Preparing for a Solo Journey

If you've never taken a medium-to-large dose of a psychedelic, feeling nervous is completely normal. Even experienced practitioners approach these medicines with respect — they're powerful, and deeply influenced by context.

This is where "set and setting" comes in:

• Set: your mindset, intentions, and expectations
• Setting: your environment, company, and activities

These are levers you can pull to shape your experience.

Alone or Together?

Most of what follows assumes you're journeying solo, with a sitter available if needed. Solo work tends to open the door to deeper spiritual connection.

That said, there's no single right way. A small group of trusted friends works beautifully for some people. Be thoughtful about unpredictable elements — strangers, crowded spaces, chaotic energy — but if sitting with close friends in a quiet park on a beautiful day feels right, trust that.

Timing

A proper journey takes three days: one to prepare, one for the experience, and one to integrate. If you can't carve out three consecutive days, spread your preparation across a few evenings — but protect the experience day itself and take it easy afterward.

Dose in the morning with no evening plans. Mushrooms typically run 4–6 hours from ingestion to baseline, but expect significant fatigue afterward. These experiences draw on deep reserves; even if you feel energized during, you'll likely crash after.

Mental & Emotional Preparation

For larger doses (2.5–5g dried, depending on strain), stability matters. Don't journey during acute stress or emotional crisis. In the days leading up, ground yourself: walk in nature, meditate, journal. Reflect on your blessings. Cultivate gratitude and humility. Be honest about why you're doing this.

Many people find profound relief from depression, anxiety, and trauma through mushrooms. That relief is real — but powerful medicine sometimes means challenging experiences. If you're working through something heavy, sit with a trained guide or therapist.

Physical Preparation

You know your body. These protocols have worked well for me — take what resonates:

• Rest. Taper caffeine in the weeks before. The closer you are to a zero-caffeine baseline, the better you'll sleep and the more grounded you'll feel going in.
• Fast. At minimum, skip breakfast the day of. Longer fasts can deepen the experience, but only attempt them if you're already comfortable fasting. One exception: if you still have caffeine dependency, drink the coffee — a headache mid-journey isn't worth it.
• Hydrate. Water with electrolytes, same as any other day. Give your body what it needs.

Setting an Intention

Intention is a powerful compass. Once you've reflected on your motivations, distill them into something concrete and write it down. Keep it simple:

• I ask for healing of injury, trauma, or blockage
• I invite benevolent, spiritually evolved beings to aid my growth
• I seek to deepen my capacity as a friend, partner, or parent
• I ask for clarity on [specific problem]
• I humbly ask for a gentle, positive experience

Planning creative work or socializing during the journey? Lower the dose.

The Space

Choose somewhere you feel genuinely safe: your home, a friend's place, a quiet outdoor spot. You need privacy, a comfortable place to lie down, and easy access to a bathroom. Your sitter should be nearby, ready to bring water, a blanket, or simply a calm presence.

The Sitter

Trip sitters and trained psychedelic guides serve different functions. Your sitter doesn't need formal training — a trusted, sober friend or family member works well. Align expectations beforehand: they're there to support, not steer. Psychedelics can cause confusion, so sitters handle emergencies and help with the landing. Most of the time, they won't need to intervene at all.

Taking the Medicine

After all this preparation, the actual moment can feel anticlimactic. You're just... eating a mushroom.

My preferred method: tea. It tastes better, goes easier on the stomach, comes on faster, and runs shorter (4–5 hours total). Crush your dose, steep in freshly boiled water for 10 minutes. Add ginger and lemon for flavor and to ease nausea.

Gather your tools beforehand:

• The tea
• A glass of water
• Journal and pen
• Any meaningful objects or talismans

Have an eye mask and headphones ready with a long playlist queued. Two recommendations:

• Music for Mushrooms by East Forest
• Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Playlist

(Search these titles on your preferred streaming service if you don't use Spotify.)

Keep the eye mask on as long as possible — the whole journey, if you can. Going inward is where the real experience lives. Remove it when it no longer feels necessary.

Music is your most powerful tool during the experience. Feeling overwhelmed? Change the song.

Closing Thoughts

You've prepared your body, clarified your intentions, and created a safe container. Now the only task is surrender. Stay open to what comes — insight, emotion, challenge, beauty. Trust that the medicine knows what you need.

When it's over, return to your intention. Write down what arose. Rest. The integration that follows is where lasting change takes root.