How to Avoid a “Bad Trip” with the Psilocybin Mushroom Medicine
With roots in indigenous traditions and emerging applications in modern mental health treatment, psilocybin is a powerful natural medicine. Here’s how to plan a meaningful healing experience.
Psilocybin, the natural medicine also known as “magic mushrooms,” is known for unlocking profound experiences within the mind, body, and spirit.
While psilocybin research is still in its early stages, it’s generating excitement for its potential to treat anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Initial studies suggest psilocybin-assisted therapy can significantly reduce symptoms, with some benefits lasting for months. Researchers believe psilocybin may work by promoting neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections.
If you’re considering psilocybin-assisted therapy as a potential pathway toward healing, it’s natural to have questions and maybe even some nerves.
“How do I avoid a bad trip?” is a common question I hear, as a psychedelic integration therapist, from people exploring psychoactive medicines.
While there’s no guaranteed way to avoid a challenging experience, you can reduce the likelihood by focusing on set + setting.
“Set” refers to your mindset and intentions going into the journey. “Setting” refers to the physical environment.
By curating an intentional set and setting, you (and any practitioners, therapists, or guides you may be working with) can increase the likelihood of a meaningful healing experience.
IMPORTANT NOTES
A challenging trip isn’t necessarily “bad.” Difficult emotions, sensations, or memories surfacing can be a part of the healing process. Psychedelics can unearth valuable information about yourself. It’s what you do with that information that matters most. If you happen to have a challenging experience with psilocybin, it can be helpful to process it with a psychedelic integration therapist.
As part of efforts to decolonize psychedelic therapy, it’s important to acknowledge the long history of psilocybin use within Indigenous communities. While psilocybin-assisted therapy is a relatively new concept in Western mental health, the therapeutic potential of psilocybin is not a novel discovery. For millennia, it has played a central role in spiritual and healing practices across the globe – including the Mazatec tradition in Mexico, home of the curandera María Sabina.
DISCLAIMERS
If you’re interested in engaging with psychedelic medicines, be sure to check the current laws in your area. As of this blog’s publication date, psilocybin is not yet legally available for therapeutic use in most places. However, research and legal landscapes are evolving, slowly opening up more access to psychedelic medicines and psychedelic-assisted therapy. Several cities have decriminalized psilocybin, including Denver, Colorado; Oakland, California; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Psilocybin may interact with medications or underlying health conditions. Before considering psilocybin therapy, it’s crucial to disclose any medications/substances you are taking and any pre-existing mental or physical health conditions to your medical provider. Before engaging with psilocybin, you are responsible for making decisions that align with your medical context.
This blog post is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as a substitute for professional medical advice.
Now, let’s explore best practices for an intentional + meaningful psilocybin journey.
Whether you are experiencing this medicine in a structured therapeutic context (retreat, 1:1 session, group session), ceremonial setting, or a self-guided journey, consider these factors to create your ideal set & setting.
1. MENTAL CONSUMPTION
In the days leading up to your psilocybin journey, minimize screen time. The constant stimulation of screens can fragment your attention. The content you consume (messages, images, news headlines) may linger in your consciousness and impact your psilocybin experience in an unwanted way.
Instead of scrolling mindlessly on social media, consider practices like meditation, spending time in nature, listening to music, or journaling. This mental decluttering will create space within you for introspection, creativity, and curiosity.
Additionally, don’t look at screens during your psilocybin experience. Minimize screen time for 48 hours afterward. Keep your focus on your inner experience.
2. PHYSICAL CONSUMPTION
Be mindful of what you eat and drink in the days and hours leading up to your psilocybin journey. Listen to your body, and eat foods that nourish and energize you. Drink plenty of water.
Consuming psilocybin mushrooms can cause nausea for some people. It’s recommended to not eat anything beforehand that would increase your susceptibility to nausea.
3. AUDIO LANDSCAPE
Music plays a significant role in the psychedelic experience. It’s often referred to as the “hidden therapist.”
If you’re choosing your own music:
Prioritize calming and introspective pieces that resonate with you.
Opt for songs that you haven’t heard many times before. Familiar songs may bring you down an old storyline that you’re trying to step out of. Meanwhile, fresh melodies can keep your mind open and curious.
Avoid music with lyrics, especially those with negative or unsettling themes.
If you’re working with a guide, therapist, or ceremony facilitator: they’ll create a playlist or provide live music for you. Feel free to ask them questions about their music selection process.
