How to Prepare for Your Psilocybin Journey

Inspired by The Mushroom and Many Psychonauts

Disclaimer

The mission of How to Prepare For Your Psilocybin Journey is to support educated and informed discourse on the topic of psilocybin mushrooms and truffles, and to ensure the safety of those experimenting with these and other psychedelic substances. Maximize benefit and reduce harm is the idea. 

The author of this document does not encourage illegal activities and bears no responsibility for any decision to take part in dangerous or unlawful behaviors.

This document is not intended to replace or substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Always consult a qualified physician with any questions regarding a medical condition, and before starting any treatment.

Please be careful experimenting with psilocybin and other psychedelic substances, especially if you have a history of mental illness. 

Uncopyright

How to Prepare For Your Psilocybin Journey is uncopyrighted. 

The author has released all claims on copyright and has put the work into the public domain. All content is inspired by the mushroom and other writers. The author believes that no individual can truly own (attempted) expressions of eternal wisdom. This document belongs to the whole of life. 

No permission is needed to copy, distribute, or modify the content in this document. Feel free to spread the spores however you wish. Please keep safety in mind. 

Credit is appreciated but not required. You may take complete ownership and all credit. 

As the Buddha says, “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

Overview

Introduction

Requirements

Set Intentions

Plan Your Journey

Prepare Your Mindset

Prepare Your Body

Microdose

Prepare Your Setting

Foster a Support Network

Day-of Checklist

Get in Touch

Introduction

Psilocybin is the primary psychoactive ingredient found in magic mushrooms and magic truffles. Magic mushrooms flourish on every continent except Antarctica, and are easy to grow indoors. Magic truffles are the underground part of certain types of magic mushrooms, and are legal in the Netherlands, where they are sold openly in “smart shops.” There are now several organizations creating synthetic psilocybin molecules. 

Research from Johns Hopkins, Imperial College London, NYU, and other universities supports long-established anecdotal evidence that psilocybin can improve our emotional states and reconnect us with nature. Psilocybin connects us with our innate intelligence and rewires our hearts and minds to be positive, open, and joyful. Having evolved and survived for more than a billion years, mushrooms can help humanity transform into a more intelligent, loving, and harmonious species.

This document provides guidelines that will help you to prepare the body, mind, and spirit so you can maximize the probability of having a safe, positive, and life-affirming psilocybin experience, and minimize the risk of having an unpleasant or traumatizing one. 

However, please understand that implementing these suggestions will not guarantee a pleasant and joyful experience; the quality and dosage of the medicine you choose, along with various cultural, environmental, and psychological factors, will all influence the flavor of your experience. Sometimes the most challenging and painful journeys provide the most significant and necessary wake-up calls. The medicine allows various subconscious and often deeply suppressed patterns to rise to the surface and teach us lessons. 

You may also find that many of these suggestions prove beneficial when applied in your day-to-day life and post-journey integration process.

Requirements

When consumed in a safe environment with a trustworthy and competent guide, psilocybin may be one of the safest mind-altering substances available. However, a psilocybin experience is not for everyone. 

Each criterion on the list increases the probability of your having a safe and transformative experience. Of course, no contraindication necessarily disqualifies you immediately, but each presents its own challenges. Please review these guidelines and use psilocybin safely at your own risk. 

• You are a legal adult.
• You have a relatively stable life situation (housing, relationships).
• You feel comfortable self-reflecting, taking ownership of issues that arise in your life, and listening well.
• You have no history of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, bipolar I or II disorder, or any personality disorder (e.g. borderline, narcissistic, schizoid, anti-social).
• You have no known family history of schizophrenia.
• You have not been diagnosed with PTSD or C-PTSD, or you are working with trained clinical guides or accredited therapists and can plan to engage in intensive therapy with them before and after your psilocybin session.
• You have not been diagnosed with (treatment-resistant) unipolar depression (especially with suicidal ideation), unless you have an established therapist who can help you before and after your session with us.
• You do not have Cushing’s syndrome.
• You do not have severe anxiety for which you are taking medications (e.g. benzodiazepines).
• You are not pregnant or breastfeeding.
• You do not have any disabling, unstable or acute mental illness or addiction-related condition (e.g. active alcohol withdrawal).
• You do not have any disabling medical condition including but not limited to cardiovascular disease / hypertension.
• You do not have hypothyroidism (can be risky but may or may not prevent this work).
• You have no history of neurological disorders (e.g. stroke, epilepsy, serious brain injury).
• You do not have suicidal or homicidal ideation.
• You do not have anger management problems.
• You have not taken any of the following medications for at least 2 weeks (longer is ideal).
• tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, anafranil, asendin, aventyl, elavil, endep, norfranil, norpramin, pamelor, sinequan, surmontil, tipramine, tofranil, vivactil)
• antipsychotics (aripiprazole, asenapine, cariprazine, clozapine, haloperidol, lurasidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, ziprasidone)
• lithium
• SSRIs
• MAOIs
• ritonavir/indinavir
• 5-HTP, St. John’s Wort or any other supplements that may affect serotonergic function.

