Navigating a Psychedelic Journey
What we do during a psychedelic experience influences the experience. Safe and effective journeys require a particular approach.
Modern and ancient approaches to psychedelic experiences describe journey stages and prioritize introspection, requiring trust and surrender so that the journeyer may more comfortably process ego dissolution and other experiences. Psychedelic experiences can be unpleasant since facing difficulty is a central component of the healing process. Moreover, if journeying with other people, it is valuable to be aware of effects psychedelics can have on group dynamics.
Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.
— André Gide
Journey Stages
A psychedelic experience generally consists of four distinct and sequential phases: the entry, the immersion, the reflection, and the emergence.
Entry: Onset & Expansion
The initial phase involves entering the expanded state of consciousness and beginning the psychedelic journey. This phase may produce feelings of anxiety, fear, or excitement. Focusing inwards will provide greater awareness of the various emerging changes in consciousness. Yet, while focusing inwards or outwards, you may begin to observe changes.
It is normal to be concerned for one’s wellbeing as perception changes. Fear and anxiety often accompany the unknown physical and psychological effects that are emerging. This may activate the your ego’s defences.
The entry phase is a time for you to breath deeply, relax and trust the unfolding biological process of healing. Your journey facilitator may offer a comforting presence while you may remember your intention, inner healing intelligence, and the caring presence of the trusted facilitator.
Listen to music
Let go of any expectations
Meditate on breath and body
Let go of any personal and social concerns
Let go of each experience, feeling, or visual event as it occurs
Remain completely present to and accepting of current experience
As you become accustomed to the changes in consciousness, you may choose to revisit your intention, meditate, pray, or speak to your facilitator before the second phase begins and immerses the you fully.
Immersion: Peak & Discovery
The second phase of a visionary journey holds the greatest intensity. As the effects of the psychedelic intensify and you are submerged into your inner world, intense emotions, visions, voices, sounds and memories may begin appear. During the immersion phase, it is normal for you to begin feeling carried by the experience rather than being in control of it. You may thus feel afraid or excited as you enter a state of consciousness that feels chaotic. At some point in the immersion phase, the ego may begin to hold on to itself to avoid dissolving, and in turn, you may feel stuck, confused or overwhelmed . Alternatively, your ego defences may begin to relax, surrender and let go, giving way to ego dissolution.
The immersion phase requires complete surrender to the flow of the journey. Hold onto nothing and be open to anything that may come.
Surrender
Focus inwards
Listen to music
Let go of all expectations
Meditate on breath and body
Let go of any personal and social concerns
Let go of each experience, feeling, or visual event as it occurs
Remain completely present to and accepting of current experience
As you become completely immersed, unconscious psychological dimensions and energetic dynamics will appear and disappear. You may confront emotional wounds and trauma from your past through cathartic struggle, anger, sorrow, frustration, and other uncomfortable emotions. Emotional contractions may release as the inner healing intelligence leads consciousness to specific, often difficult, aspects of your life. It is possible for prenatal and birth memories to surface, and eventually for ego dissolution to take place, giving way to transpersonal realms. The varieties of possible experiences in this phase are infinite.
Reflection: Comedown & Calm
The third phase of the inner journey springs when the intensity of the experience begins to subside and your ego slowly begins to reintegrate into consciousness. You are now on the other side of the cathartic immersion and are reentering the shared space and time of your facilitator and / or companions.
The reflection phase is a time when insights are more thoroughly revealed and you may begin to reflect upon these insights and the richness of what has taken place during the immersion phase of the psychedelic journey.
Meditate on the breath or sensations in the body
Communicate verbally if desired
Write, paint, dance, create…
Let go of any personal and social concerns and be present
Let go of each experience, feeling, or visual event as it occurs
Remain completely present to and accepting of current experience
As you slowly returns to consensus reality, there may be instinctual realizations or cognitive understandings as the content of the previous immersion phase come together like pieces of a puzzle. Many of these realizations may feel like intuitive or embodied truths, with no need for further logical or rational analysis. You may also reflect upon people and life situations which are now viewed from a larger perspective, offering a chance to learn, heal and grow from these people and situations. As you reflect on the meaning of and connections in your life, you may experience gratitude, joy and love.
