🫠 Ask a Guide Anything

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that’s always down for one more. One more subscriber, that is. Know anyone? (Swear we can quit any time.) 😬

Psychedelic journeys are kinda like chips. It's hard to stop at just one.

The difference is, nobody's ever stared into the abyss an empty Doritos bag and thought, “I just met God.” (Ok, maybe once.)

So for today’s newsletter, we asked our network of licensed psilocybin facilitators: How do I know if I need another session or if I should focus on integrating what I already have?

They give it to us straight, after the jump.

Back in our day, if you wanted to do a psilocybin retreat, you had two choices.

Break the law or fly to another country. (Uphill! Both ways!)

Times sure have changed. Now you go to Boulder and work with licensed facilitators who've guided 1,000+ clients and gladly abide by state-approved safety protocols.

Chariot's next five-day retreat in April includes two mushroom journeys, integration support, and a private room at Hotel Boulderado. It’s all above board, so you can feel safe diving under the surface.

Just a few spots left. Mention Tricycle Day for 10% off.

The first step is to get honest about what’s pulling you back. Amy Charlesworth explains a common trap: “Psychedelic therapy should plug you into reality with more presence and capacity, not become a way to unplug from reality by chasing the next journey.” She’s noticed a regrettable pattern where people can become “addicted to healing” and turn to “repeated journeys as a way to escape.”

Adam O'Neil uses a traffic light metaphor. A green light looks like feeling more whole and having “a strong sense that there is more to explore.” A red light might be “trying to one-up their last journey, or if they are avoiding the integration work and trying to ‘stay in’ with the medicine.”

Melinda Halpern turns the question around: “Maybe the question to ask is ‘what's the hurry?’ Often desperation drives moving into another journey as opposed to diving deeper into integration.” If psychedelic insights are not translating into behavior change between sessions, that’s usually a sign to slow down.

If there's one thing these facilitators want you to internalize, it's that the medicine session is closer to the starting line than the finish line. Jamie Blackburn reminds us that “one meaningful experience can be integrated for a lifetime!” She encourages people to ask themselves: “Am I embodying what I learned? Has my life shifted? Sometimes the medicine is another journey. Sometimes it's living the last one fully.”

Erin Witter offers a practical gut check: “If you never journeyed again, what work is already in front of you? If the list is long, integration is calling.” Char McKendrick compares integration to gardening: “Like roots taking hold in new soil, real change happens quietly over time through patience and steady care.”

Don’t be discouraged if your integration process isn’t linear. Francesca Loux adds important nuance: “It doesn't always feel inspiring or clear. Sometimes it appears as confusion, grief, or subtle changes in how you relate to yourself and others.” If things feel messy, you’re not doing it wrong. That might be a sign the medicine is still working.

So when is the right time to go back? Terri Shelton recommends another session “if the person is emotionally grounded and curious, is able to clearly articulate their previous experience and link embodied change, and if they feel called or pulled rather than trying to push something away.”

Clayton Ickes takes a practical angle: “If significant work is already being done to take responsibility for life and change what you can, then another session could be warranted.” Otherwise, “another psychedelic session is not necessarily going to do that work for you.”

Sara Gael paints a clear picture of what readiness looks like: "You feel relatively grounded and resourced, previous insights are being translated into concrete behavioral or lifestyle changes, and the work feels complete rather than unfinished.” Michelle Harrell sums it up simply: “If you feel grounded, clear, and genuinely ready to explore a new intention, it may be the right moment to journey again.”

Cacao is an entheogen, and Kokoleka treats it like one. They source wild Criollo beans from Chiapas and wash them the Mayan way, which results in 860% more flavanols and 65% more theobromine than regular cacao.

These ladies and gents make a strong case for patience. And we're with 'em.

No amount of tripping will save you from the work of changing your life. (Nice fantasy though, right?) Psychedelics can open a door, but you still gotta put one foot in front of another and walk through it.

Now, that doesn’t mean back-to-back sessions are always a bad idea. In a retreat setting, for example, a second or third journey can let you pick up right where the last one left off. It’s an intense approach, but it works for people who are ready.

Just know with a layer-peeling marathon like that, the integration bill comes due eventually. So budget accordingly, Cyclists.

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.

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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.