If you meet all these criteria, you are in a good position to consider exploring the benefits of psilocybin. 

Set Intentions

Setting intentions before a journey can help you to cultivate the proper mindset, and establish a framework and lens through which you can understand and integrate your experiences. By setting intentions, you prime the mind with your main objectives, motivations, and questions — the why’s — of your exploration with psilocybin.

Intentions can range from: 

• the simple and light, such as: “have fun with friends,” “enjoy a blissful day at the park,” or “laugh and release” 
• to the serious and personal, such as: “forgive myself and others,” “overcome bad habits,” or “improve my relationships” 
• to the existential, such as: “understand the purpose of life,” “realize God,” or “be one with ultimate reality.” 

You can also frame your intentions as gentle, humble requests to the medicine: “could you please show/teach/guide me…?” You might perceive the medicine as a guide that can help you reconnect with your Inner Healing Intelligence so you can better understand various situations and perspectives. The medicine will probably work in ways you cannot expect or imagine, so it’s wise to keep an open mind and let go of specific ideas of how you think the journey should unfold.

Some people prefer to go into the session without a stated intention -- to surrender to whatever the medicine has to show them. In these cases, an intention may feel more like an attitude or state of mind than a goal or objective. 

Being clear with your intentions lets you focus on and visualize the desired outcome rather than be overwhelmed by various anxieties or struggles that may arise before and during the experience. 

Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself as you get started:

• Where and how do I feel stuck?
• What is holding me back? 
• What do I want to let go?
• What have I been resisting?
• What makes me afraid?
• What changes do I want to make? 
• What do I really want?

It is beneficial to meditate on the above and examine the feelings that arise when you ask these questions, instead of merely thinking about them. We want to practice moving from the head to the heart, and from the intellect to intuition. 

You may want to write down and review your intentions before a journey to solidify them in your mind and deepen your commitment to persevere through even the most painful or challenging moments. 

Prepare one or two intentions per session. The idea is not to create a rigid agenda or a checklist of things to achieve, but to be curious and open the mind to new ways of perceiving, relating, and being.

Plan Your Journey

Set a Date

Planning a journey in advance can give the body and mind time to settle and enter a more contemplative mood. Progressively wind down unnecessary activities and create the time and space to explore and investigate your inner world -- an infinite vortex of complex thoughts and feelings. You can plan days, weeks, or a month or more in advance.

Sleep may be difficult while under the influence of psilocybin, as the medicine tends to stimulate energies that have been suppressed, stuck, or blocked. Therefore, for a moderate or high dose, set aside 7 to 11 hours for the journey and post-journey reflection period, and assume you will be awake during this time. 

If possible, you may want to give yourself an extra day to recover and integrate your experiences before diving straight back into your obligations. Some people can quickly and smoothly integrate their journeys while others need slower, more gentle transitions. 

Determine Dosage

The amount of mushrooms you decide to take depends on a number of factors, including:

• the medicine’s potency;
• your body weight;
• your tolerance and sensitivity;
• the quality of your setting;
• and the presence or absence of a tripsitter. 

You may feel more comfortable taking a higher dose in a relaxing setting with a trusted guide. On the other hand, alone in a less familiar environment, you may decide to stick to a smaller dose, so you can retain more control over your body.

For additional questions about dosage, consider browsing online forums like shroomery or erowid, on which many people share their personal experiences with various doses. You can also ask experienced psychonauts for advice about your specific inquiries. One general guideline to keep in mind: “Start at a low dose and work your way up; you can always take more but you can never take less.”

If you have a tripsitter, be sure to let her know what dosage you’re taking.  

Consider Tripsitters, Guides, and Companions

Having someone trustworthy with you during a journey can provide a sense of comfort and safety. You will be able to talk through and express thoughts and emotions. You may find it easier to let go of control when you know you can rely on somebody to take care of any emergencies that may arise.

