Preparing for profound experiences

Why preparation is key, practical tips for maximizing impact and minimizing risk, and some resources to get you started

When it comes to psychedelics, “set and setting” are the most commonly used buzzwords—for good reason.

They illuminate a key question: How can we prepare and set up experiences in a way that maximizes benefits while minimizing risks?

I’ve noticed over and over that how intentionally I’ve prepared journeys greatly determined their impact.

There are certain things you can do to set yourself up for a safe, transformative experience. Setting intentions is paramount, but it’s by far not the only thing.

Read on for some reflections on how to prepare your journey with intention and precaution.

Why Proper Preparation Has Such a Big Impact on Your Journey

The first step to getting prepared is to educate yourself. The good news is, you’re already doing that by reading this.

Education is critical because it can help demystify the psychedelic experience. On one hand, you’ll never know what to expect. On the other hand, there are certain themes that commonly occur. The more you’ve familiarized yourself with those, the better.

Educating yourself is already half the work.

The other half is preparing yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Psychedelics can be profound catalysts for healing, transformation, and creativity. The more “open” you arrive to the experience, the more you’ll be able to receive those gifts.

So, how do you “open” yourself up in advance?

By beginning the journey inward and illuminating as much as possible in your regular waking state. Especially shadow and inner child work will expedite the progress and set you up for a deep journey. That’s because this type of inner work lowers your internal barriers. By softening what psychologist Dick Schwartz calls your “protectors”, you connect with those parts inside you that have previously been muted or shamed. Those are the parts that will likely arise during a psychedelic journey. You’re at an advantage if you’ve already met them before.

I always recommend getting support for preparing your journey. I’ve observed a noticeable difference in journeys I prepare solo versus journeys I prepare with the support of a guide. This support may either come from the person who will also be guiding your experience, from a separate psychedelic integration coach, or from a qualified therapist. I’ll share some resources on how to find support below.

Now, let’s look into what you can tactically do to prepare your first (or next) journey.

Four Core Pillers of Preparing Your Journey: Set, Setting, Substance & Skillset

These four pillars are inspired by guidance from the Psychedelic School which is run by a psychologist and psychedelic integration coach.

“Set and setting” are the two common core pillars that have been popularized by researchers during the initial wave of psychedelic research in the 50s and 60s.

This framework complements set and setting with additional, practical choices you can make with regard to your medicine, as well as specific skills that can help you navigate your journey.

#1 Set

The most important part of the preparation is to get clear on your why.

Set is short for mindset, which over and over has been proven to have a huge impact on your journey.

Here’s what you can do to get yourself in the right mindset:

• Intention. Get clear on the purpose of your journey. What are you trying to get out of it? What are you looking to illuminate? I always prefer a simple, open-ended intention. It’s important, too, that you don’t get too attached to your intention, though. Read more about how to set intentions here.

• Mood. Your internal state going in will greatly influence your trip. If something significant happened recently or you're simply in a terrible mental state that day, consider postponing. Psychedelics work like a magnifying glass, they amplify what’s already there. Make also sure you’re well-rested and nourished. Spend some time in nature before your journey. Do some gentle movement and mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation, if it’s part of your practice.

• Relaxation. You’ll want to be as relaxed as possible going in. Make sure you have sufficient time before and after to relax and process. That can mean getting small things done ahead of your journey that would otherwise await you after, to make you feel more at ease. Run errands in advance, prepare some nourishment for afterward. Expect you’ll be doing nothing for the rest of the day or evening. If you can take the following day off too, even better.

• Reverance. Finally, take some time to cultivate reverence for the substance you will be journeying with, especially if it’s a plant medicine. Acknowledge that it’s been used for thousands of years by indigenous communities. Invite the possibility to form a relationship with the plant or fungus. Remind yourself that these are ancient teachers to be treated with respect.

#2 Setting

The setting denotes your physical environment, which is the second most important thing to consider.

