Psychedelic Therapy Tools & Resources
A free, curated collection of preparation guides, integration workbooks, harm reduction tools, and support resources for psychedelic-assisted healing.
Preparing for Your Experience
Thoughtful preparation is one of the most important factors in a safe, meaningful psychedelic experience. Research consistently shows that people who invest time in preparation — setting intentions, understanding what to expect, and arranging proper support — report more positive and transformative outcomes. These tools will help you prepare mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Preparation Guides by Substance
Each psychedelic substance has a unique pharmacological profile, duration, and experiential character. Understanding what to expect — including timeline, physical sensations, and common challenges — helps you meet the experience with openness rather than fear. Select a substance below for a quick-reference guide.
Psilocybin can produce profound changes in perception, emotion, and thought. Often described as “heart-opening,” sessions may surface deep emotional material, memories, and insights. The experience has a natural ebb and flow — periods of intensity followed by gentler waves.
- What to expect: Visual distortions, emotional depth, time dilation, ego softening, heightened sensory awareness, possible nausea at onset.
- Dose: As a rule of thumb, 1 g dried mushroom is approximately 10 g fresh. Sub-perceptual “microdoses” are typically between 0.1 - 0.5 g and psychedelic effects occur between 1 - 2.5 g of dried mushroom. High doses are between 2.5 - 5 g, and “heroic” doses are over 5 g of dried mushrooms. It is important to consider that the potency of different mushroom strains can vary.
- Mental preparation: Practice surrender; release the need to control. Remind yourself that difficult moments pass. Set a clear, heartfelt intention.
- Physical preparation: Fast lightly 4–6 hours before. Stay well-hydrated. Avoid cannabis and alcohol 24+ hours prior.
- Day-before: Rest well. Spend time in nature. Review your intention. Confirm support is in place, if needed.
LSD typically produces a long arc: gradual onset, a sustained peak of altered thinking and perception, and a gradual return. Because duration is long, fatigue and overstimulation can become challenges — planning rest, hydration, and a calm setting matters.
- What to expect: Time distortion, synesthesia, strong cognitive shifts, looping thoughts, and intense emotional processing.
- Mental preparation: Commit to staying with the experience; avoid fighting the timeline. Keep intentions simple and flexible.
- Physical preparation: Eat lightly beforehand, hydrate steadily, and avoid other substances. Plan for a full day without obligations.
- Day-before: Sleep well, simplify your schedule, and confirm a trusted sitter or guide if you are not in a clinical setting.
MDMA is often described as emotionally opening and prosocial, with reduced fear responses to difficult memories in therapeutic contexts. It still carries medical risks — heat, hydration, and contraindications must be taken seriously.
- What to expect: Elevated mood, empathy, sensory enhancement, jaw clenching, and possible fatigue or low mood in the days after.
- Mental preparation: Clarify boundaries for disclosure; pace emotional processing; plan integration after the acute window.
- Physical preparation: Manage temperature, sip water (not excessive), avoid alcohol, and avoid other serotonergic drugs.
- Day-before: Rest, eat normally, and confirm medication review with a clinician if you take SSRIs, MAOIs, or other psychiatric meds.
Ketamine’s effects depend strongly on route and dose — clinical infusions differ from other contexts. Dissociation, perceptual shifts, and nausea are common; a medical setting adds monitoring and support.
- What to expect: Dissociation, changes in body perception, emotional release, and variable nausea — especially during onset.
- Mental preparation: Practice “letting go” language; agree on signals with clinicians or a sitter; expect rapid shifts in state.
- Physical preparation: Follow clinic instructions on eating and hydration; arrange safe transport; avoid driving the same day.
- Day-before: Sleep well, reduce stressors, and review contraindications (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension, certain cardiac histories).
Free Resources
5 sourcesPsychedelic Preparation Workbook
Deep preparation means more than just reading about effects — it means turning inward. This workbook section offers structured exercises to help you clarify your intentions, understand your emotional landscape, and build the inner foundation for a meaningful experience. Work through these in the days or weeks before your session.
