🫠 Ask a Guide Anything

PRESENTED BY ALTHEA & FOUNDATIONS 🤝

Welcome to Tricycle Day. Are we a psychedelics newsletter or a psychedelic-assisted newsletter? Let’s just say a little microdose before writing never hurt our creative flow... ✍️

Those of you who’ve been cycling with us for a while now have probably seen the term “psychedelic-assisted therapy” thrown around. But if you’ve only ever journeyed solo, the whole idea may feel foreign.

Well, psychedelics are quickly gaining traction in the psychotherapy field. And long before the healthcare industry started meddling, underground therapists were refining their approaches for decades.

So for today’s newsletter, we asked our network of experienced practitioners: How can psychedelics support or supplement different types of therapy?

They share their thoughts on combining medicine with other modalities below.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

Think you're ready for a psychedelic journey?

Even if your ego says yes, it doesn’t hurt to double-check.

Althea's Psychedelic Preparedness Scale is a research-backed assessment that measures your readiness across five critical domains, from mental health stability to integration resources.

Developed by University College London researchers and validated in the real world, this 20-question quiz could be the difference between a beneficial experience and... well, let’s not go there.

Don't leave your next trip to chance.

Take the free preparedness quiz.

Psychedelics create windows of opportunity

Multiple practitioners emphasized that psychedelics don't replace therapy but make it more accessible and effective. Kari Roe-LaFramboise explains the science: "The increase in neuroplasticity that happens by stimulating brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) production results in neurogenesis and synaptogenesis. This can be super helpful when someone is 'stuck' in therapy. After a psychedelic medicine journey, modalities that didn't work before often start to work."

Ryan Chanatry echoes this idea, noting that "psychedelics' ability to dissolve our sense of self and defense mechanisms, while increasing neuroplasticity, unlocks the opportunity to do certain therapeutic work more efficiently." So, it’s not just our neural circuitry, but also our ideas about who we are, that become more malleable.

Clara Mackinlay adds that psychedelics work by "softening defenses, enhancing neuroplasticity, and increasing access to subconscious material." Basically, psychedelics can create the optimal conditions for deeper therapeutic breakthroughs.

Some combinations are synergistic

Others highlighted how certain therapeutic modalities seem to naturally complement psychedelic experiences. Kathy Gruver shares her favorite pairing: "Internal Family Systems and MDMA. MDMA allows you to tap into the unfiltered consciousness, so you can reach those parts more easily and efficiently. The MDMA tends to tamp down the protectors so that you have greater access” to your quieter parts (or exiles in IFS language).

Avery Collura describes the power of low-dose (or psycholytic) work combined with somatic therapy: "The medicine often brings you into relationship with the body in a new way. Sensations become more vivid and trustworthy. There is more space to follow a tremor, a breath, or a movement without shutting it down."

Wallace Murray also encourages working with the physical body. He points how "somatic-type therapies can help pair new beliefs with a body cue, like placing your hand on your sternum and lengthening the exhale, repeating a chosen phrase/mantra/belief. Repetition wires it in."

Aftercare and pacing are key

The most consistent message from our guides was the importance of proper integration and careful pacing. As Summer MacCool puts it: "Grounding expanded awareness into daily life with the support of skilled practitioners ensures these tools truly serve your healing and not just your seeking."

Trish Singh warns that "timing matters; clients should be grounded in one modality before layering others." Avery agrees and recommends pacing yourself, even when it requires being selective: “The medicine can open many doors at once. Your therapist or guide should help you decide which ones to walk through, and which ones to simply acknowledge for now."

Sara Call makes a practical recommendation: "I recommend having both a guide and a therapist. Your guide helps you prepare, create safety, and navigate the journey. Your therapist stays with you long term to help you process and anchor the insights afterward so they become lasting change." A qualified psychedelic-assisted therapist will have both skill sets, but dividing and conquering is a valid approach, too.

Our take

First of all, we agree this isn’t the time or place to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks.

But this topic goes very deep, and we’ve only scratched the surface. So we’ll quickly point you to deeper reading on a few concepts we think are worth your time.

First, IFS. If you're wondering how parts work fits with psychedelics, check out our interview with Sunny Strasburg, then go deeper with Dick Schwartz’s book No Bad Parts.

Then there’s the ever-popular concept of the "inner healing intelligence," centered in MAPS’ MDMA-assisted therapy protocol. For more on this foundational idea, read our interview with Ingmar Gorman.

Finally, while psychotherapy before and after psychedelics is considered a best practice, the jury’s still out on how much psychedelic-assisted therapists should be “doing” during the dosing session itself. To complicate matters further, it may depend on the molecule. For more on these questions, read our interview with Rachel Yehuda.

Oh, and of course there’s our favorite form of therapy, which works with or without psychedelics. Now that you’ve read our newsletter, you can shut off your screens and go touch grass.

Thanks to Warren G. from Austin, TX for submitting this week’s question. 🫠

Got a question for our guides?

Reply to this email to shoot your shot. If it’s a juicy one, we may select it for a future issue.

Seeking more personalized guidance?

Our directory of vetted psychedelic professionals is a great place to start your search. Find a facilitator on Maria’s List.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

That’s all for today, Cyclists! Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help.

ONE CYCLIST’S REVIEW

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here.

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.