Preparing for a Psychedelic Trip

Have you ever wanted to have a psychedelic experience? Are you looking to partake in a spiritual, psychedelic voyage?  If you consider yourself (or aspire to become) a psychonaut, then this is the perfect guide to help you along the way, both beforehand and during the trip.  Consider this a comprehensive checklist for both voyagers and guides.  This checklist is designed to provide guidance and information which will help both voyager and guide achieve the best psychedelic opportunity using nearly any entheogen or psychedelic substance.  While it is ideal to prepare far in advance, sometimes even weeks depending upon the substance, it is advisable to begin preparing at least one week in advance to any psychedelic trip.

The Complete Psychedelic Trip Checklist

Follow this ultimate guide for the psychedelic voyager to achieve the safest, optimal psychedelic trip.

General Preparation

For the Voyager:

• Clarify personal perceptions about the substance to be used and psychedelics in general.
• Consider personal understandings of spiritual experiences, the Universe, and cosmos.  Go over personal beliefs in God or any divine beliefs.
• Pursue an appropriate and educated guide who is experienced in psychedelic experiences, particularly the substance which will be used.
• Plan at least 2-3 days to absorb and immerse yourself in the psychedelic experience (coordinate with your guide).

For the Guide:

• Decide your qualifications and whether you can be the voyager’s guide for this spiritual journey.
• Determine the appropriate requirements for supervision (babysitter, etc.).

One Week Before the Journey

For the Voyager and Guide:

• Ensure that both, voyager and guide have 2-3 days off surrounding the psychedelic experience, including the day of use.
• Ensure someone else, outside of the voyager and guide know about the trip and are aware of the exploration date.
• Confirm the guide’s selection of a proper babysitter for the trip.
• Cleanse the body of all other substances.
• Eat clean and healthy.

Day Before the Journey

For the Voyager:

• Ensure that you feel reasonably prepared for the trip.
• Possess a reasonable understanding of the flow of time under the influence of the selected substance.
• Understand the difference between visions and reality.
• Ensure you fully trust your guide for the proposed experience.
• Spend part of the day in meditation, silence, or relaxation.
• Be firmly in touch with thoughts, feelings, and expectations.

For the Guide:

• Ensure you feel fully comfortable supporting the voyager on this journey.
• Go over prior experiences related to the selected substance, and all psychedelic experiences.
• Ensure your voyager has properly prepared for the journey.
• Review voyager’s expectations and mental state.
• Ensure voyager has no suicidal thoughts or intentions.
• Be prepared to take care of any situations which arise during the session (internal and external included).
• Be willing to cancel or postpone the psychedelic trip for any reason, including a gut instinct.
• Review levels of trust between voyager and guide.

Prepping the Setting

For the Voyager and Guide:

• Have a safe, private place to conduct the psychedelic experience.
• Ensure that the space is indoors (which is most appropriate for most psychedelics, but not all).
• Ensure there is space to lie down, sit, chat, or rest.
• Stock the setting with soft blankets and pillows.
• Ensure an adequate supply of water is available.
• Supply headphones, music, or ear buds when appropriate.
• Ensure there is adequate access to restroom facilities.
• Ensure all external noise and distraction is eliminated.
• Turn off all electronic devices.
• Minimalize to the best of your ability any external interruptions.
• Supply art, journals, writing utensils, and other creative assets to improve the spiritual journey ahead.
• Make a determination on whether or not the outdoors will be accessible during the trip.

Regarding the Substance

For the Voyager:

• Understand the selected entheogen or substance.
• Agree upon and understand the supplied dosage.
• Be prepared to be quiet and relaxed as the substance takes effect. Usually this can mean sitting or laying peacefully for a period of a few moments to over an hour.

For the Guide:

• Ensure your voyager understands the substance and its effects.
• Ensure your voyager understands the time it takes for a substance to take effect.
• Ensure proper measurement of the dosage and proper administration.
• Determine if any additional doses are necessary mid-trip.
• Understand how much is too much for dosing.

Finding a Proper Sitter

For the Voyager and Guide:

• The voyager and guide must agree on a proper babysitter for the experience.
• The babysitter should be level-headed and firmly understand the substance just as well as they voyager and guide.
• The babysitter should be available throughout the entire trip and present in the same room.
• The babysitter should avoid conflict, and understand how to handle the potential effects (and side effects) of the chosen substance.
• The babysitter should agree to help issue water, or help participants find the restroom.
• The babysitter should understand any emergencies which arise, and how to handle them.

The Session Itself

For the Voyager and Guide:

• Be fully prepared, positive, and ready for the duration of the trip.
• Adequate sustenance should be consumed before the trip (different depending upon each substance).
• Both participants should be well-hydrated.
• Sometimes it best to keep unnecessary conversation to a minimum, other times, conversation may be a part of the experience (depends upon the substance).
• Ensure the sitter is available and present throughout the entire session before administering the substance.
• Understand when sitting, lying, or talking is appropriate.
• Be prepared to relieve one’s expectations during the trip.
• Understand that the experience may take on a life of its own and that things like personal identity, or reality, could seem far-fetched, ancient, or irrelevant to the experience.
• Be prepared to experience a deep awareness, including of other dimensions.
• Be willing to ask for help or communicate physical needs.
• Be prepared to submit to reality at the end of the experience.

For the Guide:

• Be prepared to hold the voyager’s hand during the trip.
• Be prepared to answer questions or concerns.
• Be prepared to offer assistance with the voyager needing the restroom.
• Always inform the voyager when you are leaving the room or repositioning yourself.
• Be prepared for change in emotion or perspective throughout the experience.
• Ensure no other drugs are introduced during the session.
• Refuse any sexual interaction between voyager and guide, as well as with the sitter.
• Validate the voyager’s experience when appropriate.
• Be prepared to show and share with the voyager parts of your personal life.
• Consider making electronic recordings of the experience.

After the Psychedelic Trip

For the Voyager:

• Have reasonable support in place post-session (from friends, family, or the guide).
• Be prepared to put time in between this psychedelic experience and the next (oftentimes this means waiting months before another trip).
• Ensure that you make no major life decisions during the trip, or in the few weeks that follow the trip.
• Be prepared to spend the following day or two recuperating and relaxing.

For the Guide:

• Ensure the voyager is in an appropriate state to go home or be relieved of the experience.
• Ensure the voyager has a support system in place post-session.
• Be prepared to meet with the voyager post-session for further investigation of the session and its contents.

Last Notes from the Botanical Shaman

Altogether, a psychedelic journey is a spiritual experience. To do it right and stay safe, this experience requires extensive preparation, sometimes even weeks in advance. It demands reasonable knowledge about the substance involved. There should be a proper setting, which complements the substance. It requires a knowledgeable, experienced guide. And it requires a proper babysitter. While all psychedelic experiences (and substances) are different, these variables are at least within the confines of control and should not be ignored nor underestimated. Figuring out all of the available pre-determined variables, means a safer, better trip.  It also means the voyager will be more likely to have a positive experience. Disclaimer: Botanical Shaman and authors are not responsible for anything that you choose to do or partake in after reading this guide.  You are responsible for yourself, and no matter what you choose to do, you should always treat your body with respect.