Psychedelics affect a person’s senses, thinking, and mood. They can induce a range of psychological effects, which can be quite potent depending on the substance and the dose. What sets psychedelics apart from other substances is that they can produce what is often referred to as “non-ordinary” or “altered” states of consciousness. 

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Research into psychedelics as emerging treatments in medicine is ongoing. Psychedelics are often promoted as remedies for numerous conditions for which there is no evidence of effectiveness at all. However, there have been promising results for the following psychedelics and conditions:

• • Ketamine: treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), some substance use disorders, and anxiety disorders

• • LSD: some substance use disorders, generalized anxiety disorder

• • MDMA: PTSD

• • Psilocybin: end-of-life distress, depressive disorders, some substance use disorders

Microdosing – the regular consumption of very low doses of psychedelics without the high – has gained popularity in the past few years.

Depending on the substance and the dose, there can be short-term negative effects – distress, fear, anxiety, paranoia, as well as a loss of motor coordination. Taking high doses of psychedelics increases the risk of negative effects, but on their own (that is, in the absence of other substances like alcocol), and in realistic quantities, psychedelics are not known to lead to fatal overdose. The risk can be there if someone walks into public places under heavy influence of the substance and suffers an accident.

Psychedelics are generally not considered addictive, with the exception of ketamine. Like other psychoactive substances, there is a potential risk of psychological dependence on psychedelics. Even the contrary can be often observed, that even if someone woud like to have a trip, they just postpone it because it takes a lot of time commitment (4-5 hours the trip itself, clearing the day after schedule as well from commitments, organising a sober sitter friend) and the anticipation what it will move inside one’s psyche can be good enough reason to rather postpone it than rushing into it. And also afterwards, it dosn’t matter if the trip was good or bad, people revere this experience and want to have a “god fearing” distance from it, like a peak spiritual experience, it is special, extraordinary, sacred, not for the everyday. You won’t want to book your next trip in two weeks at all. For many, as the studies have shown, a single trip in their lifetime does and did everything and more they have ever hoped from it. Even I as a service provider am setting up my business modell, if you will, with the awareness and expectation that even in the case of a 10/10 mushroom experience, the client will never return, but hopefully will become an evangelist for the cause. To note, ketamine, which is not a classical psychedelic but behaves effecticely as one, can be different in this sense, and can be psychologically addictive. This also has to do with the fact that it lasts about an hour, compared to mushrooms 4-5 hours, or MDMA 8-10 hours, LSD 10-12 hours, it is easier to want to repeat it.

I recommend watching this 5 minute video about the risks. Scientists have ranked legal and illegal substances based on how dangerous they are to society. Alcohol and tobacco ranked on top, and magic mushrooms ranked the lowest. There is no lethal dose to psychedelics, noone died due to overdose on the substance itself.

In the context of psychedelic-assisted treatment, patients having a psychedelic experience can be quite vulnerable, and there have been documented incidents of abuse by therapists conducting psychedelic-assisted therapy. This points to the need for regulation and oversight. Due to limitation of motoric functions a person on psychedelics can be vulnerable and at the mercy of to their surroundings, f.ex. being mobbed in a party setting.

One more ontological risk could be, that due to the morally and spiritually strong revelatory experience the client would find it impossible to go back to a lifestyle that was based on immorality or spiritual or other forms of abuse, of stealing, cheating etc. This sounds like this is all considered a good thing, but it can shake one’s life on thr short term, which is a risk one should know about. What am I meaning: if someone worked as a banker, or stock exchange trader, for big oil, big pharma, or as a sex worker, or on a slaughterhouse, butchering animals, or any type of work or private relationship settings that are “normal” and legal in society, yet they go against higher law of morality and conscience. Any situation where deceit of self or others plays a part is hard to go back to after psychedelics. 

There are risks for certain populations, living with psychiatric, or personality disorders, like schizofrenia, active psychosis, it can trigger the manic episode with people living with bipolar depression. In very rare cases people can’t distinguish afterwards between this sober reality and the mushroom world. I pre-screen for these conditions and won’t work with populations at risk, full stop. There is a risk of ego inflation with prevalent narcissistic tendencies or actual NPD (narcissistic personality disorder), where after the trip the person feels special, chosen, god-like, having messiah complex. Sometimes with LSD there is a chance for HPPD (Hallucinogen Persistent Perception Disorder), which entails having visual sensations lasting beyond the trip, this usually resolves on it’s own. There is a risk of mushroom poisioning, if someone decides to forage wild mushrooms in nature (which exist of course), and misidentifies species. To clarify, the Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms I work with come from safe and controlled, production settings, not from the wild. They have been seen in action before and they work properly as they ought to.

People use psychedelics for many reasons, including recreational, therapeutic, and spiritual / cultural.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy is a treatment focused on a series of sessions, at least one of which includes the use of a psychedelic drug as a tool or adjunct to help and facilitate the process. A program will usually involve: 

• • preparation sessions that encourage trust help strengthen the relationship between the client and their service provider, including discussing expectations about the therapy and preparing the client for the often profound effects of the psychedelic drug.