If that person is completely sober or takes a microdose while you take a larger dose, she is a “sitter” or a “guide.” The sitter’s main priority is to be a non-judgemental presence and ensure your psychological and physical safety. Her role may resemble that of a babysitter, nurse, listener, or a parental figure. The best sitters are gentle, spiritually mature, generous, and compassionate.

If you are with a companion who will also ingest a substantial dose, understand and accept that you will each be on your own journey, and may not be able to support each other fully. You may want to separate and come back together repeatedly during your time together. Expect to have completely different types of experiences. This understanding may help you avoid taking personally anything that happens or doesn’t happen during the journey. 

If you journey with either a tripsitter or a companion, it is highly advisable to discuss and agree upon a few basic ground rules regarding touch, boundaries and privacy. Get absolute commitments from all those who will be present with you during and immediately after your journey. Take into consideration how the tripsitter’s or companion’s gender may affect your mindset.

You may want to share your intentions with your companion or tripsitter so they can better understand your motivations and remind you of them if necessary.

Prepare Your Mindset

Attitude

The best attitudes to foster when you experiment with psilocybin are openness, curiosity and surrender. The fewer expectations you have, the happier and less anxious you’ll be before, during and after a session. The medicine will show you that holding onto expectations is the cause of unhappiness.

If you expect to have the same experience you have read or heard about in videos, books, or trip reports, you may be disappointed. Your unique life experiences will result in a journey that cannot be compared with others. 

Accept discomfort

Some journeyers may feel different types of discomfort during the journey, especially during the come-up phase, which may last an hour or so after ingestion. Some sensitive journeyers may feel unpleasant sensations throughout the experience. Nausea and stomachache are the most common side effects of taking mushrooms. 

Grinding up your mushrooms into fine powder, chewing them extremely well, or making a mushroom tea may help you avoid some of the unpleasantness. Ginger tea, ale or candies can also alleviate some of the symptoms. Some people recommend taking the ginger half an hour before the mushrooms. Other remedies for nausea may be papaya enzyme pills, dry crackers, lemon oil, mint, chocolate, kola nuts, dramamine, and Gas-X tablets. Each person reacts differently to these substances. 

During a journey, some people may experience hunger, jitteriness, shivering or other symptoms of drastic temperature shifts. Some may vomit.  

Always remind yourself that everything is temporary and the journey will end. The less you focus on the discomfort, the less it will affect your journey. If you relax, ground, center, and surrender, the annoyances may disappear. Breathing will help you through challenging moments. 

Accept Not Knowing

Wisdom comes from realising that one does not know much, if anything at all. Holding onto ideas, philosophies, or ideologies will only lead to resistance and psychological suffering. When you catch yourself struggling or resisting, remember to relax and let go. The more you surrender, the more you make space for the medicine to work its magic. 

Recognize and Embrace Fears

Most human beings naturally fear the unknown. The comfort zone can feel familiar and reliable, whereas anything outside this zone can feel overwhelming. Paul Stamets, the famous mycologist and psilocybin advocate says, “the fear of the loss of self-control is the central issue amongst all users as their dosage increases. Those who are willing to let go, and who do not fear their inner self, seem better prepared to tolerate higher doses. They flow with, not against, the tide of the experience.” 

At certain points during your journey, you may feel like you are dying. You may be afraid to lose or let go of control. These experiences are natural and common. If you want to enjoy the love, joy, and peace that many report on their journeys, it’s important to release the desire to control, and surrender to whatever shows up. When you accept life as it is, energy flows and struggles dissipate.  

There’s no way to predict what you will see or experience during your journeys. Some of these things may be other-worldly, horrifying, terrifying, confusing, shocking, or painful. If you can face these fearful experiences and accept that they will pass, you will come out of the journey lighter and brighter. 

Allow Emotions

Let yourself fully experience and release every emotion that may arise. Some of your most pivotal journeys can at some point feel overwhelming or challenging. The medicine can reveal unpleasant or shocking aspects of yourself from which you want to run or hide, and facing these is necessary for your healing. 

Some people say that there are no "bad trips” -- only difficult ones, in which old traumas, energies and undesirable patterns come to the surface, stay a while, and then dissolve. With that being said, having the proper set and setting will greatly reduce the chances of having a “bad trip.” 

No matter how weird, uncomfortable, or scary the journey gets, remind yourself that you are safe and the journey will end. 

