Psychonaut
An explorer of the psyche by means of meditation, lucid dreaming, brainwave entrainment, sensory deprivation, and psychedelics.
Psychedelics
Drugs that produce stimulation, hallucinations, and apparent expansion of consciousness.
“With great power comes great responsibility.” - Voltaire
As the United States begins to decriminalize psychedelics and other consciousness-expanding drugs, newcomers ought to be educated before having their reality obliterated by these powerful substances.
Power demands responsibility which requires education.
Let us begin…
Content Overview
Prepare to Launch
Set & Setting
Drug of Choice
Blast Off
Leaving the Atmosphere
Presence
Orbit
Entities
Exploration
Reflection
Set & Setting
Set = mental state, mood
Setting = physical location, activity
Think of a virgin psychonaut as a baby; shower it with love and nurture it in a safe environment. Fear and danger will create a damaged person, someone who perceives the world in a negative light.
Keep in mind that fear/anxiety is expected for a first-timer. Just like astronaut launching into space, a journey into the unknown requires a Leap of Faith.
Set the mind right.
Foster positivity: Do that which makes you feel good, whether it be meditating, exercising, walking, playing an instrument, or talking with a family member.
Eliminate negativity: Be at peace with yourself and the world.
Thought -> Emotion -> Experience
Control your perception to control your experience
Create a safe environment.
Be comfortable. Familiar location to relax, such as your bed.
Minimize stimulation. Avoid large groups or concerts.
Judgment free. Close friends that won’t pressure you to do things.
Safe. Exploration of the environment will not be illegal or dangerous.
Drug of Choice
Psychedelics are like people. They each come with a personality.
Let’s get acquainted before going on a trip together.
Magic Mushrooms
Read for in depth information: Magic Mushrooms Erowid Vault
3 Words to Describe Experience
Introspection. Natural. Love.
Duration = 4-6 hours
Microdose = 0.1-0.2 grams
Threshold Macrodose = 1.5 grams
Strong Macrodose = 3.0+ grams
Methods of Ingestion
eat raw/dried mushrooms
eat ground mushrooms in gel capsules
drink liquid extract mixed with alcohol (for preservation)
Come Up = 0-1 hours
anxiety
nausea
hot flashes
high heart rate
heavy body sensation (heaviness, feeling of momentum)
Peak = 1.5-3 hours
hallucinations
flowing visuals; swirls, waves, water
acute awareness of each sound in music
tactile acuity (I.e. soft fabric feels softer)
euphoria: pleasure, uncontrollable laughter, joyful crying
body: physical weight or feeling of momentum (can cause nausea)
mood: platonic (non-sexual) love towards oneself and others, curiosity/desire for nature
reflection: guilt/shame about past are confronted
awareness: enhanced recollection of memory, speed of thought
Afterglow = 4-12 hours
visuals subside quickly
physical stimulation fades quickly
mental/mood enhancement persists for 24+ hours
Ideal Environments
self-reflection after an event (death, birth, life change, etc.)
socializing with a group of close friends
being in nature (hiking, walking, swimming, biking, etc.)
creative activity (organizing, writing, music, speaking, drawing)
LSD
Read for in depth information: LSD Erowid Vault
3 Words to Describe Experience:
Extrospection. Synthetic. Energy.
Duration = 8-10 hours
Microdose = 5-10 micrograms
Threshold Macrodose = 100 micrograms (one “tab”)
Strong Macrodose = 200+ micrograms (2+ “tabs”)
Methods of Ingestion
place tab under the tongue for 5-10 minutes
drink LSD mixed with alcohol (for preservation)
Come Up = 0-1 hours
anxiety
stomach discomfort (not necessarily nausea)
sweaty palms
high heart rate
twitching
Peak = 1-5 hours
hallucinations
geometric visuals; fractals, repeating polygons, symmetry
auditory tones; ringing of chord or harmony in the ears
physical stimulation: desire to sprint, exercise, be an animal!
mental enhancement: memory, speed of thought, recognition of “synchronicities” or coincidences in recent life
social butterfly: confidence, linguistic ability, social awareness
mood: excitement for activity, curiosity, joy
Afterglow = 5-24 hours
subtle closed-eyed visuals can be seen until 8-10 hours
stimulation persists up to 12-14 hours
mental/mood enhancement persists for 24+ hours
Ideal Environments
camping with friends
day hike
long bike ride
day at the beach
concert (if you can handle the stimulation)
party/bar (microdose, not macrodose!)