• • active dosing session(s) with the psychedelic drug during which significant cognitive, perceptual and emotional experiences may encourage significant and new insights about self and the way one sees the world.

• • integration sessions that help the client and their provider process what was discussed and/or experienced during the active dosing session, and what those discussions and/or experiences mean for the client’s goals.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy is under a trained professional’s supervision, includes coaching/ supervision/counseling/psychotherapy and support before, during, and after the psychedelic dosing session, and the substance is part of an integrated program of a helping relationship and self-exploration as opposed to providing the drug as an isolated treatment. The helping relationship itself with a a professional who has empathetic, congruent, and unconditionally accepting attitude constitutes in large part of the beneficial effect that the substance is assisting with and is speeding up. Clinical studies have shown that even patients in the placebo group (who thought they would get pychedelics, but actually weren’t) had improved results after the therapy sessions, not as good as the substance group, but nonetheless they did improve. Taking a psychedelic drug outside of treatment or a clinical trial is in most cases illegal and not something we can recommend or assist with. 

With ICPIC, no, it isn’t. In most countries the term psychotherapy is protected, and only certified psychotherapists can offer it, who have a masters degree as Psychologist, another 3 years of diploma Clinical Psychologist, and another 2-4 years Psychotherapist advanced study certification. I am not one of those. I might add, that legislation varies from country to country, the above is true for Hungary. In The US psychotherapy and psychotherapist certification is understood more broadly. Psychotherapy is also a mental health service, regulated in health care laws and legislations, this is why it can be covere sometimes via health insurance. 

The implications for this for the client is, that if you are looking for psychotherapy, you won’t be getting it here. What you can get, is preparation and integration sessions in coaching, supervision modality, and dosage session with psilocybin mushroom. This is not a healing modality, so you will not see or hear terms used like patient, healing, medication, diagnosis or psychotherapy. I am also not a psychiatrist, who would be a medical doctor with psychiatry specialisation and/or psychotherapist additional training, and can prescribe medication. This matters because you deserve the right intervention for your specific need, by a professional who is certified, licensed and skilled to provide you with what you need. The only ethical way for me to provide this nascent modality is to inform you with the best of my ability on the scope of my core competencies and to act within those scope. Here is again a reminder of my trainings, diplomas and certifications.

When I use the term therapy or therapist in the context of my work at ICPIC, I never imply psychotherapy or pychotherapist, but therapy in the broader sense, as the term is utilized in other (not even psychological) professions as well, it may mean f.ex. treatment.

None of this is health care or legal advice, for health care advice please consult with your GP.

All drugs are partially decriminalized, yet psychedelics remain illegal.  All in all it is one of the most progressive stances to date in Europe, this article summarizes it well: https://tripsitter.com/legal/spain/

Decriminalized means, that you do not go to prison for use of psychedelics, it is not a crime. You can own them and ingest them in a private space, but you mustn’t ingest them in public, nor sell them, you mustn’t travel with them, neither domestically, nor cross borders with them. You will get in trouble at airport screenings if it is found.

The legal framework of my offering is secure based on this, you are ingesting them in a private space, you don’t own them, you are not buying drugs, but a complex coaching experience.

I quote from the article: “Psilocybin belongs to Annex I of the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which Spain signed in 1978. As a result, the law explicitly prohibits the sale of psychedelic mushrooms. 

In addition to psilocybin, Annex I contains substances with no accepted medicinal value. However, reputable institutions such as John Hopkins advocate the reclassification of psilocybin because of its potential therapeutic applications and low likelihood of abuse.

However, the posession, use, and personal cultivation of dried or fresh magic mushrooms are decriminalized in Spain. That said, penalties for possession and sale can range from one to three years in prison and a fine of twice the value of the substance involved.

Mushroom spores and cultivation kits are legal if they are intended for mycological study or ornamental use.”

You have to bear in mind that the laws of your home country might apply to you also being abroad. 

None of this is legal advice, consult with your legal representative on this issue.

No, it isn’t. Also, I invoice you for coaching, if that can be relevant to you.

This recent report, Psychedelic medicine: A rapid review of therapeutic applications and implications for future research. Key findings., from the Homewood Research Institute summarizes what we know about potential therapeutic uses of psychedelics.  

A lot of research on psychedelics is currently underway around the globe. At CAMH, there are research projects investigating the safety and efficacy of psilocybin for obsessive-compulsive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, alcohol use disorder, and major depressive disorder. Elsewhere, research is investigating MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, LSD-assisted therapy for anxiety related to life-threatening illness, and many other conditions. There is also research being conducted in legalized religious contexts and other ritualistic settings, as well as surveys of the general population that are exploring the nature and extent of psychedelics use and the potential benefits and risks for overall mental wellness.

