These findings provide a new window into what happens in the brains of people after they have ‘come down’ from a psychedelic, where an initial disintegration of brain networks during the drug ‘trip’, is followed by a re-integration afterwards.

Dr Carhart-Harris explained: “Through collecting these imaging data we have been able to provide a window into the after effects of psilocybin treatment in the brains of patients with chronic depression.

"Based on what we know from various brain imaging studies with psychedelics, as well as taking heed of what people say about their experiences, it may be that psychedelics do indeed ‘reset’ the brain networks associated with depression, effectively enabling them to be lifted from the depressed state."

Interference With Other Drugs and Medications

Here’s a great tool to find out if you’ve got a great combo or a recipe for fuckery https://www.drugsand.me/en/drugs/lsd/#Interactions

Setting Intentions

An intention is an I am statement about the self said in the present tense that is POSITIVE

Instead of “I will not give up”

Try “I am courageous and persevering”

Instead of “I don’t want to be stressed out”

Try “I am at peace” or “I am calm”

There are two things that an intention is not:

It’s not a goal

And it’s not an expectation

A goal is a destination. It’s the place you are going to end up or what’s going to happen. It is finite with parameters and when applied to a trip, can imply failure is a possibility.

An intention for a trip sets you up to explore something without setting parameters for the outcome. It is a direction for how you are going to get to where you want to be and is written in the form of traits or characteristics you will embody.

Ie: A goal would be “I am going to use this trip to figure out if I should break up with my partner”

An intention around the same idea would be “I am going to use this trip to contemplate on my relationship and our connection”

There are so many different categories of intentions:

Work related intentions

Relationship related intentions

Mental and emotional intentions

Spiritual intentions

So on

With this past trip, I used my therapy appointment to find mine.

I am incredibly open with my therapist and it took a long time and a lot of trial and error to find someone that had a mind as open as mine in order to be on the same page with a treatment plan and methods we would use to address my anxiety and depression.

She has always been on board with psychedelics and so there was no introducing her to something offbeat when I told her of my plans.

Instead we work on setting intentions.

One of the practices I have developed as a result of my therapist is a gratitude journal. I contribute to it almost every day in the form of present-tense, positive affirmations that can speak to situations I am currently in, or projections for my future state.

Ie: “I am so happy and grateful my body is strong, healthy and capable.” (even if I don’t entirely feel that way). The idea is to manifest what you want rather than focusing on the process to get there. I have been doing this practice for about 6 months and have measured significant changes in my life, mindset and mood.

We expanded this practice to focus on “6 months from now”. She asked me to write a detailed projection of where I wanted to be, what I wanted to be feeling and what I hoped to have in my life by that stage in an effort to direct my energy on the trip towards navigating the efforts needed to get there.

We also wrote out mantras for what I wanted to focus on during the trip. Mine were:

Let go

Be here

Soften

Open

Embrace the feminine

Feel the fear & do it anyway

I expanded upon those mantras on my own and journaled about their meaning to me and how I hoped to explore them during the trip.

Journaling Prompts

If you don’t have a journaling practice, this may not feel like it comes naturally. It is worth the work and is integral to fully integrating the messages you received.

Have something to write in/on + with during the trip. If you feel you need to write something down for fear you forget it, do so and then immediately let that idea go. Do not try to deconstruct your thoughts will still on your journey. Allow them to come to you, feel them fully and record them if you feel you need to, and then allow yourself to move on.

The next day, reflecting on your experience begins the integration process. If freeform journaling is not something that comes easily to you, these prompts are places to start.

What new questions came up?

What did I learn about my past I never gave weight to before?

What did I learn about those closest to me?

What did I decide is most valuable in life?

What did I realize I can let go of?

What did I let go of?

What did I gain?

What was difficult?

What was euphoric?

What came easily?

What did I rediscover about myself that I’ve forgotten?

How can I integrate this into my life

How can I feel this later

What Will Happen During A Trip

Regardless of substance or amount, during a psychedelic trip you can expect to be faced with your shadows; be that your anxiety, your trauma, your fears or your depression. The way in which they will be presented to you will depend on your frame of mind and your willingness to explore these parts of yourself.

You can also expect:

Euphoria

Positive mood

Loss of the sense of self

Distortions and hallucinations (visual, even with closed eyes; tactile, olfactory and auditory)

Changes in consciousness

Suggestibility

Unexpected emotions

Synaesthesia-like experiences

Confusion

Disorientation

You may also:

Cry as hard as you laugh

Be incapable of using your phone or devices

Be disgusted by food

Be extra disgusted by things that are typically disgusting (clutter, unwashed dishes, poor hygiene)

What Will NOT Happen During A Trip

You will not die unless you consciously intended to previously to taking substances

You will not enter a state of mind you are unable to come back from

You will not harm others unless you consciously intended to previously to taking substances

What About Flashbacks?

Flashbacks are a myth from the War on Drugs Reagan era. These substances do not live in your spinal fluid and can not be released when you’re not expecting them.

They have a very standard and well-documented half-life of approximately 12-15 hours and then they are out of your system.

The only thing that could be considered a flashback is a recollection of a surreal and powerful experience that occurred during your trip.

I like to think that I always take a very important nugget of information in my back pocket that sticks with me with months if not years after the trip.

This is one of the best aspects of psychedelics.

Bad Trips

I have had trips that have been challenging and difficult. I have never had a trip I regretted or wished had not happened. I have had experiences I wish I curated differently or with more care. I have shared space with people I wished I hadn’t. But they have all been lessons on how to improve and fine tune the future journeys, which have led me to a place of having consistently positive trips.

When trips get hard, I turn to my breath and body. I connect with myself and attempt to ground through meditation, yoga and awareness.

It is important to remember and embrace that the only way you are going to die from psychedelics is if you do something to jeopardize your own safety. The substances physically cannot kill you, but your stupidity can. If you can trust yourself and know that no matter what, you will live and be safe on the other side, the motto for exploring the darkness is “the only way out is through”.

Where To Get It

I personally have never been the one to acquire the substances when using them. I have always left that to humans who I feel are more capable in those matters. However, they have given me tips on how to source someone near you.

Avoid humans who also sell cocaine. Good ones know it’s pure trash and don’t want to put it out into the world.

Ask friends you trust. Evaluate your referrals as thoroughly as you do about your source.

Ask the right questions and see if you get respectable answers, i.e. how many mcg per blotter tab, if they’ve personally ingested the compound with good results.

Avoid the internet

TL;DR

Be smart. Be open. Be prepared.

Embrace the fear and do it anyways.

The only way out is through

Thank you to my human for helping me research and write this and being my psychonaut partner.

And thank you to my other human for giving me their intention setting and journaling prompts.