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Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that plays by the rules. Trouble is, the universe keeps reminding us they don’t exist. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Personal growth is supposed to be a messy, slow, character-building slog. Or so we were told.

Then psychedelics come along and show you in six hours what might take six years of therapy to uncover. It almost feels… unfair. Like, am I actually healing right now, or is this cheating?

So we asked our network of licensed psilocybin facilitators: Are we bypassing important growth experiences by using psychedelics instead of working through our issues organically?

Here's what they told us.

When you're sitting with psilocybin, you don't want fluorescent lights and hospital vibes.

You want to feel at home.

Chariot gets that. Their cozy, thoughtfully designed centers in Portland and Boulder feel like your house… if your house was featured in Architectural Digest, that is.

Whether you join them in Oregon or Colorado, you can expect the same skilled facilitation and client-centered care that earned them two Althea Psilocybin Outcomes Awards.

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Most of our guides rejected the premise that psychedelics offer an easy way out. Clayton Ickes pushes back: “This is a little bit like asking: ‘Are we bypassing hard work by using a drill instead of a screwdriver?' It really depends on your goal.” The medicine, he explains, “brings us directly into touch with that thing that we need to see.”

If anywhere, it’s the integration step where bypassing can become a risk. Scott Burd channels the late, great Alan Watts: “When you get the message, hang up the phone. The medicine can show us what matters, but it's not meant to keep doing the work for us. The real growth happens afterward, in relationships, boundaries, habits, and how we care for ourselves when no one is watching.”

Jeremy Nickel summarizes the idea simply: “Psychedelics don't replace the work; they reveal what the work actually is.” Which brings us to our next point.

Several facilitators flipped the question on its head, arguing that psychedelics actually make emotional avoidance more difficult. Char McKendrick speaks from personal experience: “I was numb for much of my life, and other modalities couldn't help me reconnect with my body and emotions.” For some trauma survivors, psychedelics “aren’t shortcuts” but “a necessary doorway into feeling again.”

Dr. Trish Singh adds that “psychedelics are not meant to help us feel less; they often invite us to feel more—grief, fear, truth, and responsibility.” On the other hand, she warns that yes, psychedelics can become a means of bypassing “when they're used as repeated 'reset buttons' instead of catalysts for real change.”

Brenda Davies agrees: “When used intentionally and integrated, they often support deeper engagement with difficult material rather than bypassing it.” Maybe that’s because psychedelics often bring stuff to the surface you can’t unsee.

Of course, context matters a lot. Amy Charlesworth points out that “when paired with a robust preparation and integration program, psychedelic experiences can help tune us into growth opportunities in ways that we otherwise wouldn't be able to calibrate.”

Jillian Gordon offers a vivid metaphor: “Psychedelics are like spring rain. If you plant seeds through self reflection and tend to your soil through daily practices, psychedelics can help sprouts grow. But if seeds were not planted in fertile soil, there will be smaller growth.”

She continues: “The biggest growth I have witnessed during psychedelic therapy is in people who have done an incredible amount of work already, but they hit a wall.” Melissa Grossman sums it up nicely: “The growth comes from all the work we do, not just from one experience.”

The way we see it, there's an important distinction to be made between bypassing and accelerating the [work/growth/healing/your transformation of choice here].

Bypassing is when you use psychedelics like a spiritual snooze button, expecting each journey to magically reset you, so you can go on living your life exactly the way you are now. (No bueno.)

Accelerating, on the other hand, is when you use psychedelics to fast-forward through years of flagellation self-inquiry and see with crystal clarity exactly what you've been avoiding. And then *gasp* you actually do something about it. (This is the way.)

Nothing wrong with hitting the gas pedal. Just buckle your seat belt, because the road gets bumpy at this speed.

Thanks to Kyle P. from Port Richey, FL for submitting this week’s question. 🫠

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

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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.