Language-wise, someone who speaks English, German, Swiss German, or Hungarian, as I am fluent or native in these languages. I don’t work yet in Spanish. Someone, who has not been diagnosed with physical, mental, psychological or psychiatric condition that is contraindicative for this work (see more on that in the informed consent form, f.ex. untreated high blood pressure, pregnancy (we might do a pregnancy test prior experiential), history of psychosis, schizofrenia, bipolar disorder, active suicidal ideation, and more), or not someone who needs a healing modality, as I am not offering health care service. Someone who comes prepared with clear and benevolent intentions, who doesn’t see magic mushrooms as a silver bullet, or a panacea for all ills and aches in their lives, but who is willing to put in the work, f.ex. through integration sessions, lifestyle adjustments, healthy decisions and actions. This increases the chances immensely that you would be set up for success in your hopes and expectations. This is why I only provide my services including rigorous integration sessions, which are sometimes even more important, than the mind altering substance.

Many people who want to take magic mushrooms are already on a prescription and want to know whether their medication is safe to combine with psychedelic substances.

Although psilocybin has been shown to effectively treat depression and a number of other mental health conditions, there are some antidepressant medications that could have dangerous or undesirable interactions with the substance.

We always recommend checking in with your healthcare provider before mixing any psychedelic with your medications. However, below is a guide to what we know about some of the most common medications, and the risky combinations of psilocybin and antidepressants that you should avoid.

Psilocybin is the main psychoactive component of psychedelic mushrooms, also known as “shrooms” “psychedelic truffles” or “magic mushrooms.”  Since its scientific discovery in 1958, psilocybin has been used extensively in clinical research, with over 40,000 patients receiving this drug without serious adverse events. 

Psilocybin is converted in the stomach to psilocin, which crosses the blood-brain barrier, and then works by exerting partial agonist effects on brain 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 2A receptors, among others, and can alter normal waking consciousness. Common effects include unusual and colourful visuals with eyes open or shut, disintegration of ‘self’ or ‘ego’, unconstrained explorative thinking, cognitive, affective and perceptual changes, and a sense of connectedness to self, others and the world. Ingesting psilocybin, in the form of mushrooms or truffles, produces an intense psychedelic experience that lasts several hours.

By altering several different neurotransmitter systems in the brain, magic mushrooms or truffles activate serotonergic receptors on neurons, causing several brain systems to significantly change, and a wave of unique excitatory activity to spread throughout the main perceptual centers of the mind.

This has significant cognitive effects, including ego-dissolution, changes in external perception, alterations in the subjective experience of time, and even a full blown mystical experience.

Psilocybin has been shown to significantly reduce symptoms in people suffering from severe depression, and these positive changes last longer than typical treatments, especially if they are supported by skillful therapeutic integration programs, like Synthesis Therapy offers.

However, most typical antidepressants also work on the serotonergic system, so there is a risk of overstimulating the body if you combine psilocybin with certain medications.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed medications for depression, OCD, PTSD, and other anxiety disorders. Some of the most well-known SSRIs include:

• Citalopram (Celexa, Cipramil)
• Escitalopram (Lexapro, Cipralex)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox, Faverin)
• Paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat)
• Sertraline (Zoloft, Lustral)

SSRIs work by preventing the clearance of excess serotonin from the brain, meaning that serotonin levels are temporarily boosted. While in rare cases, it has been hypothesized that this can lead to serotonin syndrome, with proper guidance and supervision, such risks can be mitigated. Synthesis accepts individuals on SSRIs, and it depends on medical history, and other factors. 

Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) are a class of antidepressant medications that boost both serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain. Similarly to SSRIs, their mechanism of action is largely unknown. Some typically prescribed SNRIs are:

• Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq, Khedezla)
• Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
• Levomilnacipran (Fetzima)
• Milnacipran (Ixel, Savella)
• Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)

Just like with SSRIs, we would expect SNRIs to overlap with the effects of psilocybin. However, there are no reports of serious adverse effects of combining the two. If anything, taking SNRIs appears to reduce the effects of psychedelics – but you should not use psilocybin unless you have professional guidance supporting you.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) are a class of substances sometimes used as antidepressants, or in the treatment of anxiety disorders. They work by preventing the breakdown of monoamine neurotransmitters – this includes dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. The result is a boost in the levels of these neurotransmitters in the brain.

Common MAOI medications include:

• Bifemelane (Alnert, Celeport)
• Caroxazone (Surodil, Timostenil)
• Isocarboxazid (Marplan)
• Metralindole (Inkazan)
• Moclobemide (Aurorix, Manerix)
• Phenelzine (Nardil)
• Pirlindole (Pirazidol)
• Selegiline (Eldepryl, Zelapar, Emsam)
• Tranylcypromine (Parnate)
• Toloxatone (Humoryl)

Since MAOIs affect the levels of serotonin in the brain and body, and psilocybin works through the serotonergic system, it is likely that combining the two will have additional unintended effects. There is the small possibility of serotonin syndrome if MAOIs are combined with psilocybin. As such it is advised to avoid taking large doses of psilocybin if you are taking MAOIs. We do not recommend the use of “psilohuasca”, combining Hermaline and other MAOIs traditionally used in “ayahuasca” with psilocybin.