Prepare a Mantra

A mantra may help you through difficult or challenging periods of the journey. Make up your own or borrow one you like. Here are some examples:

• Trust, Let Go, Be Open
• I am safe
• It’s Okay. Everything is Okay.
• I am being guided where I need to go
• All Shall Be Well
• Listen, Learn, Love 
• Breathe through the wave

If you have faith in God, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, or another entity, spirit, person, or energy, you may wish to include him/her/them/it into your mantras. In general, you may find it helpful to keep one or more of these benevolent beings in mind in your preparations and journey. You may find prayer essential.

Prepare Your Body

For days or weeks before your journey, commit to living a healthy lifestyle and abstain from certain sensory inputs that may cause unwholesome and uneasy states of mind.

Avoid alcohol and cigarettes and other substances that have similar effects on the body, mind, and spirit. 

Some people like to consume cannabis in the form of CBD and/or THC before, during, and after a journey. For others, forgoing cannabis may be the best option.

Reduce or eliminate animal products and processed foods that cause mucus to accumulate. 

Eat foods that nourish your body, including organic fruits and vegetables. Drink plenty of water and make juices or smoothies. Kombucha and other fermented drinks can help rebalance gut flora. 

Make sure you sleep well and feel rested.

Consider pampering yourself with a massage or a day at the spa to help calm your nerves and prepare you for surrender and inner exploration. A warm bath at home with music and/or essential oils can also provide the same benefits. 

Transition into a calmer, more introspective state of mind and body. Practice regular meditation, yoga, breathwork or other self-care techniques. 

Spend more time in nature and reduce screen time. 

On the day of your journey, consider fasting for 4 or more hours before ingesting the medicine. Sometimes, you may want to have a light snack (sandwich, nuts, fruit, smoothie) with your dose or slightly beforehand. 

If you are using any medications or other drugs (prescription or otherwise), make sure to research potential contraindications and, if necessary, follow guidelines for tapering off these substances.

Microdose

Microdosing is the practice of taking a sub-perceptual dose of psilocybin. Depending on the mushroom strain and strength, your sensitivity, and your behavioral patterns, each microdose may range anywhere from .08-.25 grams of dried material.

You may find microdosing to be an effective way to prepare for a larger dose, as you can practice setting intentions, entering the medicine’s energetic field, and processing emotions. By microdosing, you can get a taste for the mushroom’s healing benefits without having to set aside a whole day or two for a high-dose journey. Many people report being able to go about their normal lives while microdosing.

For many, microdosing mushrooms results in: 

• heightened senses, creativity, mood, energy, and focus;
• decreased anxiety, stress, and depression;
• improved relationships;
• softer, more gentle attitudes toward oneself and others;
• increased spiritual awareness and feelings of interconnectedness. 

You may wish to follow a specific dosing schedule. The most common schedules are “Four days on, three days off” and “One day on, two days off.” On the on days, you take a microdose, and on the off days, you take time off to reflect on the changes you feel. 

You may wish to be more flexible, “go with the flow,” and take a microdose whenever you feel necessary or called. This attitude allows you to hone your intuition and listening skills. 

You may combine other medicinal mushrooms and herbs with your microdose. One common “extra” ingredient is lion’s mane, a medicinal mushroom known to improve immune function and cognitive health. 

Microdoses may be ground up into powder and taken in capsule form. Some people like to mix the microdose in a smoothie or other liquid. Still others eat a small amount of raw or dried mushrooms by itself. 

Some people may find that microdosing helps ease the withdrawal symptoms of certain pharmaceutical agents.

Prepare Your Setting

Environment

“Setting” is the physical and social environment in which you experience a psilocybin journey. You want to be in a place where you feel safe, open, free, comfortable, clean, protected, and empowered.

First, you must decide whether you want to be inside or outside. A familiar indoor space (e.g. your bedroom or living room) often allows you to cultivate a more introspective state of mind, and provides a greater sense of safety, and insulation from unpredictable elements (e.g. people, machinery, weather, sounds, etc.). 

A safe outdoor environment can help you connect with the vastness and beauty of nature. Being with the forests, mountains, rivers, oceans, animals, birds, insects, clouds, and wind, and watching these natural elements “breathe” can inspire a new relationship with nature. 

An ideal option, if it is available to you, is a setting that provides the benefits of both indoor and outdoor spaces. For example, journeying at a quiet, secluded cabin with a patio and large windows in a forest lets you move between different types of environments quickly and safely. 

