Sometimes, the narrative around psychedelic experiences can be quite binary. It’s always either a ‘good trip’, that blew your mind and showed you the cosmos, or a ‘bad trip’ that also blew your mind — though perhaps in a slightly different way.

However, there are many different types of psychedelic journey that are far less discussed. One’s where expectations are not reached, one’s where they are exceeded. One’s where you find yourself fighting, and others where you find yourself surrendering. 

From clearing your schedule for 1 to 2 days, to carefully measuring your dose, to ensuring both your set (mind set) and setting (environment) are in good shape, these are the steps that a psychonaut always remembers when preparing for a psychedelic trip. However, there are some deeper things, more nuanced things, that we often forget to prepare for.

Facing Challenges in Psychedelic Preparation

By exploring common pitfalls and unexpected challenges of a psychedelic trip, we can approach each experience with a more rounded and knowledgeable point of view. 

The Fear of Fear Itself

“The only thing I fear is fear itself’ may seem a superhero-like flex, but actually, when it comes to psychedelics, it’s a pretty common feeling. Although you may know full-well what a trip entails, fear can strike at any time, and often afflicts first-time or less experienced trippers. These fears can manifest as anxiety over losing control or the fear of going through challenging emotions. Basically, being scared of the thought of being scared. 

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The fear of fear itself can overwhelm an individual and significantly affect the depth, scope, and potentially any desired therapeutic outcomes of the trip. 

Often, the fear is worse than anything that actually happens. Once they have completed their journey many people wonder what they were so scared about. 

This is where perseverance comes in. If your initial trips are marred by fear in this way, the only way to get through it is by facing it. Each time you choose to go on a psychedelic journey your fear will diminish and you can go deeper. 

Judging Yourself Too Harshly: How to Tackle Self-Consciousness

During a psychedelic trip, you may experience a heightened feeling of self-consciousness. You may associate this feeling with adolescence, a time where our feelings of vulnerability and self-consciousness peak. It is also a time of great transition and transformation — just like a psychedelic journey. 

This enhanced self-awareness can hinder how open you are to your experience. You may end up judging yourself rather than observing. We can’t help but observe ourselves and everything around us, however, the problem occurs when this becomes judgemental observation. We start to judge that we are doing things right or wrong, or good or bad, or what we should or shouldn’t be doing — if we are using our time ‘correctly’.

Being able to assess if these judgements are actually useful is key. As it stands, there really is almost no wrong way to embark upon the psychedelic journey (given you have done the right preparations). So generally, we can feel confident that our judgements are a result of fear or anxiety rather than legitimate issues. When we find ourselves judging harshly during a psychedelic trip it is essential to breathe, let go, and not engage. 

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Surrender, Do Not Fight

Being able to surrender to the journey you have chosen to embark upon is fundamental to a psychedelic trip. Surrendering is actually sometimes harder than fighting. It takes strength to relinquish control and expectations to fully embrace and be consumed by the experience. 

Often, we attempt to exert too much control over our psychedelic journeys by deliberately trying to push them in certain directions, or work on specific issues. While intentions and desires are key for guiding a trip, trying to force an issue can actually be counterproductive. For the inexperienced, it is usually not until near the end of the trip itself that they start to learn how to float with the current, rather than against it. With hindsight, you can learn a lot from these experiences and apply them to your next trip. 

Expectation Vs. Reality 

It is easy to have a preconceived idea of how a psychedelic trip will go, especially a higher-dose one. Portrayals in film and media of melting walls and crazy visuals, stories from friends about seeing the face of god — all that jazz. 

Sometimes, sure, this does happen. Other times, you may have no visuals, not even a tiny fractal. Instead of a transformative spiritual rebirth, you may just find yourself chilling and having a giggle. This does not mean you have ‘failed’ in some way. Each psychedelic journey looks different from the next. It is about appreciating the beauty of each one, and being able to let it go if it didn’t pan out how you visualized. There is always next time after all!

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Ego Death-Drive

Ego death (or ego dissolution) is certainly one of the most common aspects of a trip that people strive for, or assume will happen to them. It is often seen as central to a really intense and transformative experience. However, this is not necessarily true. Sure, many individuals do experience ego death, but many who also feel transformed and enlightened by their experiences don’t. One is not more valid than the other, and to see ego death as the ultimate ‘success’ is a misconception. 

A very intense ego death can actually disrupt a carefully prepared psychedelic journey. You can temporarily lose your sense of perspective and control, which for some people may not be what they were aiming for, or feel comfortable with.

Embrace The Unpredictable

No matter how much you prepare and plan, there will always be elements of a psychedelic trip that cannot be anticipated. Accepting the unknown and embracing the unpredictable is fundamental to your experience. Sometimes if we read too much or over-prepare we can become rigid rather than open to the possibilities of mystery. 

Hitting the balance between preparation and openness is a tricky one, but it can be achieved through practice. It can also be helped along by a trip sitter to support you during your journey and help you to feel secure enough to explore. 

Even if your psychedelic experience does not go the way you envisioned you can still benefit, grow, and integrate afterwards. It all becomes part of the journey. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Preparation is more nuanced than you think: Psychedelic prep involves more than getting your hands on some shrooms. It involves organising your set and setting, blocking out your schedule, and preparing to expect the unexpected. 
  • Your perceptions can challenge your trip: Preconceived notions about fear, ego death, and the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ of trips can affect our experiences. Surrendering control and letting go of expectations is vital to get past this. 
  • Embrace the unknown: Even if you thoroughly prepare, a psychedelic journey can still be unpredictable. By embracing the unknown and letting ourselves make mistakes, we can learn and grow from our experiences.