However, some people have reported that combining MAOIs with classic psychedelics reduces the effect of the psychedelic. As always, it is recommended to start with small doses.

Note: mixing MAOIs with MDMA has potentially fatal effects as the risk of serotonin syndrome is much higher. Do not ever mix MAOIs with MDMA.

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) and Tetracyclic Antidepressants (TeCAs) are medications that are less commonly seen in Western medicine due to the preference for so-called “third generation” antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs).

Some of the most well-known TCAs and TeCAs are:

• Amineptine (Survector, Maneon)
• Amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep)
• Amitriptylinoxide (Amioxid, Ambivalon, Equilibrin)
• Amoxapine (Asendin)
• Clomipramine (Anafranil)
• Desipramine (Norpramin, Pertofrane)
• Dibenzepin (Noveril, Victoril)
• Dimetacrine (Istonil)
• Dosulepin (Prothiaden)
• Doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan)
• Imipramine (Tofranil)
• Lofepramine (Lomont, Gamanil)
• Maprotiline (Ludiomil)
• Melitracen (Dixeran, Melixeran, Trausabun)
• Mianserin (Tolvon)
• Mirtazapine (Remeron)
• Nitroxazepine (Sintamil)
• Nortriptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl)
• Noxiptiline (Agedal, Elronon, Nogedal)
• Opipramol (Insidon)
• Pipofezine (Azafen/Azaphen)
• Protriptyline (Vivactil)
• Setiptiline (Tecipul)
• Tianeptine (Stablon, Coaxil)
• Trimipramine (Surmontil)

TCAs and TeCAs work in a similar way to SNRIs, by boosting the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. However they also activate a wide range of additional receptors, and also block some ion channels, contributing to their dangerously diverse range of side-effects.

Since TCAs and TeCAs have a less sophisticated effect on physiology and have been known to cause deaths by their effects on the heart, it is not recommended to mix these with psilocybin. In doubt, please contact your mental health care provider. The psychedelic experience is intense, and it is not wise to combine any substance that affects your heart or physiology with psilocybin.

Lithium is often given as a mediator in combination with TCAs. Numerous reports suggest that Lithium, when mixed with psychedelics, can cause fatal seizures or heart attacks. Do not mix psilocybin and Lithium.

Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (NRIs) and Norepinephrine-Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRIs) are substances used in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. They work by increasing the amount of norepinephrine (or norepinephrine and dopamine, in the case of NDRIs) available in the brain.

NRIs have mixed evidence of effectiveness, and it’s possible that some are less effective than placebo.

Some classic NRIs and NDRIs include:

• Atomoxetine (Strattera)
• Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
• Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta)
• Reboxetine (Edronax)
• Teniloxazine (Lucelan, Metatone)
• Viloxazine (Vivalan)

It is unknown if psilocybin and NRIs/NDRIs interact. As far as we know, psilocybin does not significantly affect the norepinephrinergic or dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems. However, to be safe, do not combine psilocybin with an NDRI.

Serotonin Modulators and Stimulators (SMSs) and Serotonin Antagonists and Reuptake Inhibitors (SARIs) are two classes of antidepressant medications that are similar to SSRIs, but in addition to boosting serotonin levels in the brain, also activate (or deactivate) a number of additional serotonin receptors.

As such, these medications have more complex effects on the serotonergic system. Medications include:

• Trazodone (Desyrel)
• Vilazodone (Viibryd)
• Vortioxetine (Trintellix)

Since these substances will affect the serotonin system in a potentially less predictable way than SSRIs. To be safe, we do not recommend combining these with psilocybin.

Lithium is often given as a mediator in combination with TCAs, but can also be prescribed on its own for the treatment of depression.

Its mode of action is unknown, but there are multiple reports of Lithium being a dangerous substance to combine with psychedelics. It has been reported to cause seizures, heart failure, and even death.

We advise staying away from psilocybin if you are taking Lithium.

If your antidepressant isn’t listed here, or if you are curious about non-antidepressant interactions with psilocybin, we first recommend contacting your healthcare provider.

In addition, this chart shows the known interactions between substances and psychedelic substances and highlights the dangerous ones that you should certainly avoid.

At any moment before the ingestion at your volition you are entitled change your mind. After the ingestion of mind altering substance you abide by the pre-agreed relational contracting of not leaving the premises until your faciitator sees you fit to do so, for your own safety. Your facilitator can also make the call up until the last minute that you will not be ingesting psilocybin that day, primarely due to safety concerns, if you have f.Ex. very high blood pressure, (as psilocybin tends to elevate it temporarily) which I do measure before, during and after the experiential. As well as blood oxygen saturation and pulse via a finger clip on small device.

Our refund and returns policy lasts 30 days. If 30 days have passed since your purchase without having had the first preparation session, we can’t offer you a full refund or exchange.