Psychedelics put you in an extremely sensitive state in which you’re not only sensitive to your internal world but also to external influences.

Someone tripping at a festival will have a drastically different experience than someone journeying with an eye mask and classical music in a more guided setting.

Here’s how you can make sure you choose the right setting for your experience:

• Environment. Indoor versus outdoor is the biggest decision you’ll make here. Which way to go depends a little bit on your dose, too. If it’s a lower or medium dose, I like spending all my time outside in an undisturbed, pristine spot in nature. If you’re traveling with higher doses, your experience will be much more inward-focused, aka eyes closed. For those journeys, I prefer to start indoors in a comfortable setting with the option to venture outside later on.

• Timing. Do you want your journey to take place during daytime or nighttime? I like starting early in the day so that coming down coincides with sunset, which can be a beautiful transition back to regular consciousness. Some people prefer the evening or night. Keep in mind how much time your journey will take when making your game plan (more on that shortly).

• Guidance. You’ll want to choose wisely who you surround yourself with. For an intentional journey at a medium or higher dose, I wouldn’t recommend informal social settings, especially if you’re new to psychedelics. It can be extremely overwhelming. Personally, I’ve found group ceremonies to be most profound (the smaller the better). Solo journeys in either a guided 1:1 setting or, at a minimum with a trip sitter, are also a good option.

• Props and music. Curate your physical space with anything that enhances your experience. I always bring flowers and plants, as well as some herbs or palo santo to burn. You’ll also want a nice blanket, an eye mask and good earphones or earplugs (depending on whether you have company or not), any items of sentimental value, plus plenty of water. Finally, make sure you’ve prepared a playlist. I prefer classical music and Indian raga (see playlist linked below), which is also the type of music used in clinical settings, but it depends very much on your taste. It’s best to use music without vocals.

#3 Substance

Deciding which medicine to journey with is the next big decision to make.

Disclaimer, I’m not a psychedelic therapist, doctor, or chemist. So, please take the information below as an initial indication only and do your own research.

On a side note, I don’t believe that one needs to start with gentler experiences before graduating to “more intense” psychedelics like Ayahuasca. There’s no need to “stamp your psychedelic passport”, as Tim Ferris says. It’s more about choosing what kind of experience you’re looking for and getting ready for that.

Here’s what to keep in mind when deciding which medicine to journey with:

• Intensity. Generally speaking, psilocybin aka magic mushrooms, ketamine, and MDMA (not technically a psychedelic but an empathogen) are the most gentle psychedelics. That’s why they’re used in most of the clinical trials currently taking place. I’ve found LSD to be similar to mushrooms but more intense (and longer). The psychedelic cactus San Pedro, which is often dubbed “nature’s MDMA”, produces a diverse range of experiences but can also be quite intense and require support from a guide to process. Ayahuasca is, in my experience, the most intense psychedelic and should absolutely not be used without trusted supervision. It can be violent but also, in my experience, the most profound.

• Duration. All these substances mentioned above vary in duration. You want to make sure you have an idea of how long effects will last going in so that you can plan accordingly. Mushroom journeys last about 6 hours, MDMA 3-6 hours, Ketamine roughly 1 hour, LSD 10-12 hours, San Pedro 12+ hours, Ayahuasca technically 4-6 hours but I’ve had journeys lasting 10+ hours. There are also experiences that last under 30 minutes, such as 5-meO-DMT. And then there’s the Ibogaine journey that lasts up to 72 hours. All that is to say, keep duration in mind when making your choice.

• Dosing. Your dose will obviously have a huge impact, so it’s important to get it right. I encourage you to look into dosing for your respective medicine and start small. Some medicines like MDMA, LSD, and San Pedro have standard dosing, others like mushrooms or Ayahuasca are much more individual. If you’re experienced, I’m personally a fan of high-dose journeys, that’s where the transformation and healing happens. Starting small is great for beginners, but there’s a certain threshold you need to pass for therapeutic doses. That’s why I always recommended experienced guidance. Keep in mind there are no lethal doses. Finally, if applicable, make sure to test your substance for maximum safety. You can find test kits online or at your pharmacy.

