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Welcome to Tricycle Day. We're the psychedelics newsletter that knows courage isn't the absence of fear. It's feeling afraid and hitting send on our emails anyway. 😮‍💨

Considering your first high-dose psychedelic journey can feel like staring into the abyss.

Your palms are sweaty (🎶 knees weak, arms are heavy 🍝), and a voice in your head keeps asking: "Am I really ready for this?". That weighty question has kept many would-be journeyers stuck in analysis paralysis, sure. But it’s also saved others from rushing into an experience they’re ill prepared for.

So we asked our network of experienced practitioners: What can I do to overcome the fear of my first high-dose journey? How do I know when I'm ready?

Here's what they shared about dancing with the fear.

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Still deciding whether a psilocybin journey is the right move?

Maybe you’re all in, but have no clue what to do next. Either way, you're standing on the edge of something big, and it’s wise to be cautious.

Well, Althea has just the resource for you. Their Psychedelic Explorer's Guide explains how to tell if you're a good candidate, what the process looks like from start to finish, and how to find the right facilitator for you.

The devil’s in the details, so they’ve included a 4-week prep roadmap and 10 essential questions to ask before booking your session.

Download your free explorer’s guide.

Fear is an ally, not the enemy

Instead of trying to eliminate fear, many guides suggest working with it as valuable information. Katie Simons encourages journeyers to "go into it. What are you afraid of? What part of you is afraid? Where is the fear in your body? Breathe." She emphasizes that "the practice is listening to the fear in order to know how to build safety for yourself."

Michelle Harrell echoes this approach: "Start by honoring your fears: write them down, name them, and get curious. Are you afraid of losing control, facing buried emotions, death, or change itself? Each fear points toward a deeper truth waiting to be uncovered."

Summer MacCool reassures us that "fear before a first high-dose journey is natural. It's your spirit recognizing the depth of the experience." The goal isn't to force away these feelings but to "meet your fear with compassion" and learn to "walk with it."

Preparation calms the nerves

Several practitioners pointed out that thorough preparation can reduce the pre-journey jitters. Wallace Murray suggests, “the key is to meet the entire ceremony (including the medicine) with preparation: medical screening, a lawful context, a trusted sitter/therapist, clear intention, a comfortable setting, and rehearsed grounding skills.”

Kathy Gruver agrees: “The more prepared you are, the more comfortable the journey is going to be. If you have done your research, chosen your medicine, found a skilled and seasoned practitioner, and done your prep, I think you can check the ‘ready’ box.”

Kari Roe-LaFramboise highlights the value of dedicated prep sessions: “Having at least one preparation session with your facilitator/guide is a big way to help decrease the fear going into a journey.” The feeling of trust that you are being “held in a safe space with a safe person who knows what they are doing” goes a long way.

Weigh the pull against the push-back

When it comes to recognizing your readiness, our guides consistently pointed to an inner knowing that transcends fear. Jo Ross boils it down to a simple equation: “You are ready when the desire for change is greater than the fear. You find yourself wanting to learn more, watching videos, reading books, asking others, or searching for practitioners.”

Oxana Kirsanova has a similar calculus: “Readiness isn't about having no fear. It's when your desire for healing and truth outweighs your fear of surrender.” Substitute another word for “surrender,” such as “uncertainty” or any of the specific fears Michelle called out above, and the statement still holds.

Amie Brooke offers a practical litmus test: “Do I trust myself, my guide, and the setting we are in enough that I can let go and surrender to what comes through? If your answer feels like a ‘yes I do’ (perhaps with some butterflies), you may be ready.”

Our take

Maybe a better question than "How do I overcome fear?" is "How do I develop a healthier relationship with uncertainty?". After all, psychedelics aren’t the only things in life that ask us to surrender control and trust the process.

If you want to build your courage muscles before the big day, start practicing with smaller feats of bravery. Compliment a stranger. Ask your barista for a discount for no reason (h/t to Noah Kagan for that one). Apply for a job you think you're under-qualified for.

You can also practice surrender in the same way. Recite the serenity prayer. Let someone else pick the restaurant. Empower a colleague by giving them responsibility over something you’ve held tightly.

Each of these bite-sized challenges increases your tolerance for uncertainty. Now when the time comes for that journey, you'll have a solid track record of facing the unknown and coming out just fine on the other side. It’s a whole lot easier to trust the universe when you have evidence to back it up.

Thanks to Monique S. from Belle Fourche, SD for submitting this week’s question. 🫠

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UNTIL NEXT TIME

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.