To be eligible for a partial refund, you may signal maximum 3 calendar days after the first completed preparation session, then you are entitled for a 75% refund of your purchase. If you back down from the experiential session, you are entitled for a 60% refund. See more on program conditions at the individual product descripition page in the webshop.

The question is relevant in the sense that although this field is still very nascent, there is a historic background that facilitators/therapists might hail from. And I hail from neither of those: one would be the plant medicine indigenous world, the other would be the medicalizing health care field. Some have exposure to psychedelics by having traveled to South-America, let’s say to an ayahuasca ceremony retreat. Their facilitator was most likely a native, South American person, who lives in close connection to ancestral wisdom through their own inherited lineage, they might be called a curandero, curandera (indigenous healer) or shaman, and their role has an additional layer with that aspect, that culturally and spiritually they add something, or at least there can be that perception on the receiving end. I also do not have a particular history with drug use, if you will, I was way closer to 40 rather than to 30 at the time when I ingested psychedelics for the first time (and only for self-knowledge enhacing purposes, never in a party setting for fun).

The other source would be, let’s say a medical doctor, an academic or psychotherapist who is conducting clinical research study and who would be taking in research study participants who get access to psychedelic-assisted therapy this way. Both the fact of the facilitator’s medical background, and the rigorous setting of the research study protocol create an athmosphere and a relationship dynamic that is, again, vastly different described to the scenario in the jungle of South America.

What I am describing here is also the difference in having created a different power dynamic between client and provider, autonomy/agency for the client, accountability of the provider and level of being able to know your provider’s background. There is a difference between spiritual worldviews, a tribal healer would most likely refer to some sort of spiritual, religious power that does the healing, an academic researcher would be most likely spiritually agnostic and often would come with an overtly atheist worldview. I am not putting a value judgement to this aspect, but you, as the client should. You should have an idea of what setting and framework you want your experience to be in. I am a diploma Pentecostal Theologian, Pastor, former Youth Pastor in a charismatic-free Christian congregation. I grew up in a Christian, faith practicing family. I was once payed staff and senior leadership member of my church. I am also a diploma Supervisor, which means, that I can work with helping professionals and offer supervision, which is a self-reflective learning process on one’s own professional persona and functioning. I am also ICF certified coach in several methods: solution-focused brief coaching, and different methods of Jungian coaching. The first is more cognitive, a joyous, client empowering, mobilizing and future oriented modality, the latter, Jungian approach has more to do with the unconscious, working with symbolic language, it allows a “deeper” inquiry. As a diploma Drawing Assessment Specialist I may use drawing exercises within preparation or integration sessions. I can get information from your personality, energy, motivations, etc. from your drawing tests. Ultimately, as an IPI certified Psychedelic-assisted Therapy Provider I have the skills and expertise to conduct the process from A to Z that you find here as a service offering on this website: the preparation, the facilitation of the dosing session, and the integration of all of it. 

Having been born in 1981, I am a late millenial, and those cultural markers fit me indeed. My MBTI personality type is INFJ, and for me to do this work is “a very INFJ thing to do”. I am often described as someone, who has a natural calm, and depth of soul, and this often helps my clients to trust me and through that to really lean in to the work on themselves.

What this boils down to, I am neither a shaman, nor a doctor in a lapcoat. You will come to my rental apartment’s guestroom, and not into a ceremony tent in the middle of the jungle, nor into a chlorine smelling doctor’s office. 

I take responsability in being an expert in my particular field, but you are also an expert: you are the expert of your own life. My attitude will be continuously strengthening you, empowering you within your own resources. This will show both in preparation, in the non-directive approach in the dosing session and in the integration conversations.

The subjective effects of the work that you will perceive can be healing and therapeutic, nonetheless I am not qualified to put the label healing, or psychotherapy onto my services. This will limit the audencies whom I can serve, this is the ethical way for me to inform you about my scope of competencies.

 I feel very privileged to be part of this field, particularly to be part of a chapter in your life where important things may happen for you through my service to you. I bring in my gifts, my talents, my professionalism, my humanity, and with that, the humbling awareness that I am fallible, too, to the table. And yes, I bring the psilocybin mushroom, too and the fact that I have experienced them and have benefited immensly from them.