• Trajectory. It’s always difficult to predict the trajectory of your journey, but certain medicines do follow a common path. Some medicines will start your journey almost immediately, while others, like San Pedro, can take hours to kick in. Educate yourself on this first so you know what to expect and don’t fall into the trap of having more too soon.

#4 Skillset

Finally, something that’s not talked about enough: skillset.

Many agree that navigating psychedelics is a skill that can be learned.

Working on your skillset beforehand can help you enter your experience with much more confidence, ease and agency.

Here are some of the key tools you can return to during your journey:

• Intention. I mentioned that I like using a simple one-word or one-phrase sentence, and that’s because the simpler the easier it will be for you to return to it. If you’ve written down a laundry list of things you want to explore and you feel lost during your journey you likely won’t dig up the list mid-trip. It’s much easier to remind yourself to trust, see what you don’t want to see, explore with curiosity, or whatever the simplest version of your intention may be.

• Breath. Your most powerful tool to navigate your journey is your breath. If you feel like you might forget this, write it on a post-it next to you, or tell your guide or sitter to remind you (if they don’t automatically do so). Your breath can shift entire journeys. I’ve had experiences that went from terrifying or painful to blissful through one deep, long inhale. In general, when you feel unsettled, calm, deep belly breaths can do wonders to shift your state and ground you back into a calm state.

• Depth. You have an influence on how deep you go during your journey. One big factor will be your music. Slow, gentle songs will likely make things easier, while more ecstatic music can make things more intense. Intense might be what you need, however. When you experience overwhelm during the journey, rather than changing the setting or music, I recommend going deeper into the overwhelm. What is it about this present moment that makes it so unbearable? If something is triggering you, see it as an opportunity to learn and grow from the trigger. This is where the healing happens.

• Surrender. The most critical tool to master is the skill of surrender. It’s not something that comes naturally to most of us. We like control. Control will not help you during your psychedelic journey, though. Especially when things get challenging or scary, the best thing you can do is to go deeper into what’s distressing you with trust, curiosity and without judgment. Remind yourself that the monster’s purpose is “not to torment, but to teach”, and that everything is coming up for a reason. I talk more about navigating challenging journeys here.

That’s all.

If you’ve thought through these four areas, you’re well on your way to having a profound journey.

Don’t forget to start doing the inner work beforehand and seek professional guidance and support.

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Your Journey

Let’s get tactical and plan out your ideal experience.

Based on the list above, think through the following questions:

1. What’s your intention? How can you get yourself in the right mood? What will you do beforehand to make sure you’re as relaxed as possible?

2. How can you optimize your setting based on your intention? Where and when do you want to journey, with whom, and how will you set up your space?

3. Which medicine seems the most appealing to you and why? How can you educate yourself more on that specific substance?

As always, I’d love for you to share your thoughts with me. Please also let me know if you have any specific questions in mind and I might be able to share more specific resources with you.

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Dig Deeper

Here are a few resources to kick start your preparation:

Finding support. You can use the app Mindleap to find an integration coach who sometimes may also be a guide. The app lets you filter for experience and specific focus areas. It also gives you rates and reviews for different practitioners.

Choosing music. I’ve curated my favorite journey music into this 4.5-hour playlist. It can be a great starting point to create your own. East Forest also has an entire album called “Music for Mushrooms” and Jon Hopkins recently launched his album “Music for Psychedelic Therapy”.

Education. I highly recommend reading The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide by Stanford researcher James Fadiman for more practical guidance. To learn more about specific substances, you can dig into the archives of DoubleBlind Mag and The Third Wave.

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Thanks for reading! Please share if you know anyone currently getting ready for a trip.

Most importantly, please be safe ♡

With love,

Julia