🫠 Ask a Guide Anything

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We're the psychedelics newsletter written by wise guys n' gals. Wise enough to know we know nothing. 🤌

If you say anything with enough conviction, people will start nodding along.

Now light some palo santo and drop your voice half an octave. Congrats; you just unlocked guru status.

We have a theory that that’s how a good chunk of the psychedelic “wisdom” circulating in the aether became canon.

So for today’s newsletter, we asked our network of licensed psilocybin facilitators: What's a common piece of psychedelic wisdom you actually disagree with?

Keep reading to learn the hills they’ll die on.

Founders and CEOs, this one’s for you.

Running a company can absolutely mess with your identity.

Between the incessant fires and pressure to grow, rarely do you get the chance to step back and examine the path you’re on.

So we’re hosting a 3-night retreat in Aspen for 4-5 builders willing to go there with psilocybin and structured peer work.

Althea’s own founder Niko helped design this experience because it's what he always wished existed while scaling his last company. He’s participating himself.

At the end, you’ll have a clear vision on where to take your company (and yourself) next.

The first thing on the chopping block is the glorification of so-called heroic doses. Monica Ramunda isn't sold: “More medicine does not necessarily mean a deeper, more healing, or ‘better’ journey.” This isn’t a hot dog eating contest. You don’t get any points for beating your record.

Monica says the right amount is calibrated case by case: “Dosing is highly individual and should consider a person's sensitivity, previous experiences, medications, goals, and current needs. A carefully considered dose, chosen collaboratively with a skilled facilitator, can be far more valuable than simply aiming high.” 

But even with good support, no amount promises a cure. Benjamin Dancer dispels the silver-bullet myth: “You're not going to be all better after a large dose of psilocybin.” The end of the psilocybin journey marks the start of a longer healing journey.

It's convenient to treat psychedelics as one thing. That doesn’t make it correct. Allow Kate Schroeder to unblur the lines: “All psychedelics are not equal, and they are certainly not interchangeable.”

The differences aren’t even subtle, according to Kate: “Ibogaine and ayahuasca, for example, are profoundly different interventions from psilocybin, MDMA, or ketamine. Each has its own pharmacological profile, duration, risks, experiential qualities, demands on the nervous system, therapeutic potential, and considerations around preparation, support, and integration.” 

It's not just the medicines we oversimplify. Denise Vargas hears the same laziness when people claim there’s no such thing as a bad trip: “Describing every difficult journey as meaningful or beneficial can invalidate the client's actual experience.” Difficult journeys can be integrated, but sometimes there’s no sugarcoating an experience that is “genuinely bad, harmful, or destabilizing.”

Psychedelics are great. Don’t get us wrong. But you know what’s even more powerful? You. Masha Steiner-Renoir thinks people have an inflated view of the medicine’s role: “The practices we return to every day, the small shifts in how we think, respond, regulate our nervous system, and relate to ourselves and others, are what actually help rewire the brain over time.”

To be fair, integration is getting more credit these days, which is great to see. But Melissa Grossman wants to elevate preparation to the same level of respect: “A powerful journey can start before the substance is even ingested using deep inquiry, guided introspection, and leveraging insights from past therapies.” 

Wherever you are in the process, the right guide can make all the difference. For Benjamin, the goal isn’t to be your savior, but to help you help yourself: “With a good facilitator, you will find your own map home.”

Add this podcast to your queue, stat. In the latest episode, Army veteran (and Oregon-licensed facilitator) Amy Charlesworth shares how psilocybin changed her trajectory after conventional VA treatment failed her.

Oh boy, this is a fun one. There’s a whole category of faux psychedelic wisdom we haven’t touched yet.

Anything that starts with “The medicine told me I need to…” sends our BS detector into a frenzy.

The medicine told me I need to become a shaman.

The medicine told me I need to start an MLM.

The medicine told me I need to give myself bangs.

C’mon. At least have the guts to own your decision!

More generally, that old platitude that “the medicine only gives you what you need” may be the culprit here. The statement itself may be true. The issue is, plenty of the stuff people think the medicine gave 'em actually traces back to their own biases.

So here’s a little counter wisdom. Don’t quit your job, move cities, or break up with your partner right after a journey. Give it at least two weeks before you upend your entire life. Deal?

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

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

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.