After medical checks (measuring blood pressure, pulse, if relevant: pregnancy test, covid-test) the pre-agreed dose of magic mushroom (dried and/or ground up) (1-5 gram), would be consumed orally with a glass of water or mixed in orange juice (see: “lemon-tek”), or chewed dry (it has a typical mushroom taste, like champignons, earthy flavour). The participant is laying at this point in a bed or couch in a room that can be the providers’ room, or your hotel room, wearing comfortable clothing. There are blankets available, as it is normal and typical that psychedelics cause body temperature to first decrease, then increase. Eyeshades and headphones are applied, with curated music list. The facilitator is sitting on a chair next to the participant. Onset of psilocybin takes about 15-60 minutes, and the trip effect lasts about 4-5 hours. There are snacks, like banana (for electrolites), bottle of water, a bucket to get sick in readily available. The faciliator may approach at times, and provide touch, in a manner that had been agreed upon in the preparation sessions. It is normal for the participant to express emotions, to talk, cry, have voluntary or involuntary body movements, sweat (might want to bring change of clothes) or to stay inwards silent even for a prolonged time. In such cases the facilitator would check in after about an hour with the participant. Interactions with the facilitator may vary, the goal is to support you best. Or the opposite: the client feels the need to talk (to themselves mostly) and narrate enthusiastically what they are experiencing, talking through realisations, breakthroughs, or reacting to whatever comes up for them. The facilitator has a non-directive aproach during the dosing session, meaning, in this highly suggestable mindset there is no directive conversation, he is following your lead, your pace, and remains non-judgemental, not expressing value judgements, but is providing a safe space for you to be, to feel and think what you need to feel and think. The only time when he acts directive is for safety measures. You will have agreed to not leave the premises until the effects of the substance have worn off, and your facilitator agrees with you in that. Typically that might be the case 6-7 hours after ingestion, individually can vary. You musn’t drive till the following morning. You need to drink enough water up until 2 hours before ingestion, but not afterwards so you won’t have to use the bathroom too often and thus interrupt your experience, and do not eat a heavy meal before, as you might get sick. You can take medication to prevent getting sick. Dosing session typically happen in the morning. In the days and weeks leading to the dosing session try to abstain from alkohol, sex, have healthy sleep routine, eat healthy, and calm your nervous system in every aspect possible (abstaining from situations, encounters, environments that are not calming you). Set intentions, journal, meditate. All this will be discussed in preparation sessions as well.

Your data is stored in secure, password protected devices and applications, the entire experience is protected by confidentiality. The only time when this is overridden is, if and when you inform me that your or someone else’s life is in immediate danger, or you admit to a crime that has implications in the present, then I am obliged to call 911 and/or inform authorities. The session will be video recorded and stored in secure, state of the art cloud solution, for training purposes, solely for ICPIC’s upcoming integration coach training material. The video recording also serves as a safety measure of accountability, as a quasi second facilitator, and it may be invaluable for the client to listen back the exact words and themes that they had explored, that they might not remember in all it’s entirety after the session, if they request it. It can help a lot with integrating the breakthroughs. You can opt out of this.

It is advisable that you do not. I provide a carefully curated playlist, that has been intended exactly for this type of experience. You might feel strongly about this, but there are arguments to this. Your music experience might get strongly imprinted with the altered state of conciousness experience and listening to it in other circumstances later might make you not pay attention on your external surroundings enough, which can have undesirable consequences.

An excellent starting point would be the website of MAPS, www.maps.org

My IPI lecturer, best selling author Michael Pollan has a documentary series running on Netflix, with a psilocybin episode, too.

Yes, absolutely, either with or without psychedelics.

Yes. SSRI‘s (antidepressants) are acting against psilocybin, and can interfere with the epxerience or make you not get into altered states. This is a major heath care decision that you need to make with having consulted with your health care provider, I am not making you do anything. Tapering off means a gradual descrease of dosage until your are off of it, but never leave your SSRI medication abruptly. You need to gradually taper back after the experience, you can’t just declare yourself healed, this is a decision to be made with your medical doctor.

In short, yes you are. I also offer discount for these and other groups, ask for the coupon code. I meet my clients with respect, acceptance and empathy in their identities, preferred pronouns, personal histories, traumas.

In short, no I won’t. Not only because that would be unethical, unprofessional and spiritual abuse, but it is also not necessary. I trust your inner wisdom. Psychedelics can occasion mystical experiences, sense of oneness with the Universe, which can feel spiritual/religious in their nature, yet the work is and remains client-driven: you will make meaning of what comes up for you. Sometimes the experience is ineffable, sacred, where words will fail. Awe is one of the great gifts that this substance evokes that has immense healing capacity. I have great sensibility and respect for what humans are capable of. There will be no religious symbols present in the premises. The music playlist is not religiously affiliated, it is mostly instrumental music without lyrics. Sometimes some music can evoke certain religious connotations. There will be possibly a mushroom sculpture piece present in the room, which I acquired from the brilliant Berlin based artist, Alexander Main, it is a replica of Mayan mushroom sculpture, called Teonanácatl. My intention with that is to pay respect through this symbol to Psilocybe mushroom, as a wonderful means of self-exploration. I will not say a prayer to my – Christian, whatever this means – God in front of you, or perform any other religious act, unless you specifically request me to. This goes to any other arrangements as well: the rules and agreements between us are set in the sober, non-altered state of consciousness, in the preparation sessions. If you change your mind on these rules under the influence of a mind altering  substance, I will gently yet firmly remind you of our agreements and we will stick to those, this goes for the use of touch as well.

At this point in time I don’t have a mask policy, this might change if we end up in less fortunate times again. I can disclose about myself that I have 4 Covid shots, and a monkeypox shot. I do not ask of your vaccine status, you are free to disclose it to me. Overall you should be healthy at the time of the experiential, covid or otherwise.

