6 ms·

A friend and I did a "guided" psychedelic session earlier this year. We did it individually over one weekend. It was great. She did it for more therapeutic reas

A friend and I did a "guided" psychedelic session earlier this year. We did it individually over one weekend. It was great. She did it for more therapeutic reasons. I did it more for philosophy/spiritual reasons. But the two main things I took away are 1.) Guided sessions are qualitatively different than recreational sessions, and 2.) It is such a crying shame that this isn't an accepted "tool in the toolbox" for therapists. It's not about having crazy life altering, world-bending experiences (though that can happen). It's just about helping you get into a state of mind that allows for an effective therapy session. Sort of like... would you want to do your therapy session in a crowded bar, next to your mom? No, probably not. We all recognize that such a setting would not be conducive to good therapy. So similarly, we should be able to recognize that having the right setting, both mentally and physically can affect the quality of your session. Psychadelics can do exactly this. It's also worth noting my friend has done "regular" therapy for 2 years, and she felt like there was a step change after the guided session. Her therapist noticed it as well. When you consider that pain meds have ruined literally millions of lives through addiction, and that also virtually (maybe literally?) no one has ever died due to overdose of psilocybin, it's very confusing why one is prescribed all the time, and the other is considered incredibly dangerous. The U.S.'s perspective on drugs is so very backwards.

elromulous 5y ago
>it's very confusing why one is prescribed all the time, and the other is considered incredibly dangerous. The U.S.'s perspective on drugs is so very backwards. The lobbying system. Aka legalized corruption.
agumonkey 5y ago
One session means one time or a few times in one week ? Do you or her plan to keep doing it ?
- bwest87 5y ago
  One session meaning one time. Both of us think it would be valuable to do, but on the timescale of like... once/year or once every few years. But there are people who do it once/month for several months if they have a lot of specific things to work through. Our guide actually works with a number of 'regular' therapists, and they pass clients on to him if they think a guided session is the right move. He says therapists will sometimes say, "please take this person on a journey once / month for the next 3 months" (or something along those lines)
inter_netuser 5y ago
>pain meds have ruined literally millions of lives through addiction Unpopular opinion: opioids are massively under-prescribed for those that actually need them. Addiction is a mental illness. That's whats killing so many, but why is to so few question what is actually causing such terrible emotional pain that must be self-medicated with incredibly potent medicaments? Why is it that instead of acknowledging the rather uncomfortable root cause of those deaths, we just default to the so much simpler scapegoat, pills (the active ingredient in which has been with us in one form or another since 5000 BC), and pretend everything else is just rainbows and unicorns?
- fourtrees 5y ago
  Having both witnessed the whole opioid debacle first hand, first the sleezy over-prescription, then the reactionary under-prescription, which has caused, in my opinion, at least, as much, if not more, suffering and death than the over-prescription. Reading these comments is the first really sensible debate over the issue I've encountered and very encouraging. For quite a while I've thought that the via media on the Rxs and an honest, more intensive treatment of the causes of 'deaths of despair' (which would certainly only partly be medical in nature) is by far the most humane (and medically ethical) way toward treating the problem. I know MDs who feel the same way but whose agency is very limited by this opioid Thermidor -- both in acting and speaking on the issue. I hope this is a sign of a changing trend in the public and political debate on the issue.
- jdc 5y ago
  > Why is it that instead of acknowledging the rather uncomfortable root cause of those deaths, we just default to the so much simpler scapegoat, pills (the active ingredient in which has been with us in one form or another since 5000 BC), and pretend everything else is just rainbows and unicorns? Okay, I'll take mushrooms, which have actually been with us since then, and you take synthetic intravenous opioids and we'll see who fares better.
  - refurb 5y ago
    Opioids (opium) have been around as long as mushrooms. Just because they are synthetic variations doesn't mean they are that different.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
drawkbox 5y ago