If you are not in a warm indoor space, be sure to have plenty of warm clothes and blankets so you can stay warm and feel relaxed getting naked if you feel called. 

Have a safe, comfortable and quiet place to lay down and relax, and also easy access to a toilet or a natural area to relieve yourself. 

Organize and clean your environment. Remove clutter, and objects you might trip over or give you unhappy feelings (e.g. a pile of dirty laundry). The cleaner your space, the better; it is impossible to predict what you will want to do and where in the room or environment your body will be. For example, you may want to lay on the floor or roll around the room. Having soft pillows and blankets can comfort you. 

Avoid strangers and don’t get lost. 

Stress, fear, or a disagreeable environment may result in an unpleasant experience. Conversely, a warm, cozy and safe place is more conducive to a relaxing and pleasant experience. Thus, to maximize the chances of having a pleasant, healing, mind-expanding journey, take the preparation of your physical space seriously.

Music

You may wish to prepare a playlist of healing music of at least six hours. Many curated playlists are available on the internet (search “psilocybin playlist” on google). 

You are also free to create our own playlists. It’s best to select music you find comforting, calming, and awe-inspiring. You may want to consider including:

• classical music
• Native American flute, drumming, and prayers 
• Ayahuasca icaros
• Buddhist or Sikh chants and mantras
• Tibetan singing bowls
• Gregorian chants
• Ambient music and nature soundscapes
• Ragas
• and other types of music

It’s best to avoid angry rap music or pieces with too many lyrics. However, everyone has different tastes: I have heard a story about someone who has had transformative experiences listening to death metal. I have personally tripsat for someone who only wanted to listen to loud, raucous classical music that others would find far too aggressive and jarring. She had life-changing experiences. 

Towards the end of the journey, on the come-down, we may listen to whatever we wish, including songs with lyrics.  

Along with your musical selection, you will want to prepare headphones or speakers. For higher doses, speakers may be the preferred option because keeping headphones over your ears may prove challenging during some periods of the journey. 

Sometimes, silence is exactly what you need, especially if things feel like they may be overwhelming. A change in music or a shift to silence can shift the tone of your experience. If in nature, you may not want music at all - nature sounds carry their own vibrational frequency which can be very healing. A birdsong or an insect’s buzz can interrupt patterns of rigid thinking and be a reminder of how simple life can be. 

Art and Writing

Psilocybin tends to unlock creative energies so you may want to have art supplies and writing material ready in case you feel inspired to express yourself. 

Objects

Prepare a favorite picture, flower, plant, painting or image to have around you. Pictures of your parents, siblings, ancestors, and children can be particularly powerful. These artifacts can bring up, and help you feel and process complex emotions. You may wish to create an altar of sacred and meaningful objects.

Foster Your Support Network

Social support networks have proven to be crucial in the outcome of a psilocybin experience. Having trusted, open-minded friends, family, and therapeutic professionals with whom you can share your thoughts, feelings and intentions substantially increases the probability of having a positive journey, and of being able to integrate the lessons you’ve learned into your daily life.  

We are social creatures that thrive in loving communities. We all benefit from talking and communicating and feeling understood. When we feel supported and free to express ourselves, energy flows instead of remaining bottled up. 

It’s important to make sure you have people with whom you can relate after a journey. In-person support networks are best, and there are also several supportive online psilocybin communities and forums like reddit shrooms and shroomery.

Day-of Checklist

• verify dosage
• clean, declutter, and purify your space
• take a shower or bath, or take a plunge in a natural body of water
• prepare warm blankets, pillows, and cushions
• create a comfortable lounging area
• wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes or get naked
• pack underwear, socks, and extra layers (if you are leaving home)
• eat a small healthy meal or snack, or fast
• hydrate and have plenty of water available
• stretch or practice yoga, meditation, contemplation, or breathwork 
• review, contemplate, and write down intentions
• have art and writing supplies available
• turn phone off or on silent
• turn on music, if desired
• have ginger tea or ginger/peppermint snack available to ease nausea
• prepare tissues, eyeshades, and a bucket (for spitting or purging)

Finally, surrender and let go. It's all good.

Get In Touch

To find an integration specialist, or a psychedelic guide or retreat, please visit psychedelic.support, integration.maps.org, or tripsitters.org.

To connect with a psychedelic organization or local community, check out this list. 

To get in touch with the editor with any suggestions, comments, ideas, or personal shares, email him at magic@trufflestherapy.com.

Feel free to share the contents of this document widely, with or without credit. It is yours now.