How to have a “good trip”: the importance of set and setting
With the right preparation, support, and environment, ayahuasca can be a powerful ally in your journey towards wholeness. This article explores the ingredients for an optimum journey.
With the right preparation, support, and environment, ayahuasca can be a powerful ally in your journey towards wholeness. This article explores the ingredients for an optimum journey.
Have you ever heard of the phrase 'set and setting'?
It's a commonly used phrase in the psychedelic world, and is known as the cornerstone and main 'ingredients' of a safe and insightful psychedelic experience.
Setting
'Setting' encompasses the physical and social environment in which the experience takes place. Where will you be doing it? Is it safe?
Being in a safe, comfortable, and supportive setting allows you to fully surrender to the experience, allowing you to face whatever comes up with full security and support.
Set
'Set' refers to your mindset - the mental and emotional state you bring into the experience. It encompasses your thoughts, feelings, and intentions leading up to and during the journey.
How are you mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually right now?
Cultivating a positive and open mindset can greatly influence the outcome of your experience, allowing for deeper insights and opportunity for growth.
The process of optimising the 'set' also includes setting a clear intention and removing expectations as much as possible. Doing so before embarking on a psychedelic journey can provide direction, purpose and sense of calmness.
Whether it's healing past traumas, gaining insight into personal challenges, or connecting with a higher consciousness, having a clear intention and reducing expectations helps to bring focus to your journey.
It also helps you to clearly decipher whether you're doing it to escape/have fun OR dive into honest introspection and inner work in a safe environment.
NB: having a particular intention doesn't necessarily mean your experience will go in this way. Nevertheless, it's still a very useful exercise to help you get clear on your motivations.
We've spoken to a lot of people that are considering drinking ayahuasca, and one of the most common fears that comes up is the fear of losing control.
Along with the fear of 'changing so much', it's probably the one that comes up the most for people when they are considering sitting with the medicine. It certainly was for us too before we drank for the first time. It's very normal.
After all, for our mammalian brain and ego, the concept of losing control is equivalent to death. It actually serves a (useful) purpose: survival.
But sometimes, we get too attached to our ability to control. We force, fight, resist, challenge or outright reject anything that feels scary and threatens our autonomy.
In fact, we go so far into this obsession with control, that we forget we're never really in control. It's an illusion!
We spend our lives constructing elaborate frameworks to maintain the appearance of control, but so often forget that life is inherently unpredictable and ever-changing.
The cliche "The only constant in life is change" is a cliche for a reason.
And the ability to control often only comes down to the way you react to, approach, or perceive a particular story or situation. The internal control, not the external. And therein lies a core part of our power. Our birthright!
Ayahuasca, and the broader psychedelic world, can help us recognize and embrace this truth - among others.
Surrendering to the medicine is not about losing oneself, but about finding a deeper, more authentic part of oneself that isn't ruled by fear.
One that can truly flow with life, rather than fighting against it. In surrender, we discover resilience, adaptability, and a profound sense of peace.
Ayahuasca invites us to let go and embrace the unknown. It's a journey of trust, and for many, it's a profound lesson in letting go of the illusion of control. This is not a passive act; it's an active engagement with the deeper currents of our existence, a dance with the mysteries of the universe.
It's actually something Ari, a Taozen member, faced at the retreat she attended. You can listen to her testimonial here.
At our retreats, we place a strong emphasis on creating a safe, supportive environment that encourages this kind of deep work to unfold.
Our experienced facilitators guide you through the process, helping you navigate any fears or challenges that arise.
So, if the fear of losing control is holding you back, know that you're not alone.
And know that with the right preparation, support, and environment, ayahuasca can be a powerful ally in your journey towards wholeness.