However, you may also perceive an absence of personal meaning and meaningful connections in your life, giving rise to less pleasant emotions.
Emergence: Return & Relax
The fourth and final phase of the journey consists of returning to normal reality completely. Normal perception is almost restored, however, perception is still slightly enhanced. The insights of the journey can be remembered and reflected upon with a more regular cognition. In the emergence phase, some people may feel relief, while others may have a less pleasant time readjusting to the normality and regularity of sober consciousness. Even if the journey has been mostly pleasant and positive, you may feel anxious or sad during this phase, thus, remaining present is key.
The emergence phase is a time to relax and feel comfortable as one gently reorients to the external world. Simply remain open to the present.
Meditate on breath and body
Eat lightly, explore sensations
Write, paint, dance, create, enjoy
Let go of any personal and social concerns
Focus outwards and return to consensus reality
Remain completely present to and accepting of current experience
Communicate if desired, but don’t feel any obligation to be sociable
As you return to normal consciousness, the wide range of insights and realizations about your life’s purpose, or about your relationship to yourself and others may give rise to feelings of renewed clarity and inner purity. Moreover, you may have experienced challenging emotions, and thus, you may feel too fragile to interact, challenged in your capacity to communicate, feeling somewhat disoriented. A facilitator may help you if you’re feeling fragile by listening, or simply being present with you as you come down.
The four stages of a psychedelic journey provide a broad view of the trajectory consciousness will take during the experience. However, it is not guaranteed that the experience pans out exactly as described.
You lie down, you shut up, and you pay attention.
— Terence McKenna
Introspection
The journey of the spirit lies within, while pearls are only found in the vast, dark and unexplored depths of the ocean. Exploring inner space by focusing your attention inwards is necessary to fully discover the therapeutic and transformative potential of psychedelics.
You will be guided by your inner healing intelligence, which will require an appropriate set and setting, a trusted facilitator, and a curated playlist of suitable journeying music or soundscapes.
Exploring the psychedelic experience while remaining grounded in the outer world is worthwhile and important. However, a point may come in your psychedelic explorations when you must explore consciousness more intimately. Maintaining outer focus is more comfortable because keeping eyes open with attention on physical, social and linguistic phenomena is familiar. However, it is by looking inwards, by way of meditation, with eyes shaded or in total darkness that the doors of perception open completely.
Introspection Considerations
Practice surrendering to the rhythm of the breath, practice presence
Use eye shades or a totally dark room to assist with focusing inwards
Let consciousness be guided through a prepared music playlist or album consisting of lyric-less music. Alternatively, and although often more challenging, the journeyer may let consciousness guide itself through silence
Trust your intention and the inner healing intelligence
Introspection during a psychedelic experience is a form of meditation, which is why meditation is recommended as a support system for safe and effective journeys.
Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going, no feeling is final.
— Rainer Maria Rilke
Trust & Surrender
Trust in yourself, your nervous system and your natural healing intelligence. Trust in the medicine and the psychedelic experience. Remain open and humble.
Surrender to the experience through trust.
Don’t try to impose ego onto the experience by engaging in thought, rationalization or resistance.
Just let go and be present.
As you step over various thresholds of consciousness into novel and unfamiliar realms, the ego may recognize what feels like points of no return, causing excitement, or potentially anxiety and fear. Surrendering and letting go while focusing inwards isn’t always easy. Sometimes, resistance may be encountered, which requires deliberate surrendering.
When encountering any kind of resistance to the flow of experience, try the following:
Positing your body in a way that expresses openness and surrender (lie on the floor with arms and legs open, or sit in your preferred meditation position).
Breath fully by meditating on the breath and following it closely. Explore the breath and the sensations it produces throughout the body.
Repeat a mantra, or chant. A mantra and chant can be anything that is personally or spiritually meaningful to you.
To allow yourself to surrender completely, outsource any record keeping to a voice recorder, or ideally, a facilitator. Without a facilitator, memories of and insights from the journey may be recorded with a voice recorder (app) or pen and paper.
