What If I Have a Bad Trip?
This is the number one question I receive from people considering psychedelic healing.
If you have this question, take a moment now before reading on to reflect on what you mean by bad trip.
Most people who have this concern have had an experience or have witnessed an experience of recreational drug use leading to an unpleasant experience.
I encourage you to remove the words drugs, trip, high, and stoned from your vocabulary as you open your mind to using psychedelics for healing.
These words create pictures that are contrary to the project of healing and growth. They place us at the effect of external substances which our culture has deemed to be "bad". Psychedelic healing is the opposite of this - it is a deep meeting of you with you - of you with life. You choose to embark on the journey for the purpose of living fully.
Usually a bad trip means an experience with one of these medicines that involves one or more of the following:
no healing intention;
recreational intention;
no supervision;
undetermined source or substance;
no guidance on dosing.
This is not the same as engaging in a psychedelic ceremony or facilitated experience.
When a medicine with hallucinogenic properties is done with guidance, supervision and a healing intention the experience may still be unpleasant.
You may have feelings and insights that are uncomfortable. If you work with these medicines over time you will almost certainly have uncomfortable feelings during some of your journeys. In fact for myself and for many others the most challenging experiences end up being the most transformative. (A bit like life. In fact one way of conceptualizing psychedelic healing is that it is simply life intensified).
When your intention is healing you are able to direct your energy and lean into whatever experience arises with curiosity, breath and gratitude. You have chosen to engage with this medicine for the purpose of your healing.
You can also ask to have a gentler experience. Speak to the medicine during your journey and ask for what you need.
Psychedelic medicine offers the potential for massive healing. Healing entails massive amounts of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual material that is blocked or stuck being released. This isn’t always pleasant in the moment.
When you have found a container and a facilitator that you trust you can then...
Let go.
Surrender.
Trust the process.
This isn't an easy path but in the right circumstances it can be a miraculous one. You can rewire patterns, heal physical, emotional and mental health challenges and connect with yourself and life at a whole new level.
The answer to "what if I have a bad trip?" is two-fold.
First - it's not a trip - it is a healing journey. A medicinal journey. Root into your intention and shed the conditioned terminology and constructs around this work.
Second - you will indeed experience things that are uncomfortable. People who come to psychedelic work know how healing works - they know healing can be "work" and not always easy. Psychedelic healing is no different - lean into your experiences, breathe and trust the process.
Welcome home.
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I am offering healing programs starting in January 2022. Email me at alison@alisoncrosthwait.com for more information.