You may have your life partner present in a (part of a) preparation session online, they can have their questions answered. For the experiential you have to be alone, as well as for the integration sessions. Even if you have purchased group experientials. Psychedelics can destabilize in general, f.ex. one’s beliefs about the world, about themselves, their relationships. It might cause you to question profound things in your life, so allow yourself to work through these hours and days with the support of a sober and stable partner, who has not been just destabilized next to you as well. I am for this reason not necessarily a fan of group retreats where couples have the experience simultaneously, especially if it is happening for the first time, especially if children are part of the family system. I am open for discussion on this one to serve you and your family system best. Psychedelics are non-specific amplifiers in the psyche, meaning, they bring forth and amplify what is already present, the good, the bad and the ugly, grant yourself and grant the participating person in your family system this time of automy and work out the positive and maybe negative ripple effects. Consider these sessions as “me-time”.

If you insinst on your partner having the experiential as well in Madrid, (and they have had their own preparation sessions, too) this could happen at least two days after yours.

If you purchased the group experiential and are a group of people up till 3 people who are not members of a family, then these restrictions do not apply. You may have simultaneous experientials next to each other and will have the next following day a joint integration session, the rest will be separate.

Know, that no matter how glorious, ineffable, or the opposite: frightening, scary your experiential was, even after a couple of hours the same day, or the next day after a night sleep things evolve in perception in oneself, opinions, beliefs do change, it is a plastic time. Therefore it is also advised to not make radical changes in these first days, weeks, even for a whole month or longer, as energized, refreshed and determined as one might feel in the moment: don’t buy a house, don’t sell a house, don’t quit your job, don’t end your relationship. Allow those things that have held you so far to continue to hold you until you can truly make informed decisions. You can expect to feel exhausted physically and refreshed at he same time. Exhausted, as if you had climbed a cosmic mountain twice and back, and refreshed, for what gifts this trip has given you. There is an “after glow” period that can last for a couple of weeks, where one might feel hovering “two inches above the ground”, being energized, with positive outlook on life, a subjective feeling as if “I had been living for the very first time in my life”. It is a potent period to action changes in your life that you feel now being able to action. Again, not selling your house, but maybe doing your bed in the morning as a start, or being able to follow through on your commitments. Some might feel that they are not bound any longer by post-traumatic stress syndrome, and now can figure out how to live on a next level of existence. It is also not uncommon to feel disoriented in this new lease on life, that one’s old coping mechanisms had been dismantled or revealed as such in the course of 4 hours under psilocybin, and they can’t unsee that. We can work with this in integration sessions. Coping mechanisms in my estimation are well meaning, yet today suboptimal attempts to make our life work. We can honour them for their good intentions, yet we can renegotiate alternative solutions, now that we are ready and now that these old solutions don’t serve us well enough. These parts of us are never an enemy, they are protectors, in the language of IFS, Internal Family Systems theory, which I got trained in as part of my IPI training. Your “Self” with a capital “S”, your truest core of your being will find a new path forward with the help of your inner healing intelligence, or wisdom. Identity related existential questions can come up, like “who am I if I am not what has happened to me”? There is indeed work to be done integrating these questions and walk the walk, one step at a time.

There is a possibility that you would have had an uncomfortable and challenging trip. Uncomfortable does not equal bad. You might experience frightening, and challenging existential, mystical or autobiographical themes. You might feel like you uncover long repressed memory or trauma that has happened to you. This can be occasionally very unpleasant, yet more often than not psilocibe mushrooms (and your psyche cojointly) lead you to a catharsis as well, a resolution, or the acceptance of living with paradoxes. The question remains open, if those altered state experiences are valid in the sense that everything you see or feel is the ultimaty reality. My approach in integration on this will be shifting from the binary question: “is this true or not?” to “what am I to do with this content, what does it trying to teach me?”.

You might experience something what is called spiritual bypass, when you convince yourself that all your solutions lay in the spiritual realm, and you now shift your focus entirely to the spiritual “mushroom realm”. This can be an attempt to unconsciously avoid the hard, mundane and dull work that this very physical world and your very physical life requires from you. Ego inflation is also a known phenomenon that might occur, it can be an amplification of some underlying narcissistic tendencies. This could take forms like overexaggeration of ones own importance or the significance of ones uncomparable trip.

Transference and countertransference is almost guaranteed to happen in our work, transference with me, the facilitator. You might project thoughts and feelings onto me. This is okay for you to feel and think, and I am actually even asking you to bring in everything that you feel about me and others into our conversations. You might project onto me those relational dynamics that are familiar to you in your life, where you might have work to do. Having said that, this is not exempting me from objective critisism, the facilitator is only human, too. I am trained in this phenomenon and work with this since 2009 even at my Supervisor studies, it will not come to me as a surprise, nor will I take it personally, neither the “good” or the “bad”. It just is a very common part of this type of work, where the unconscious is explored for hours, and a helping relationship is a container for weeks or months. Countertransference is my reaction on your transference on me. This is not an uncomfortable side effect, or undesired byproduct, this is very much part of the work, where corrective experiences and learning, self-reflection can happen.