> The U.S.'s perspective on drugs is so very backwards. The War on Drugs is a flaw that needs to end but at least with psilocybin US is moving slowly in the right direction. The only countries where psilocybin is legal are Brazil, Jamaica, Nepal, Samoa, Netherlands (truffle format), British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas [1]. Many places are illegal but unenforced though still illegal. US psilocybin is decriminalized in many places now including all drugs in Oregon. More states need to get more like Oregon definitely. However, in most states spores are legal and so are grow kits for other types of mycology. Grow kits and spores legal in most states, full cultivation decriminalized in Seattle, Washington, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Denver, Colorado, Santa Cruz, California, Somerville and Cambridge, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington D.C. [1] Legal in Oregon for mental health treatment in supervised settings since 1 February 2021 [1] Full legalization needs to happen for marijuana and psychedelics. Decriminalization needs to happen for all drugs minimum as well. As far as marijuana, psilocybin and LSD, they are the least toxic and less dependency forming of most drugs, even caffeine, aspirin and more. It is a tragedy and a drug dark age that they are in the Controlled Substances Act. I believe drugs should have to be toxic or cause death to actually be on that list. Marijuana, psilocybin and LSD are very safe when it comes to toxicity and drug overdoses are non-existent, all would be better as legal safer production products. Legality makes everything safer, increases harm reduction and reduces black market unsafe production as well as reduces funding of cartels/mafias/bratvas. Their criminality truly makes no logical sense except to invite problems. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_psilocybin_mushrooms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_psilocybin_mus...
- taurath 5y ago
  Just wanted to add that the US led the criminality to spread across the globe via the UN. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Psychotropic_Substances https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Psychotropic_S...
  - matheusmoreira 5y ago
    Yeah. The US pretty much exports its laws. It uses its vast economic leverage to impose US laws on everyone else via trade agreements, treaties. It did the same thing with intellectual property. It will put sovereign countries in a literal naughty list when they don't accomodate US company interests.
stadium 5y ago
What area are you located, and how did you find your guide? Word of mouth? Not looking so much for specifics, more to understand the process.
- bwest87 5y ago
  I'm located in San Francisco. I asked around a bunch of friends, got intros, and talked to a few potential guides. Eventually got linked up with someone who's been doing it for a number of years, and we vibed. We had a few phone calls through Signal, and then decided on a date/time/place.
louis___ 5y ago
Would you maybe like to elaborate on what was the details of the "guided" aspect of your sessions ?
- bwest87 5y ago
  Guided aspects... he sent over a questionairre ahead of time with a lot of broad questions. We then did a one hour zoom call going over the questions and getting to know him. It's all designed to help you figure out what you want the session to be about for you personally at that moment in time in your life. And then the session itself lasts 4-6 hours, and he will ask you many questions, but also will follow the journey wherever it takes you, and there's ups and downs and everything in between. It's all very specific to you and the guide and where you want to go with it. And lastly there's an "integration session" the following week where you talk with him for an hour to go over how it went, and what it means. Can discuss more if you want. Email me at bwest87 at gmail.com if you'd like to discuss further.
f0rgot 5y ago
I've always wanted to try a guided session, but I have no idea how to even start looking for a guide. I'm in Illinois.
- zhengyi13 5y ago
  Medical tourism? Elsewhere upthread there are specific places called out where psilocybin is legal or decriminalized. Poking around on the web for therapeutic providers in those areas might be an effective strategy.
- bwest87 5y ago
  This actually took me a bit of time. I had to search around. But can give advice. If you're serious, email me at bwest87 at gmail.com
colhom 5y ago
How are you going to sustain the largest economy on earth if your populace isn't hypnotized? Most of the work that needs to be done is not intrinsically or spiritually fufilling. So there must be an alternative synthetic rewards system- which inevitably requires some form of mass hypnosis to remain dominant in the aggregate psyche. It's no coincidence that all the research in this space was shut down in a hurry right around when the CIA figured out that LSD and the pikhal family weren't going to help with this at all.
say_it_as_it_is 5y ago
Not only has no one ever died of psilocybin but it just doesn't get abused the way that pain killers do. You can't get the full effect by taking it often. If it's a deep session, you don't even want to!

