Learn to Use Psychedelics

Psychedelics, or entheogens, are a particular classification of naturally-occurring or synthesized substances which produce expanded states of consciousness primarily through the serotonin pathway in the brain.

The word psyche-delic means mind-manifesting, while the word entheo-gen means generating the divine within.

Experiences occasioned by psychedelics can be so powerful and unique that most participants in a study on the effects of psilocybin by Johns Hopkins Psychedelics Research Centre ranked their psychedelic experiences as one of the, or the most meaningful experiences of their entire life. This kind of therapeutic and transformative experience often requires preparation and integration.

Beyond the stigma surrounding psychedelics lies a rich history of religion, spirituality, healing arts, science, creativity and culture.

Best known and most widely used psychedelics include magic mushrooms, LSD, DMT, Ayahuasca, Peyote and Huachuma.

Microdosing involves taking a very small dose of a psychedelic substance, such as LSD or mushrooms to experience therapeutic and transformative benefits, such as enhanced senses, deeper self-awareness and potentially greater happiness and wellbeing.

Our course, How to Microdose Intentionally explores using microdosing to enhance self-awareness and wellbeing.

Integration is an important yet frequently overlooked part of using psychedelics for healing and growth. Although a psychedelic experience can be therapeutic and transformative in and of itself, true personal transformation happens after the experience when we integrate what we’ve learned from the experience into our lives. Formally, integration is the linkage of differentiated aspects of a system in the process of moving towards wholeness. In regards to psychedelics, integration is the exploring, nurturing, processing, and ultimately embodying of insights had during a psychedelic experience through intention and practice. Integration is about transforming insight into wisdom through intentional practice and passive processing. To integrate is to concretize the abstract by embodying the realizations from our experiences. It is to make oneself whole, to make oneself healthy. The heart of integration is identifying what we've realized and then putting those realizations into practice so that they are no longer conceptual, but lived. It is only through the embodiment of the lesson that we affect real, lasting transformation in our lives.

There are real risks to taking psychedelics, such as causing the onset of latent schizophrenia, spiritual emergencies (which are beneficial if properly resolved) and psychosis. Fortunately, dangers from psychedelics can be minimized through proper preparation, which includes assessing whether one is fit to take psychedelics. The occurrence of the popular “bad trips” are rare when psychedelics are approached responsibly. Moreover, not all “bad trips” remain bad, in some cases “bad trips” are opportunities for learning and growth.

Out of all classes of psychoactive substances, or drugs, psychedelics are the least harmful to human health and carry the most potential for healing and transformation.