I am here for you for this continued work as well. Now you may understand better that those 6 sessions around the dosing experiential and my very person and you yourself are heavily part of the experience, I am not just a middle-man providing you a drug. It is indeed psychedelic-assisted therapy.

That is a great question. You actually may, and for some it is a good fit.

• • Retreat centers are offering a lot of services, sometimes too much, I feel, and the can be quite crowded with 10-20-50 participants, occasionally purging in cacophony on ayahuasca, packed in one ceremonial tent.

• • If the idea of being thrown into a large group of strangers, with whom you are required to get along, or just being in their spiritual and physical space while you are experiencing your mind altering experience sounds to you more stressful, and potentially harming, than exciting, and you prefer to have a more introverted, human sized setting, I might be the right choice for you. And who knows, maybe next time you do prefer socializing and the togetherness. Nothing wrong with that.

• • If you feel like you need and want the support of a therapist’s undivided attention and care, with proper preparation & integration work (which the retreat centers often do not have capacity for) I can give you that, that is what I personally thrive in, the work itself and witnessing the change!

• • There is something sacred in silence, especially at great depths of the experience, and if you choose to, you can have silence with an individual setting with me; with a group retreat, not so much: someone will almost always moan, cry, laugh, purge, talk, roll on you, etc. and affect your journey. Your journey should be yours alone.

• • It is on one hand wonderful to heal together in connection with others, but at times large groups can get messy, even with the best intentions and facilitation. You might be tangled up in other people’s emotional or relational wounds, some unhealthy or unwanted attachments might form just from the intensity of the common shared experience, plus being on hightened vulnerability and suggestability due to the substance, plus the over the top setting of the environment of nature-water- yoga- fire walking- mountain climbing, etc, it can be just overwhelming for some… and actually not in service of building the bridge to everyday reality at all: when the magical weekend is over, reality kicks in and you have to go to work on Monday, your world might seem small, ordinary and less-than compared to the extraordinary spectacle that you have been delivered.

• • It just so happens that at this point I am a one man show, but I like the idea that psychedelic therapy is human-sized, that you are enough, laying in a bed with your own thoughts and feelings, working through your depths and hights in the presence of an understanding witness – which ultimately should be one of the great revelations of this experience, that you are indeed enough, or as María Sabina, Mazatec curendara said: you are the medicine!

It is a fair question and the answer to it is: yes, and yes. However, I will not make assumptions based on my subjective experiences that I would know what you will or have experienced based on what it reminds me of when I see you or talk to you. Trips can be varying each time, so many factors play into it. Dose has something to do with it, but then again, two people on exactly the same dosage can have vastly different experiences, regarding any dimension: “good” versus “bad”, sensory visual experiences, themes coming up (autobiographical or mystical), etc.

This may change on timely supply, but at the moment options are between Golden Teacher, B+, McKennaii. These are all strains of the Psilocybe cubensis medicine mushroom species.

Besides the legal implications, which about it is important to state that I do not condone the use of illegal substances. There is a wide range of contexts and settings how and when people use mind altering substances. From safety point is is advisable that you have a sober, and not psychedelic naive, but experienced sitter present in the apartment or room with you, to make sure you don’t fall or hurt yourself, and can intervene when needed or who can offer a calming presence for co-regulation. An experienced “psychonaut” can absolutely navigate their experience on their own, too.

There is a risk-reward analysis of course, you might risk being influenced by an ever so well-meaning sitter to interfere with your meaning making as topics unfold for you in your vulnerable altered state of counsciousness journey, where one is highy suggestable. Psychedelic trip experiences stay with you and shape you, potentially for years, maybe a life, this is the whole point of them. It is worth planning it well.

If you think we can be a match,

1. 1. please download, fill in/ check off and sign the Health pre-sreening questionnaire and the Informed consent & Bill of client rights word documents and send them back to me via email. The password for the questionnaire is: icpic This is about half an hour investment on your end.

1. 1. You should hear back from me within 1-2 business days, and if there is no contraindication that I take from your answers, than I will ask you to book a half an hour zoom consultation appointment. If we “green light” each other, then

1. 1. You may purchase the program of your choice and the journey begins with you scheduling the first preparation session with me.

1. 1. You may already research arrangments for your upcoming trip to Madrid, Spain, clear your agenda to book a hotel, book flights. The program starts with 3 preparation consultation sessions on zoom, each 90 minute long, these are happening remotely. For the experiential session clear a whole day in your schedule, even though the altered state of consciousness on psilocybin lasts on average for 4-5 hours, after an onset of 15-60 minutes (typically 40 min). Preferably clear the following day as well, allowing yourself to dedicate your energies to unpack and to start integrating the experience. The first integration session should also take place the day after the experiential, consider this with your travel arrangements. The location for the experiential may be my apartment in Salamanca barrio of Madrid, or even your own hotel room, I can come to you in Madrid.