Orienting to set, setting and skill

Set: Mindset and intention dictate the inner space that we venture into. Preparing for the experience allows us to participate in this space of limitless possibilities, and have agency to see what’s coming, and know what we need. Otherwise, the experience may not be rooted and controlled by our unconscious rather than remaining constructive. Cannabis in particular will show up how you ask, so using it to withdraw (numb from pain) will allow that, while inviting her to aid intentional self exploration will help lift the veil to deep healing and inquiry. While the intention process creates the mindset for our journey, an integration process creates the mindset for our lives going forward.

Setting: Who, What, When, Where, Why

Who: We need the surrounding people to be as safe and nurturing as possible when we journey to the most vulnerable places of ourselves.

What: Dosage is completely determined by the participant. We always recommend starting low and going slow in regards to dosage especially when clients are unfamiliar with the effects. Individuals with a high tolerance may need to smoke multiple times every 45 minutes while highly-sensitive people may be content with one hit. We generally find that lighter doses are great for problem solving and talking things out with complete agency. Medium doses push boundaries and start evoking content for transformation. Higher doses can feel more unpredictable and intense and are highly transformative. Any dose is beneficial and don't feel like you need to reach for the stars on the first session, unless you want to. 

Where: Medicine experiences need containment so we can go deeper, be safe, be loud, and feel more. Our offices are intentionally curated to provide a cocoon to support your psychedelic unfolding. Experiences can be very different in safe spaces encouraging a therapeutic holding rather than uncontained locations which may hinder the efficacy of the journey or may even subject you to unsafe themes. Our spaces are built to be welcoming with everything you may need.

Why: This is where the intention is built. Why are you drawn to this medicine? Are you ready to heal an old wound? Do you need to deeply recharge? Do you want to let go of something? Are you having difficulty feeling deeply? Would you like to cultivate a part of yourself? The reasons can be multifaceted and there is no wrong way in this space. We get curious, discern, feel into and even play with what is arising. Tuning into what needs to be released or cultivated.

Skill: 

We work with clients with a range of experience to build skills in navigating the psychedelic and sober inner space. Skills like intention setting, centering, orienting to and navigating the inner terrain, increasing body awareness, being with and getting curious about difficult feelings, creating relationships to different parts of ourselves, and integrating the experience; all of which support the holotropic unfolding towards health and wholeness.

As guides, we offer our expertise in evidence based practices and our own training and experience navigating the inner terrain of consciousness to support, amplify and/or contain your experience. We can help you follow the threads that are asking to be unravelled. You may journey to places of deep shame, fear, regret, grief, or guilt and we can hold these with you as you release and discover what lies underneath. We can help you find the parts of yourself that need to be reclaimed, nurtured and cared for. We can help you build resilience and come back home to your body.

What arises in the journey?

The alchemical process of transformation can look and feel daunting and by defining it we are able to accept the natural unfolding towards wholeness instead of resisting and reacting to it.

Difficult Experiences: Intense emotions, uncomfortable sensations, shaking/spasms, physical pain, reliving experiences, increased heart rate, observing parts of ourselves, noticing beliefs, and/or imaginal exploration like going into a hole or being constricted.

Pleasant Experiences: Joy, relief, expansion, melting, flying, dissolving, gratitude, euphoria, contentment, acceptance, drive, future possibilities, vision of how to move forward, gifts of tools, and/or feeling more like yourself.

The way forward is to accept what is arising; remaining curious and compassionate. If overwhelm gets hard to manage, we can help you back to your body/breath and often intense experiences result in insights and reclaiming gifts. If the difficulty is allowed to have it’s own path, there is something on the other side.

Neural Repatterning

Current neuroscience shows that by the time we reach adulthood our brains are very efficient, conserving energy by taking in as little new information as possible; instead largely predicting the world around us based on past experiences. The psychedelic experience temporarily disrupts this predictive patterning, which allows for new possibilities of perception to emerge. Trauma creates entrenched neural pathways focused on a need to protect that is hard to disengage from, creating habitual ways of feeling and reacting in the present based on outdated danger. 

Psychedelic Cannabis can help us see different options and begin the process of creating new possibilities in the ways we relate with ourselves and others. After feeling stuck, we may see there are alternate paths. Places which we treat with a critical voice can be shown love and nurturing. When our nervous system is relaxed we are able to entertain new possibilities more readily. Seeing situations or dynamics from a more accurate perspective unencumbered by the shadows of the past allows for the opportunity to have an updated relationship to the experience.