A Raw and Real Rant on Healing, Expectations, and Embracing the Messiness
thank you for indulging my rant...
I feel personally called to touch on a topic that has been increasingly significant in my work, particularly as I guide clients through psychedelic journeys or support them as an integrative guide for their solo journeys.
I’m noticing a pattern.
After a journey, they often end up asking a lot of questions like, "Did it make me feel better? Did it work for me? Is this how it's supposed to be?" Some even say they feel worse after.
And so there’s this disconnect between how folks are feeling during the journey and in that immediate, call it 48 hours to one week honeymoon phase, and then how they can feel long term afterwards.
I get it; everyone wants instant results. But here's the real deal – healing takes time. It's not always a quick fix.
There are a few issues with this line of thought. I’m going to breakdown what I think the disconnect of all this originates.
Starting with….
When we check out the info from places like Johns Hopkins and other research centers, what we don’t see is that, they're holding off on deciding if things worked until about three to six months of post-journey therapy.
So, it might not be totally fair to compare how you're feeling right after a trip to someone who's been in the integration process for a while.
It can be a bit misleading when we hear about others having profound benefits from psychedelic experiences in studies or reports. We might expect instant positive changes and question ourselves if we don't feel the same way.
But here's the reality: psychedelics don't always bring immediate relief.
As we've discussed before, these medicines provide what we need, not necessarily what we want. Lessons often come in their own time, and sometimes they hit hard to grab our attention. It might not be the easiest or most comfortable journey, but the lessons are crucial.
Let me share a story about a client who had a tough experience.
He saw a stark vision of his future if he continued down a destructive path. It was dark and scary, showing the potential loss of his family and serious consequences. The journey was challenging, but it served as a powerful wakeup call for him.
Similarly, another client had a blissful first half of their psilocybin experience, all rainbows and butterflies. However, as they delved deeper, uncomfortable truths surfaced.
The discomfort was a necessary part of the process for them to realize the extent of suffering in their life. It's not always self-inflicted, but it's a crucial aspect of the journey.