🫠 Ask a Guide Anything

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We're the psychedelics newsletter you should read silently in your best Morgan Freeman voice. See? Your jaw is unclenching already. 😌

“Regulate your nervous system” has become one of the wellness industry's favorite catchphrases. It’s all vagus nerve this, HRV that. (Do you even ice bath, bro?)

Nervous system talk is everywhere. So you can see why so many people preparing for a psilocybin journey put it at the top of their list. That's not wrong, exactly. It's just not the whole story.

For today’s newsletter, we asked our network of licensed psilocybin facilitators: How do I know if my nervous system is regulated enough for psilocybin? What can I do to prepare it?

Here's what they had to say.

Legal psilocybin services can run upwards of 3 grand.

They’re worth every penny, too, but that doesn’t change the fact that lots of people are priced out.

Sangam's group journeys, however, cost $1,000. (We'll let you do the math.)

Once a month, this licensed healing center in Lakewood, CO runs a full weekend experience. You prep on Friday evening, journey with mushrooms on Saturday, and integrate on Sunday morning.

Heck of a weekend getaway if you ask us.

Tomorrow is the last day to claim a spot in April, but Sangam’s already accepting reservations for May and beyond.

First off, many come to this work because their nervous system is dysregulated. That’s not a disqualifier. As Kate Schroeder explains, “There's no such thing as a perfectly regulated nervous system before psilocybin. If that were the requirement, almost no one would be ready.”

What most facilitators are looking for is capacity, not some perpetual state of calm. Tess Prince Harris paints the picture: “You can feel emotions without becoming completely overwhelmed or shutting down, and you have at least some sense of internal safety and support.”

On the flip side, Jim Hoeffler describes what a lack of capacity looks like: “If you have frequent panic attacks, persistent dissociation, and an inability to calm yourself without external intervention, you need to pause and learn what works for you to alleviate these situations through preparation.” Jerry Gonzalez offers a simple test: “If you can sit down to meditate for 15 to 20 minutes in silence and feel relaxed, that's a good indication.”

Nervous system capacity is a muscle you train like anything else. Jamie Blackburn suggests flexing it before it counts: “Do something uncomfortable, then practice grounding or breathing practices so you know what works for you and have that muscle memory built up for journey day.”

Cindy Brodner offers one such practice to try for yourself: “Becoming curious about what you are noticing and leaning into what you are feeling, rather than shutting it down, can go a long way towards settling the nervous system.” Melissa Grossman brings up a more obscure technique: “Beyond breathwork, yoga, journalling, and meditation, my clients have had wonderful outcomes practicing TRE, tension and trauma releasing exercise, a practice pioneered by Dr. David Berceli.” (Look it up!)

Then again, it’s not always about doing more, more, more. Clayton Ickes makes the case for breathing room: “For many modern people, simply clearing your schedule on the days surrounding sessions can do wonders to bring some relaxation.” What can you strip away?

We hinted that there’s more to readiness than the state of your nervous system. Well, some facilitators point to something no Apple watch or Oura ring can measure. Mikki Vogt describes it as “a quiet internal yes.” She asks clients to feel for “a sense that your body is willing, that your spirit is resourced, and that you're not using the medicine to bypass life but to meet it more honestly.”

During that self-inquiry, Peter Cedergren encourages going deeper than your first instinct: “Ask yourself if you are ready and listen, not to the thought that immediately comes up” but to “your own inner knowing. Trust yourself.” And Sage Dutra ties this gut check back to the nervous system: “That curiosity about your own body is itself a kind of regulation.”

Nervous system-related or not, Ashley Mauldin reminds us why attention to prep is so key: “The medicine is a tool that supports a process already in motion. The more thoughtful the preparation, the more meaningful and integrated the experience tends to be.”

Readiness is a feeling, sure. But it’s also a decision.

All these facilitators' benchmarks are definitely useful. We’ll co-sign that part about being able to sit in silence without crawling out of your skin especially. (Blaise Pascal, are your ears burning?)

But back to feelings. The thing about 'em is, they change. You might feel ready on Tuesday and be second guessing yourself by Wednesday.

At a certain point, preparation can look a lot like avoidance. (We've covered that fine line before.) The critical last 10% of “getting ready” is simply choosing to take the leap.

Fortunately, unlike an ice bath, you don't have to white-knuckle it alone. One nice thing about working with a licensed facilitator is that nervous system co-regulation is baked into the model.

(Wim Hof, regrettably, is not in our facilitator directory. But plenty of great people are.)

Thanks to Luz C. from Hayward, CA for submitting this week’s question. 🫠

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.