Setting Your Intention
An intention is different from a goal. It could be a quality to cultivate, a state of mind you want to foster, or a personal question to explore. It’s not a demand for a specific outcome, but a gentle direction for your experience.
«What parts of me feel like they need healing? What areas of my life could use some clarity or growth? What do I want to leave behind? How might I say this in one sentence?»
Emotional Inventory
Take stock of what emotions are alive in you. Don’t try to fix anything; just acknowledge them. Unacknowledged emotions can linger and get amplified during a session.
«What emotions have I been avoiding or suppressing lately? What feels unresolved? In what part of my body do I feel them?»
Expectation vs. Intention
Expectations create resistance; intentions create direction. Identify where your expectations are feeling tight and replace them with lightness and open-ended intentions.
«What am I hoping will happen? How might I hold that hope more loosely, without attachment to a specific outcome?»
Personal Reflection
Explore your relationship to the experience: your fears, readiness, history, and why now.
«What am I afraid might come up? Am I prepared to meet myself honestly?»
Support Network Planning
Identify who will support you during and after. Connection is essential to integration.
«Who knows about this experience? Who can I call if I need grounding? Do I have a therapist for integration?»
Letter to Your Future Self
Write a letter to read after the experience. Include your current state of mind and what you want to remember.
«Dear future self — right now I feel ___. I hope you found ___. Please remember ___.»
Core Values Clarification
Psychedelic experiences often illuminate the gap between how we live and what we value.
«My top 5 values are ___. Where am I most aligned — or misaligned — with these?»
Free Resources
6 sourcesSet & Setting
Popularized by psychedelic pioneer Timothy Leary and refined throughout the decades, “set and setting” is perhaps the most important principle in preparing for a psychedelic therapy experience.
- Current emotional state and stress levels
- Clarity and sincerity of your intention
- Prior trauma or unresolved material
- Beliefs about yourself and the experience
- Level of preparation and self-knowledge
- Trust in the process and willingness to surrender
- A safe, comfortable, and private space
- Trusted, supportive people present (or nearby)
- Comfortable temperature, lighting, and bedding
- Carefully curated music playlist
- No obligations or interruptions scheduled
- Nature access if possible (before/after)
Free Resources
4 sourcesAre You Ready? Checklist
Use these questions to honestly evaluate your readiness. This is a reflection exercise — not a pass/fail test.
Mental Health History
- Am I generally stable and grounded right now?
- Do I have a personal or family history of psychosis, mania, or schizophrenia? (If yes — consult a psychiatrist before proceeding)
- Am I currently in significant emotional distress or crisis?
Medications
- Am I taking any MAOIs or lithium? (Dangerous interactions — consult a doctor)
- Am I taking SSRIs or SNRIs? (May reduce effects; discuss with prescriber)
- Am I taking stimulant drugs, such as ADHD treatments? (May impact effects or cause a dangerous interaction; discuss with a doctor)
- Have I checked all drug interactions for my specific situation?
Experience Level
- If I’m a beginner, do I have an experienced guide or sitter?
- Have I used lower doses before with positive results?
- Am I planning to do this entirely alone with no experience? (Strongly discouraged)
Support System
- Is a trusted person available on the day — present or by phone?
- Do I have a post-session integration plan in place?
- Do I have a therapist or integration coach I can contact afterward?
Preparation
- Have I researched the substance thoroughly?
- Do I have a clear, heartfelt intention?
- Is my setting prepared — comfortable, safe, and free of obligations?
Day of the Session
The day of your session deserves as much care as the weeks of preparation leading up to it. Keep the morning quiet and unhurried. Avoid screens, news, and stressful conversations. Ground yourself in your intention. The checklists, music, and videos below will help you move through the day with confidence and ease.
Session Day Checklist
Use this helpful checklist on the day of your session. Each item is a small act of self-care and readiness. These are tips and are not obligatory for a successful experience, so do not feel pressured to do all of them.