Ayahuasca
Read for in depth information: Ayahuasca Erowid Vault
Duration = 4-6 hours
Microdose = 10 milligrams
Threshold Macrodose = 100 milligrams
Strong Macrodose = 200+ milligrams
Methods of Ingestion
Drink a brew/tea
Come Up = 0-1 hours
nausea
vomiting or diarrhea (most people will experience this)
physical body load
visuals begin
desire to lie down and meditate
Peak = 1-3 hours
expanded awareness: deep thoughts, vivid imagination
reflection: confront fear, shame, guilt
love: compassion for the self and others
focus: clarity of mind, understand goals/intentions in life
stimulation: desire to be in nature and move
dance, music, yoga are great activities
confidence: belief in oneself, motivation to create and accomplish
time: lifetimes of experience condensed into minutes
hallucinations
visual: “Mother Ayahuasca” a feminine presence that guides the trip. Fractals, multidimensional realities constructed. Hieroglyphs, ancient symbols arise on surfaces.
auditory: subtle female voice, harmonies, bangs, tones.
Afterglow = 3-12 hours
mental/mood stimulation persists into next day
visuals recede, body load fades
presence, left in a state of tranquility and appreciation
Ideal Environments
ceremony with a group of people and shamans
alone
with a sibling, close friend, or significant other
late at night -> meditation
Leaving the Atmosphere
Just as an astronaut tears through the atmosphere into space, a psychonaut tears through 4D reality into another universe.
Remember “Set & Setting” to maintain composure during the come up. Space, time, and eventually ego will dissolve as you venture deeper into the fabric of reality.
Awareness/presence/focus on a single cadence will keep you grounded while reality melts before you.
You are your own anchor. Without presence you are lost in the cosmos.
How to be Present / Find an Anchor?
focus on breath
focus on a point in your vision
focus on heart beat
create a repetitive rhythm
hum a tone
repeat a mantra (will cover this below)
Expect discomfort, nausea, new sensations, unexpected thoughts, and recollection of long-forgotten memories.
Whatever you do, do NOT resist. Let go and embrace the experience.
Particularly with LSD, “thought loops” will recycle your mind through a single idea, emotion, or experience. This can be therapeutic if the experience is in need of confrontation. But if it’s something trivial, such as a negative habit, recognize this and break it.
Psychedelics reset a system in the brain, known as the “Default Mode Network” or DMN, which is the standard setting of “you.”
Perceptions, habits, opinions, inclinations, and beliefs become encoded in this system. Psychedelics restart the DMN, effectively pressing the reset button on “you.”
This is a fresh start, a chance to rebuild your mood, opinions, beliefs, perceptions, and precognitions.
Principle advice for any journey:
MAINTAIN PRESENCE.
Focus -> Presence -> Awareness -> Reflection
You will be able to replace negative habits with positive ones.
This journey may relieve anxiety, depression, OCD, negative habits, and addictions. Psychedelics are medicine, but only if you treat it as such. You are your own therapist. Only you and you alone can bring yourself through this and return a better person.
Presence
Focus on Breath
Easiest way to ground oneself
Master the breath -> master the body -> master the mind
Create a rhythm
Shamans use drums during ceremonies
Creates momentum and a cadence to focus on
Listen to music
Long, relaxing tones
Avoid lyrics and high-energy music!