Feel free to write, doodle, draw, speak into a microphone, or speak to your facilitator who can record any information for you.
Using a Mantra or Chanting
A meaningful mantra may help you through challenging periods of the psychedelic experience. Make up your own or borrow one you like.
Remember love
Let it happen
Let it go
I am safe
All is okay
All shall be well
Grow with the flow
If you have faith in a spiritual figure such as God, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, or other, you may wish to include that figure in your mantra. You may find it helpful to keep one of these benevolent beings with you during the journey.
Regardless of religious or spiritual background, you may also find prayer helpful, beneficial or even essential before, during, and after your psychedelic experience.
Have faith. Trust in nature—yourself.
Hold onto nothing, and let everything flow freely. To surrender is the only act you are called upon doing. So let go, surrender to the experience.
Don’t resist. Just let it all go. Simply be.
Nothing more is necessary.
The cave you fear to enter contains the treasure you seek.
— Joseph Campbell
Ego Dissolution
Ego dissolution is the temporary loss of self. It is a transitional process and experience requiring complete surrender of your self-identity.
The temporary loss of the ego is a completely safe and natural experience. It is nothing to worry about.
During the process of ego dissolution, give yourself up. Relinquish any effort to control or rationalize the experience through the intellect. Turn off the mind and float down the stream of consciousness.
Relax and surrender to the experience.
As bodily tensions and their corresponding psychological defences begin to relax, fear and even terror may be felt, especially if you are new to psychedelic experience. As layers of unconsciously crafted defence strategies that contribute to maintaining physiological and psychological survival begin to soften, a feeling of dying is very common. Ego dissolution is a normal feature of the psychedelic experience and holds potential for healing and growth, but is not necessary.
If you feel like you’re dying, remember that this is your ego: who you think is you, holding onto itself before it dissolves completely under the psychedelic effects. The transition of perception into this mode of consciousness can feel bizarre, anxiety-ridden and doom-impending, but this experience cannot and will not hurt you. The loss of the ego is only terrifying from the perspective of the ego, which is why surrendering one’s self, one’s ego, and approaching the experience from a a neutral, centred, unattached, and curious perspective is so important.
By surrendering to the experience, trusting completely in your inner healing intelligence, and with support from your facilitator, you may approach ego death with openness and courage, while simply observing the unfolding process. The ego dissolution process may not be encountered initially, especially on lower doses. However, expect to encounter the dissolution of the ego on larger doses. The complete dissolution of the ego may lead into experiences of a transpersonal nature, where the journeyer is no longer identified with any part of their personal identity or self, but rather with an identity beyond waking consciousness.
See LSD Psychotherapy by Stanislav Grof for more information about transpersonal psychology and accompanying transformational processes.
If you become aware of ego dissolution, just let go of that thought and be present. Don’t think, be.
Be like water.
Flow freely.
Attach to nothing.
After the psychedelic waters finish crashing over you, the ego will remain akin to a rock planted among a raging stream. Although at times it may seem as the rock has vanished under the raging current, the water passes, and the rock remains.
There is no coming to consciousness without pain.
— Carl Jung
Facing Difficulty
Dealing with difficulties is unavoidable when working towards healing and growth. The process of restoring courage through self-observation and resilience to face our own darkness is at the core of the therapeutic and transformative process.
Psychedelic journeys can put one in touch with previously unknown feelings, at a depth and intensity never felt before. These feelings can be very pleasant, but also extremely unpleasant.
Facing difficulty is not the same as experiencing adverse effects, such as psychosis, which is potentially dangerous in uncontrolled settings.
When challenging psychological, spiritual or emotional material arises, remain present to the experience with openness, curiosity and courage.
Embrace the truth of present experience by surrendering to the flow of consciousness, trust in the inner healing intelligence and its processes.
At certain points during your psychedelic experience, you may feel like you are losing your mind, going crazy or dying. You may be afraid to lose control, or you may feel confused about rapid psychological and emotional changes. You might forget who you are, your name, or your memories. You may worry that you’ll remain stuck in a particular state forever. These experiences are natural. It’s important to release the desire to control, and surrender to the experience. Especially for a novice, a facilitator can be crucial in letting go.