Before (Morning)
- Wake slowly — no alarm rush, no phone
- Drink 2 glasses of water
- Eat a light, nourishing meal (if not fasting)
- Spend 10 min in quiet — meditation, journaling, or nature
- Read your intention statement aloud
- Confirm support person is available
- Put phone on Do Not Disturb / airplane mode
During — Environment
- Comfortable space prepared (pillows, blanket, eyeshade)
- Lighting set (soft, not harsh — candles or dim lamps)
- Playlist loaded and ready
- Water and light snacks accessible
- Bucket nearby (nausea is common at onset)
- Meaningful objects or photos visible
- No plans for at least 8 hours after dosing
After — Coming Down
- Eat something nourishing as appetite returns
- Journal while memories are fresh
- Connect briefly with support person
- Rest — sleep is deeply restorative tonight
- Avoid alcohol and cannabis for 24 hours
- Schedule integration session or call within 48 hours
Guided meditation & Body scan
Guided meditation and body scan practices are also powerful tools for preparing yourself before a psychedelic experience. They help settle the mind, deepen awareness of your body, and cultivate a state of calm presence. By tuning into your breath and physical sensations, you create a foundation that supports both preparation and integration. In the playlists below, you can find gentle guided meditations to help you arrive centered and ready.
Curated Psychedelic Playlists
Research from Johns Hopkins and NYU shows that music significantly shapes the emotional arc of the experience. These are the most trusted playlists used by therapists and researchers worldwide.
Tips for Music During a Session
- Use headphones or high-quality speakers — sound quality matters deeply
- Avoid lyrics that might distract or create narrative interference, especially at peak
- Prepare 6–8 hours of music so you never have to manage a device mid-session
- Have a gentle, grounding playlist ready for the later part of the experience
Short Educational Videos
Sometimes reading isn’t enough — watching an experienced guide or researcher explain these concepts can be deeply reassuring. These short videos cover the most important practical topics: how to prepare, what to do if things get challenging, breathing and grounding techniques, and integration basics.
How to Prepare for a Psychedelic Experience
Step-by-step practical preparation overview from experienced guides.
Play video: Navigating Difficult Moments in a Trip
Navigating Difficult Moments in a Trip
Harm reduction experts explain how to move through challenging experiences safely.
Play video: Box Breathing for Grounding
Box Breathing for Grounding
Simple breathing techniques that can be practiced before and used during an intense moment.
Play video: Grounding Techniques During Overwhelm
Grounding Techniques During Overwhelm
Somatic grounding practices — use your senses, your breath, and your body to return to safety.
Play video: What Psilocybin Does to Your Brain
What Psilocybin Does to Your Brain
Clear neuroscience explainer: what’s happening in the brain during a psychedelic experience.
Play video: The Therapeutic Model Explained
The Therapeutic Model Explained
Overview of the therapeutic psychedelic model from leading science communicators.
Integration Tools
The most important work often happens after the psychedelic experience. In the days, weeks, and months after psychedelic therapy, integration techniques and therapy are used to help maximize potential benefits. Integration is the process of weaving insights from your psychedelic experience into your daily life. Without it, profound experiences and benefits may slip away.
Coming Home to Yourself
These exercises and insights can help you process the emotional and cognitive material from your psychedelic experience and translate insights into meaningful, lasting change.
First Reflections
Think or write things down freely, without censoring. Don’t try to make sense of things yet — just capture impressions, images, emotions, and fragments.
"What images, feelings, or moments from the experience are most present for me right now? What felt most significant? What is lingering?"
Central Insights
Often one theme or insight stands above the rest. Try to distill the core of what you were shown or understood.
"If the experience had one central message or gift for me, what was it? How would I say it in one sentence?"
Processing Difficult Material
If challenging content arose — old wounds, grief, fear — give it space here. Difficulty is often where the deepest healing lives.
Prompt: "What difficult material came up? What does it want me to know? What would it feel like to fully allow it?"
Translating Insight into Action
Insights without action remain ideas. What specific changes would honour what you learned?
Prompt: "What would my life look like if I actually lived this insight? What is one small action I could take this week?"
30-Day Integration Check-In
Over 30–90 days, notice how your perspective, relationships, habits, and wellbeing are shifting.
Prompt: "What has changed in how I see myself, others, or the world? What patterns am I noticing shifts in?"
Gratitude & Closing
Acknowledge the experience with gratitude, regardless of how it felt. Difficult experiences often give the most.
