1. TRUST YOUR INSTINCT
Are you feeling uneasy about a psychedelic retreat, perhaps sensing that something isn’t quite right?
Is your guide behaving in an inappropriate manner with you? Perhaps being flirtatious, or trying to pressure you into booking a ceremony.
Maybe you’re hesitating about venturing into the jungle alone.
Does your guide lack understanding of the substance’s effects on your body, or show little concern for your medical history?
Or maybe you simply have a gut feeling that something is wrong, without knowing why.
These are all warning signs that you may be putting yourself at risk.
When working with psychedelics, you are in an incredibly vulnerable state. It’s crucial to seek out a guide you have faith in. Psychedelic guides are not divine beings with supernatural abilities. They are ordinary people. They, too, are susceptible to human flaws, including tendencies towards greed, manipulation, and exploitation. Try to avoid idolising guides or shamans.
Resist the temptation to surrender all your power to the mystical and transcendent. Try to stay grounded and rational. Our thinking brains do a great job of ensuring our safety. Value your ability to make sound judgments, whilst approaching a psychedelic experience with caution and discernment, to remain safe.
2. WATCH OUT FOR SPIRITUAL BYPASSING
Spiritual bypassing is a term used to describe a tendency within spiritual communities to rise above the difficulty of unresolved emotions. Rather than using spiritual philosophy as a method of integrating human experience, it is used to transcend, or avoid, personal problems.
Spiritual bypassing is pervasive within spiritual and psychedelic communities.
Statements like, “everything happens for a reason” or, “it is all as it is meant to be”, are common. When directed at individuals who have faced abuse or trauma, these statements can invalidate their experience, or encourage repression of healthy emotional responses, stunting a person in their healing journey.
While transcending emotions can provide temporary relief, it does not equate to genuine healing. Similar to using substances to numb emotional pain, spiritual bypassing serves as a coping mechanism to evade facing reality.
So, you may come across a guide who tells you to, “let go of control”, when you ask about what a substance will do to your body. This may be more indicative of a lack of knowledge, than it is in relation to your own healing. Maybe a guide informs you, “there’s no such thing as a bad trip”. That is really for you, and you alone, to decide.
Although often stemming from good intentions, these actions can potentially be manipulative and exploitative. Spiritual bypassing may lead individuals away from authentic healing, and towards a dissociative process instead.
Those who are in a dissociated, spiritually bypassed process are often key targets for abusive and predatory people.
3. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A POISON AND A MEDICINE IS LARGELY RELATED TO DOSE
Many guides are administering enormous doses of psychedelics, for fear that their customers will complain about not having an intense enough experience.
Excessively high doses can trigger terrifying and traumatising experiences, this is especially true for those who have never taken a mind-altering substance before. It’s a good idea have a discussion on dosage, and start with a conservative amount if appropriate.
Given the unique and varied response that people have from taking psychedelics, it’s important to prioritise safety. A harrowing encounter with these substances can deter future usage, and even result in PTSD or mental health challenges. Overuse of psychedelics, whether in a single session or through frequent, repeated use, has the potential to cause serious harm.
Those with addictive tendencies may chase the euphoric highs of psychedelic experiences, neglecting the crucial phase of integration between sessions. This pattern of behaviour poses significant risks to mental well-being and interpersonal relationships.
Prioritising moderation and integration is key to harnessing the benefits of psychedelics responsibly.
4. THEY WON’T ALWAYS GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS!
Sometimes working with psychedelics can make your life worse; they don’t always give you what you need.
Psychedelics essentially amplify non-specific existing aspects of a person’s psyche. If a person is already on a path of spiritual bypassing, this aspect can be intensified, potentially making them vulnerable to manipulation and abuse. Other common repercussions of psychedelic use may include grandiose behaviour and ego inflation, which can detrimentally impact personal relationships.
For some individuals, the experience with psychedelics can be distressing and overwhelming, resulting in conditions such as psychosis, PTSD, and severe mental health issues. While it is acknowledged that challenging experiences can hold significance when processed effectively, there are instances where extensive psychiatric support may be warranted.
To mitigate adverse reactions, it is helpful to engage in psychedelic work prudently and conscientiously.
5. INTEGRATE, INTEGRATE, INTEGRATE….
While psychedelics may catalyse or commence a transformative process, they will not complete it for you. The psychedelic experience marks just one step in a much broader picture of personal growth. For best results, you need to wholeheartedly engage in the process, and be prepared to dive deep.
Put simply, integration is the work you do over a long period of time to manifest deep and sustained change from your psychedelic experience. It is not a panacea, quick fix or magic bullet that will fix all your problems overnight. Your learnings from the psychedelic experience will dissipate very quickly without an integration process.
Ultimately, it is your daily habits that will make the biggest difference in your life.
Seeking the guidance of a psychedelic integration therapist can greatly assist you in this journey. Just as a guide enhances the psychedelic experience, having support during the integration phase can help you to heal, consolidate, learn, evolve, stay safe, and achieve your goals.
PLEASE NOTE: This blog is intended for information only and does not substitute medical advice. I do not advocate the illegal use of substances.