If you find yourself struggling, remind yourself that everything is temporary and the experience will pass. The less you resist the discomfort, the less it will affect the experience. If you relax through conscious breathing, ground yourself in the senses through a meaningful physical object, you will find your centre and be able to surrender more easily. Taking deep, slow, and conscious breaths, or chanting a mantra will help you through challenging moments. Putting your hands in prayer pose, or on your heart and or belly may also soothe you. If you have a facilitator with you, you can ask them to give you a hug or hold your hand. Ideally, you have support systems consisting of some skill in meditation, a facilitator, a personally meaningful object, and items to touch and ground yourself with.
Remember that changes to environmental setting can elicit profound changes to mental set. Potential changes for the journeyer that can be reminded to the journeyer by the facilitator if necessary include:
The journeyer’s bodily position.
The playing of music and sounds.
A room’s lighting conditions or temperature
Physical movement such as walking, dance, or yoga.
Distraction. Count a deck or cards, smell a rose, or drink some tea.
Ground yourself through the senses. Use a meaningful physical object such as a teddy bear or stone, explore art, food, drink, and nature immersion.
The process of healing and growth with psychedelics requires confronting unconscious struggles, such as trauma and unprocessed emotion and experience. Although difficult at times, the healing process takes place when the journeyer finds the openness, curiosity and courage to face and deal with the various troubling and painful aspects of their being.
As you feel, and thus release the difficulty, the discomfort, pain and difficulty will pass.
This is the healing process. Let it happen.
If you’ve had a particularly difficult psychedelic experience, see the facing difficulties page.
At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.
— Frida Kahlo
Group Dynamics
If and when journeying with companions, have a pre-journey discussion about acceptable behaviours and personal preferences. It may be impossible to establish healthy boundaries, or give meaningful consent once everyone has taken psychedelics.
Important pre-journey discussions include establishing comfort levels for communication, noise, touch, nudity, displays of sexuality, and whatever else may be a shared source of concern.
While journeying with companions, never make an assumption about another journeyer’s state. Do not assume you know what another person is experiencing or thinking. It is common for a journeyer to believe they have insights into another person's mind state, or to be communicating through telepathy. However, these insights or beliefs of telepathy can be inaccurate. Therefore, always ask direct questions before making any assumptions.
Group dynamics during psychedelic experience can be awkward, especially when journeying with people you don’t know. Ensure safety and comfort by openly discussing social expectations with your companions before the group journey.
To avoid challenging social situations as a result of psychedelics, do not journey with people you do not trust or feel comfortable being vulnerable with.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
— Confucius
Navigation Checklist
Tips to navigating the psychedelic experience.
Remember your intention. You don’t have to hold onto it, but you can always fall back on it if your feeling overwhelmed, lost, or simply want to refocus.
Remember your inner healing intelligence, consciousness is intelligent. Psychedelics enable an innate and evolutionary therapeutic and transformational process for consciousness.
Everything encountered during psychedelic experience can teach.
Have faith in Nature and surrender yourself. All flows.
Approach the psychedelic experience with openness and compassion.
Your breath is your guide. Follow it, explore it.
Use meaningful physical objects to help ground you.
Pay attention to your body. You may forget to drink water, or you may end up in a fetal position without being aware of it. Be present to breath and body.
Remember that you can change your set and setting to change how you feel. Move your body and check your breathing. How you breath and position your body will affect your mental set. If you’re feeling uncomfortable or stuck in an unpleasant state, change setting, change physical position, change your breathing and change what music you’re listening to, if any.
Remember to explore. Spend time exploring outer space and inner space. If you’re using psychedelics for healing, you will probably spend a lot of time looking inwards, with eyes shaded and music on. But take a break. Look at your flowers, pet your dog, write or draw something, stretch or do yoga, or even try looking in a mirror if you’re looking to do some introspection.
Psychedelics have the power to help us evolve from a cultural or behavioural perspective so we can be better citizens of Earth as a species, which starts with hundreds, and then thousands, and then millions, and then billions of individual revolutions within.
— Zoe Helene