medicine you wish to use. Ensure that they have proper education, understand what to do in emergencies, have a license to administer medicine, and that they properly educate you on what to expect.
3. Integration is the most important part. Integration should be a conversation you have through the entire process. Integration helps you to take your experience, learn from it, and fold what changes you want to make in your life into your everyday life. If your therapist or practitioner does not discuss integration you may want to consider another practitioner or therapist.
4. Find community. I learned about this modality through research and attending the Telluride Mushroom Festival. I found like-minded people who understood psilocybin, received education on it, and really found a community of people who weren’t afraid of using plant-based medicine for healing. It is really hard to learn what you need to without support and community.
5. Each experience is different. Each experience you have with your chosen medicine is going to be different. Understand that some journeys are more challenging than other journeys. It’s important to focus on each journey you go on and learn what you can from each one.
6. It may not be for you and that is ok! There are so many different ways we can choose to heal. Sometimes psychedelic medicine will be right for people and sometimes it won’t be and that is nothing to be ashamed about. We live in a big world with lots of different modalities in which we can heal. There is no shame if one modality does not work over another modality.
I hope this guide has been helpful and gets you thinking about what might be right for you and what might not. As always if you have any questions feel free to email me at jennifer@rainbowridgecounseling.com
Be Well!