4. SENSORY NEEDS
Psilocybin can amplify your senses – making smells stronger, colors brighter, and sounds louder. Choose a well-controlled environment that aligns with your comfort level and sensory needs.
Your body temperature may fluctuate during the psilocybin journey. Have extra layers on hand, such as a blanket or sweater. Bring fresh water to sip on. Wear comfortable clothing.
If you’re working with a guide, therapist, or ceremony facilitator, don’t hesitate to ask them questions and make requests as you consider potential sensory sensitivities. Here are some examples:
Will there be any strong smells in the room, like incense or essential oils?
What kind of blankets and pillows will be available?
Will there be any distracting sounds in the environment, like traffic noise or air conditioning? Would I be able to use headphones with calming music?
Will there be any physical activities involved, or is it primarily a lying or seated experience?
5. VISUAL LANDSCAPE
Make sure the space is clean and visually appealing. Remove anything that might be distracting, like cluttered shelves, awkwardly placed objects, or jarring artwork.
Some people like to bring special objects and photos to serve as a visual anchor or healing altar.
You might spend parts of the journey open-eyed, and other parts with eyes closed or wearing an eye mask. Either way, a visually clean environment does wonders for focus and flow — particularly for highly sensitive people who are prone to overstimulation.
Aim for soft, calm lighting – absolutely no fluorescents! It’s ideal to have a variety of lighting options, so that you (or your guide) can adjust the brightness as needed. Some people find complete darkness to be beneficial, while others prefer a low level of light, candles, or different colors of light.
6. TIMING
Choose a time that works well for you, whether that’s daytime, nighttime, weekday, or weekend. The date of your journey might hold personal significance, aligning with life events or specific phases of the moon cycle.
The most noticeable effects of psilocybin tend to last 4-6 hours (with variations depending on dosage, individual nervous systems, method of consumption, set & setting, and other factors). Some people prefer to journey with natural light, and to come out of the experience as the sun is setting. Others find that darkness creates a sense of privacy and allows them to go deep.
Whatever time you choose, it’s crucial to clear your schedule for the entire day of your psilocybin journey. This includes avoiding any meetings, errands, or draining social interactions. The goal is to be fully present with the experience and allow yourself ample time for integration afterwards. Ideally, take the following day off entirely to rest and process.
7. INTENTIONS
Setting intentions can make the difference between an aimless, overwhelming trip and a meaningful journey. An intention is a word or phrase that prepares your awareness for the journey. Here are some examples:
Connect with myself, guides, nature, community, soul, spirit, ancestors…
Explore X emotion, X issue in my life, relationship with X…
Be curious, open, present, grateful, playful…
Release. Allow. Accept. Be. Breathe. Forgive. Rest.
Or maybe your intention is an image, symbolizing a quality you’d like to embody (compassion, confidence, courage) or a value that you hold (community, kindness, strength).
While intentions are not a promise or expectation of what will happen, they can influence the direction and flow of your journey.
Consider setting 1-3 intentions for your psilocybin experience. Write down your intentions, or speak them aloud, beforehand.
If you ever feel lost or disoriented during your journey, revisit your intentions. They’re an anchor that can guide you back to yourself.
After the journey, integration is essential.
Whether your experience was pleasant, awe-inspiring, neutral, challenging, or confusing, give yourself time to integrate and process.
Your psilocybin journey may reveal important information to you – about your subconscious mind, your emotional landscape, your spirit/soul, and the link between past and present.
A psychedelic integration therapist can help you unpack this information and apply it meaningfully to your life.
It’s important to remember that psychedelic medicines, whether psilocybin, ketamine, or plant medicines like ayahuasca and San Pedro, are not a quick fix. They won’t solve all your problems or heal everything overnight.
Instead, they offer an opportunity for your nervous system to experience yourself differently — shifting from anxiety to curiosity, from depression to hope, or from self-judgment to compassion.
This altered state of consciousness becomes a neurobiological template: a mind-body state that you can reference, remember, and re-create. Through integration work, you can transform temporary shifts of consciousness into lasting traits.
In other words: The psilocybin journey can be a catalyst for change… but it’s the integration process that allows you to cultivate hope, curiosity, relaxation, and joy in your daily life.
Do you need help preparing or processing a psychedelic experience?
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About the Author
Liz Zhou is holistic trauma therapist providing virtual therapy services in Colorado. She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults and couples heal from the past and connect with their authentic selves. Liz’s specialties include EMDR, IFS, psychedelic integration, and therapy intensives.