Tibetan Singing Bowls (one of my personal favorites)
Hum a tone
Certain tones resonate with the body -> relaxation
Listen to this binaural beat -> hum in tune with it
Or hum your own tone! Find what feels “right”
Repeat a mantra
Classic Buddhist mantra = “Om Mani Padme Hum”
Ancient mantra used to dive deep into meditation
Follow along - Om Mani Padme Hum
Personal Tip
Meditation = Focus
Focus (presence) will anchor you no matter the situation.
If you feel anxious, nauseous, or overwhelmed -> meditate!
Welcome to Orbit.
You may relax now. The come up is over.
Time to explore, reflect, and experience…
Entities
Mushrooms are a magnet to nature.
Many psychedelics reveal the awareness, the consciousness, of plants. It is totally normal to see faces in trees, “feel” a connection to plants, and even experience entities.
Truth be told, a Hero Dose of mushrooms (5.0+ grams) can put you in contact with an entity. Just as Mother Ayahuasca guides wanders through a trip, you may encounter a sentient presence on mushrooms.
Some believe entities are manifestations of our own subconscious, while other believe they are the sentient intelligence of the plant itself.
Anecdotal experiences with natural psychedelics, such as mushrooms and Ayahuasca, often lead to entity encounters. On the other hand, synthetic psychedelics, such as LSD, rarely do.
This might be a coincidence, or it is possible that sentient plant consciousness reveals itself to us once we are capable of perceiving it.
Exploration
Psychedelics instill a child-like curiosity within us. A sense of wonder received from all things leaves us roaming into places we would never have thought to venture.
Embrace this desire to explore. Go outside, touch, smell, look, listen, sit, stand, lie down, sprint, jump, climb, swim! Stimulate your mind in every way imaginable.
No matter how “familiar” you are with the activity, it will feel as though this is your first time. It has never felt like this before. New sensations, new realizations, old memories, and random thoughts about the experience will blow your mind in more ways than you can fathom.
My personal favorite is the experience of coincidences or the realization synchronicities. It begins with thinking about a theme/moral of an experience. I will say some word that summarizes it, such as “conductive,” and then I will suddenly realize numerous events leading up to the trip, various thoughts I had in the previous days, random conversations I’ve had with people, and articles I’ve read all relate to this central theme.
The sheer quantity coincidences/synchronicities lead me to seriously question whether we live in a simulation…
I return from every psychedelic journey will a “moral of the story,” a theme, or a lesson that can radically improve my life.
A lesson is only useful unless it is internalized and applied…
Reflection
Learn -> Internalize -> Apply -> Reflect
Psychedelics will provide you with life-changing knowledge about yourself and the universe. Leverage this opportunity to become a better version of yourself.
Learn
As aforementioned, the trip will boil an experience down to a single word or phrase, such as “conductive,” “presence,” or “focus.”
Internalize
The come down of a trip is a great time to reflect upon the meaning of the lesson. Recognize practical applications.
Example:
Lesson = focus
Practical Applications = reading, writing, exercising, socializing. Performance In any domain is enhanced with focus.
Apply
Recognize then apply.
There is no amount of teaching that can do this for you. The effort to apply the lesson falls on you, and you alone.
Applying lessons will not only leverage powerful knowledge, but will foster a sense of discipline by channeling your will.
Reflect
As you walk the path towards greatness, remember to look back.
Observe the obstacles that knocked you down. Recognize how you stood back up. Remember those who helped you.
Finally, see what you learned.
And so the cycle begins again.
Learn -> Internalize -> Apply -> Reflect
Further Resources
For more information on dosages, effects, experiences, and harm reduction, visit Erowid. This is the reddit of psychedelics.
Similarly, PsychonautWiki is the Wikipedia of psychedelics.
“Have a Good Trip” is a documentary where celebrities describe their experiences on various psychedelics. Watch for great details and powerful lessons.
Tales from the Trip is a YouTube series by Comedy Central. Listen to comedians share the good, bad, and funny moments of their trips. Bonus: the video animates their story in a psychedelic cartoon.
Lastly, don’t hesitate to ask questions and share your own thoughts.
Momento Mori,
@BowTiedBreath