elromulous 5y ago

>it's very confusing why one is prescribed all the time, and the other is considered incredibly dangerous. The U.S.'s perspective on drugs is so very backwards. The lobbying system. Aka legalized corruption.

agumonkey 5y ago

One session means one time or a few times in one week ? Do you or her plan to keep doing it ?

bwest87 5y ago
One session meaning one time. Both of us think it would be valuable to do, but on the timescale of like... once/year or once every few years. But there are people who do it once/month for several months if they have a lot of specific things to work through. Our guide actually works with a number of 'regular' therapists, and they pass clients on to him if they think a guided session is the right move. He says therapists will sometimes say, "please take this person on a journey once / month for the next 3 months" (or something along those lines)

inter_netuser 5y ago

>pain meds have ruined literally millions of lives through addiction Unpopular opinion: opioids are massively under-prescribed for those that actually need them. Addiction is a mental illness. That's whats killing so many, but why is to so few question what is actually causing such terrible emotional pain that must be self-medicated with incredibly potent medicaments? Why is it that instead of acknowledging the rather uncomfortable root cause of those deaths, we just default to the so much simpler scapegoat, pills (the active ingredient in which has been with us in one form or another since 5000 BC), and pretend everything else is just rainbows and unicorns?

fourtrees 5y ago
Having both witnessed the whole opioid debacle first hand, first the sleezy over-prescription, then the reactionary under-prescription, which has caused, in my opinion, at least, as much, if not more, suffering and death than the over-prescription. Reading these comments is the first really sensible debate over the issue I've encountered and very encouraging. For quite a while I've thought that the via media on the Rxs and an honest, more intensive treatment of the causes of 'deaths of despair' (which would certainly only partly be medical in nature) is by far the most humane (and medically ethical) way toward treating the problem. I know MDs who feel the same way but whose agency is very limited by this opioid Thermidor -- both in acting and speaking on the issue. I hope this is a sign of a changing trend in the public and political debate on the issue.
jdc 5y ago
> Why is it that instead of acknowledging the rather uncomfortable root cause of those deaths, we just default to the so much simpler scapegoat, pills (the active ingredient in which has been with us in one form or another since 5000 BC), and pretend everything else is just rainbows and unicorns? Okay, I'll take mushrooms, which have actually been with us since then, and you take synthetic intravenous opioids and we'll see who fares better.
- refurb 5y ago
  Opioids (opium) have been around as long as mushrooms. Just because they are synthetic variations doesn't mean they are that different.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

drawkbox 5y ago

> The U.S.'s perspective on drugs is so very backwards. The War on Drugs is a flaw that needs to end but at least with psilocybin US is moving slowly in the right direction. The only countries where psilocybin is legal are Brazil, Jamaica, Nepal, Samoa, Netherlands (truffle format), British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas [1]. Many places are illegal but unenforced though still illegal. US psilocybin is decriminalized in many places now including all drugs in Oregon. More states need to get more like Oregon definitely. However, in most states spores are legal and so are grow kits for other types of mycology. Grow kits and spores legal in most states, full cultivation decriminalized in Seattle, Washington, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Denver, Colorado, Santa Cruz, California, Somerville and Cambridge, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington D.C. [1] Legal in Oregon for mental health treatment in supervised settings since 1 February 2021 [1] Full legalization needs to happen for marijuana and psychedelics. Decriminalization needs to happen for all drugs minimum as well. As far as marijuana, psilocybin and LSD, they are the least toxic and less dependency forming of most drugs, even caffeine, aspirin and more. It is a tragedy and a drug dark age that they are in the Controlled Substances Act. I believe drugs should have to be toxic or cause death to actually be on that list. Marijuana, psilocybin and LSD are very safe when it comes to toxicity and drug overdoses are non-existent, all would be better as legal safer production products. Legality makes everything safer, increases harm reduction and reduces black market unsafe production as well as reduces funding of cartels/mafias/bratvas. Their criminality truly makes no logical sense except to invite problems. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_psilocybin_mushrooms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_psilocybin_mus...

taurath 5y ago
Just wanted to add that the US led the criminality to spread across the globe via the UN. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Psychotropic_Substances https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Psychotropic_S...
- matheusmoreira 5y ago
  Yeah. The US pretty much exports its laws. It uses its vast economic leverage to impose US laws on everyone else via trade agreements, treaties. It did the same thing with intellectual property. It will put sovereign countries in a literal naughty list when they don't accomodate US company interests.

stadium 5y ago

What area are you located, and how did you find your guide? Word of mouth? Not looking so much for specifics, more to understand the process.

bwest87 5y ago
I'm located in San Francisco. I asked around a bunch of friends, got intros, and talked to a few potential guides. Eventually got linked up with someone who's been doing it for a number of years, and we vibed. We had a few phone calls through Signal, and then decided on a date/time/place.

louis___ 5y ago

Would you maybe like to elaborate on what was the details of the "guided" aspect of your sessions ?

bwest87 5y ago
Guided aspects... he sent over a questionairre ahead of time with a lot of broad questions. We then did a one hour zoom call going over the questions and getting to know him. It's all designed to help you figure out what you want the session to be about for you personally at that moment in time in your life. And then the session itself lasts 4-6 hours, and he will ask you many questions, but also will follow the journey wherever it takes you, and there's ups and downs and everything in between. It's all very specific to you and the guide and where you want to go with it. And lastly there's an "integration session" the following week where you talk with him for an hour to go over how it went, and what it means. Can discuss more if you want. Email me at bwest87 at gmail.com if you'd like to discuss further.

f0rgot 5y ago

I've always wanted to try a guided session, but I have no idea how to even start looking for a guide. I'm in Illinois.

zhengyi13 5y ago
Medical tourism? Elsewhere upthread there are specific places called out where psilocybin is legal or decriminalized. Poking around on the web for therapeutic providers in those areas might be an effective strategy.
bwest87 5y ago
This actually took me a bit of time. I had to search around. But can give advice. If you're serious, email me at bwest87 at gmail.com

colhom 5y ago

How are you going to sustain the largest economy on earth if your populace isn't hypnotized? Most of the work that needs to be done is not intrinsically or spiritually fufilling. So there must be an alternative synthetic rewards system- which inevitably requires some form of mass hypnosis to remain dominant in the aggregate psyche. It's no coincidence that all the research in this space was shut down in a hurry right around when the CIA figured out that LSD and the pikhal family weren't going to help with this at all.

say_it_as_it_is 5y ago

Not only has no one ever died of psilocybin but it just doesn't get abused the way that pain killers do. You can't get the full effect by taking it often. If it's a deep session, you don't even want to!