Working Through Major Life Transitions With Psychedelics

The philosopher Henri Bergson once said; “To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” 

Sure, change can happen unexpectedly — even unwantedly— but in many instances we can actually make the choice to direct, or even be the architect of that change. Changes themselves can be an act of ‘creation’ — to paraphrase Bergson. If change is inevitable, why not use it to become more yourself? 

Working through life transitions and changes using psychedelics dělá require a certain level of delicacy, however. The process needs a careful assessment z personal stability a balance, both inside and outside. By understanding your own mental clarity, support systems, and physical health, you can better prepare for the potential transformations induced by psychedelics, securing a meaningful and centred trip. 

Assessing Stability Before Psychedelic Use: 

Stability is essential before engaging in psychedelic experiences, especially if they have a focus on processing life transitions. Both internal and environmental stability is crucial. Being in an unstable environment or state of mind may suggest you need a different, perhaps more conventional, form of support. 

Why Stability Matters

In general, big life transitions can trigger a significant amount of stress and uncertainty, even if they are positive changes. Before deciding to embark on a psychedelic journey to work through these transitions, it is essential to assess one’s level of stability — both internally (emotionally) and environmentally. It’s not a million miles away from ‘Set a nastavení.’ Rather, it is a more acute way of looking at your stability in relation to the changes you are going through právě teď. 

Of course, not everybody is 100% stable all the time. You’d have to be made of stone to be A-OK, and unphased all the time! However, you should be able to honestly assess your mental clarity, physical health, and support systems you have in place. 

It is not a good idea to embark upon a psychedelic trip if you are in a deeply unstable state — either internally or environmentally, unless you have ample support and preparation. There are many ways to centre yourself before you introduce substances that may powerfully alter your consciousness. Psychedelics can support shifts in perspective that may have a big impact on a individuals life, going forward. This is why an accurate understanding of your stability is so important.

How to Find Your Balance Point

Something that can truly hinder a psychedelic experience is striving for perfection. Of course, as we always emphasize, preparation is important; but a fixation on perfection, and ideal moment that may never materialize, can actually hinder growth and delay action. 

By relinquishing your expectations, you can welcome flexibility and and spontaneity. There is a certain amount of unknown in a psychedelic experience however much your prepare. By allowing yourself embrace this, you can engage more deeply with the experience. 

Rather than waiting for the perfect moment, take charge of the moment yourself, by deciding when vy are ready. As Voltaire said, “perfection is the enemy of execution”. 

How to Assess Your Internal Stability 

To assess your personal sense of stability, tune in to how you have been feeling and functioning lately. How are you reacting to stress? Do you feel like you are coping, or might one more straw break the camels back? Are you able to focus and get things done to a level that pleases you? (Whether that be work related, or even just eating at least one healthy meal a day?) Are you thinking logically? Are you being nice to yourself, or is your internal monolgue on the attack? When you get stressed do you feel a physical reaction, like sweating or a racing heart? Do you have a coping mechanism for these moments? 

Stability is not just about avoiding stressful moments — it is also about being able to pull yourself out of them when they do arise. Whether through breathing techniques or other soothing actions, there is considerable power in being able to do this. 

Knowing if you can do this, or that you might need more practice, is a good indicator of how you might interact with a psychedelic experience. 

It can also be extremely insightful (pokud je to možné) to ask a loved-one how they have been perceiving you recently. A close person may often notice things we do not regonize in ourselves. Have they noticed that you seem stressed or agitated? That you may be sad or not yourself? It can be amazing to discover just how much support is out there for you. 

How Psychedelics Can Be Used In Major Life Transitions

Psychedelics, like psilocybin, cause altered states of consciousness. However, these altered states can vary massively — for example based on whether you are mikrodávkování nebo macrodosing. 

Neurocognitive shifts in the brain, caused by these altered states of consciousness, can trigger a shift in perspective or new ways of looking at things. This means problems or anxieties, perhaps related to life transitions, can be looked at in a new light, becoming easier to see the ‘bigger picture’. This can be incredibly helpful, as when faced with change, one can tend to focus on the minutiae and obsess over small details rather than seeing the overall situation. 

Assessing When Psychedelics Are The Right Option

Though an incredible emerging resource (with considerable research outlining the benefits) psychedelics are not a one-size-fits-all tool. There are many variables within experiences and nothing is 100% guaranteed. While psychedelics can amply and retrieve important and positive things from our subconscious, they can occasionally amplify the negative. Acting as a mirror to our internal world, we can sometimes not suspect what will be reflected back to us. This is why assessing stability before your trip is important. 

Another instance when psychedelics may not be useful, is if you are using them as a form of escape from the realities of your life. It is likely that you may find whatever you were hiding from reflected back to you during your experience anyway. It is important that you do not have expectations that the psychedelic will just give you the answer. The answer has to come from inside yourself ultimately, and escapism will not work. 

Working Through Major Life Transitions With Psychedelics: The Takeaway:

• In our lives we will face many different transitions — some positive, některé negativní. Psychedelics can be used as a tool to help us work through these processes. 
• Change is inevitable, so exercising some creativity in how we absorb and move with these changes is key. 
• Assessing your stability, both internally a externally is vital when deciding if psychedelics could help you with life transitions. 
• While careful preparation is essential, waiting for a ‘perfect moment’ to come along, will ultimately hinder your journey. 
• Psychedelics can help us to see things from nové perspektivy, which can be deeply useful when going through potentially challenging life transitions.