Prompt: "What am I grateful for — including the hard parts? What do I want to honour and carry forward?"
Integration Email Program
Research suggests the post-experience period is a window of heightened neuroplasticity where intentional reflection can be especially powerful. These email programs send you timely prompts and reflection exercises at key points post journey to allow meaningful integration of insights into your life moving forward.
Free 30-Day Integration Program
Receive gentle, timely prompts delivered at the moments that matter most in your integration process.
Day 1
First Reflection
Capture impressions while fresh. Free-write, draw, or voice-record without judgment.
Day 3
The Core Insight
Distill the central message of your experience into words. What did you most need to hear?
Day 7
Insight to Action
Identify one concrete way to embody an insight in your daily life this week.
Day 14
Tracking Change
What's shifting? In relationships, habits, how you see yourself and the world?
Day 21
Difficult Material
Revisit anything challenging that arose. Often the hardest parts hold the deepest medicine.
Day 30
30-Day Check-In
A full review of your integration journey and intention for the weeks ahead.
Free Resources
4 sources
Integration Meditation Library
Meditation and somatic practices help you process emotions that live below language and maintain the open awareness that psychedelics can reveal.
Free Resources
3 sources
Safety & Harm Reduction
Harm reduction is a compassionate, evidence-based approach that focuses on minimising risks rather than promoting abstinence. These resources are for anyone who wants to stay as safe as possible — whether preparing their first experience, supporting a friend, or navigating a difficult moment.
Core Safety Principles
- Always test your substances — fentanyl and other adulterants are widespread (see DanceSafe below)
- Never combine psychedelics with MAOIs, lithium, or stimulants without medical guidance
- Ensure a trusted sober person knows what you're doing and can reach you
- Keep the setting secure — no driving, no dangerous environments
- Have a plan for what to do if things become difficult
- Start low, go slow — especially with new batches or substances
Dangerous Drug Combinations to Avoid
- Psilocybin/LSD + Lithium: Risk of seizures — do not combine
- MDMA + MAOIs: Life-threatening serotonin syndrome — never combine
- Any psychedelic + stimulants: Heightened anxiety, cardiovascular strain
- MDMA + other serotonergic drugs: Serotonin syndrome risk
Psychedelic Safety Guide
Safety in psychedelic use comes from knowledge, preparation, and honest self-assessment. Read this before — not during — your experience.
Free Resources
4 sourcesNavigating a Difficult Experience
Challenging moments are a natural part of psychedelic experiences — often the most transformative parts. Knowing what to do before you're in a difficult moment makes all the difference.
Trip-Sitter Guide
A trip sitter is someone who remains sober and present to support someone during a psychedelic experience. Being a good trip sitter requires presence, trust, patience, and the wisdom to know when to act — and when to simply be.
Core Principles
- Presence Over Intervention: The most powerful thing a sitter does is simply be there — calmly, without judgment, without needing to fix anything. Your calm presence is itself a source of safety.
- Talk Less, Listen More: Follow their lead. If they want to talk, listen. If they want silence, hold the space. Avoid introducing your own interpretations. Ask: "What do you need right now?"
- Physical Safety First: Ensure the environment is safe: no sharp objects unattended, no stairs without supervision, water accessible. You don't need to hover — just ensure they can't wander into danger.
- Support Through Difficulty: If they're in distress, stay calm. Speak softly. Say: "You're safe. This is the medicine working. I'm right here." Gentle physical contact (hand, shoulder) can be grounding — ask first.
- Know When to Get Help: Call emergency services if they risk hurting themselves or others, have taken unknown substances, or are having a medical emergency. Call Fireside for non-medical crises.
- The Next Day: Check in the following day. A brief, warm conversation — not diving into analysis — helps them feel supported. Offer to help connect them with an integration therapist if needed.
Before You Sit for Someone
- Confirm you will be 100% sober for the entire duration
- Know the substance they're taking and its expected duration
- Have the Fireside Project number saved: 623-473-7433
- Know the nearest hospital and emergency numbers
- Agree on a word or signal they can use if they need intervention
- Clear your own schedule — this is a full commitment
