Tag Archive for: psychedelic

The Quiet Room

The quiet room is something I picked up from friend and New Moon colleague Tuk a few years ago and is something I always try to arrange for group sessions whether it’s in a house or an apartment.

The Quiet Room

The quiet room is basically a designated room in which there is no talking and no music playing. It functions as a place anyone can go to for some quiet or solo time and is normally used as a secondary room to the main room where people will be together.

Quiet space is very useful when:

  • Being in a group or in a sociable setting is too much or becomes uncomfortable
  • If someone doesn’t want to or is finding it very difficult to talk
  • Anyone wants some time to themselves
  • Just want some peace

What I love about the quiet room is that you can still have a recreational style trip with friends and still have an opportunity to get introspective. At any time you can head to the quiet space and find some time in the session to do that.

For example, if you are taking truffles with friends then you could at some point head to the quiet room to spend half an hour journaling answers to some questions you have prepared for yourself. In this way you can still get some good introspective and reflective work done without having to devote a whole session to it and without having to choose between either a solo inner work style journey or a recreational style journey with friends.

Setting Up & Guidelines for a Quiet Room

To set up a quiet room all you need to do is suggest the idea to your friends and make sure everyone agrees on it beforehand. I would say its a good idea to agree that there is no talking in the quiet room and have this clear from the outset. This helps to prevent someone coming in and disturbing another while they are wanting some peace and quiet. This type of innocent mistake can happen for different reasons whilst tripping; it could be that someone is extremely excited and wants to share that with everyone, or that someone is worrying about another person who has been quiet for a while. Both scenarios can lead to someone unintentionally bothering another who is fine but just wants to be on their own for a while.

Having the quiet room clearly defined makes it clear that anyone who is in there will not be spoken to and it is fine for two or three people to be in there at the same time, each minding their own business and doing their own thing. It’s useful to remember to keep the door closed to stop noise from spilling in.

Creating Setting

Once you’ve decided which room you will use then the first thing you need is some comfortable places for people to lie down. Mattresses on the floor work perfectly, but otherwise any mats or even floor space for people to lie down and get comfortable. Cozify with blankets and pillows. Creating a cozy space with your fellow journeyers can be a fun activity in itself and building the set together is a great way to begin connecting before journey.

It’s also nice to leave a couple of music players and pairs of headphones in there. Load the music players up with a nice selection of music beforehand and if they are phones, make sure they are on airplane mode or even better, with SIM removed. It can also be nice to leave some pens, papers and art supplies in there for people to use for journaling or getting creative. Finally, equip with some basic supplies like water and snacks.

As with general setting space I would recommend a low lighting and cozy ambience. I would not recommend any open flames such as candles, but rather some nice lamps. With lamps, be careful not to use ones that heat up if they are left on a long time as these can also start flames if certain materials are left on them.

Allowing Space to Check in

The quiet room acts as a kind of designated safe space for group sessions. It can promote feelings of safety and relaxation for everyone involved, knowing that they can retreat if at any time they feel anxiety, social or otherwise. It can give you a chance to step out from the group dynamic, a chance to check in with yourself and really take a look at and see how you’re feeling. It can also be used to step out and actively investigate some things going on in your life that you don’t want to share with the group but would like some time to think about and reflect on. It can also be useful to maybe do some problem-solving by yourself.

A quiet room is definitely a key aspect to creating the setting and I would say it’s useful even if the group session is not a recreational or sociable one. For example, even if the main room is used as a formal ceremony room where journeyers are not speaking to each other, the quiet room can still be very useful because the energy of a group ceremony can be quite intense. Although being in a group ceremony can be enlightening and a great way to learn about how we relate to others and our own social insecurities, it can still be quite a lot to take in and it can be nice to have the option of stepping away from that. It is something we arrange for retreats with New Moon and it was also nice to see a quiet room put in place when I worked on retreat with Truffles Therapy.

If you are unsure of whether you would like to do a group trip with friends I encourage you to suggest having a quiet room and ask them what they think about that.

Viel Glück!

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Important Books in my Story

Rather than do a best psychedelic books list, I thought it would be fun to explore my psychedelic story through books that I’ve read over the last 10 years.

When I was thinking about writing this piece, I thought: ‘is it strange to only count books since I started taking psychedelics? Shouldn’t I include important books from before I started my psychedelic journey?’. I thought about what books I would include from before and I remembered that there weren’t really many.

Though I’d read a few, I actually only really started to get into books after my first psychedelic experiences. The curiosity they fed me gave me an insatiable hunger for learning and knowledge, as well as the patience to read slower, more challenging books and those above my level. My renewed sense of childlike curiosity also made reading more inherently rewarding, worthwhile simply as a means of exploration even if there would be no take away lesson or practical benefit.

Now the idea of living without books seems like a deprived existence. Suffice to say reading remains one of my favourite and most rewarding hobbies.

For this piece I will just run through in a roughly chronological order books that I remember reading and that somehow seem significant or influential as part of my journey over the last decade. It won’t be thorough or complete, but will surely give you an idea of my course.

The form of this piece is going to be loose as I think this will just be a fun way to chart my journey via literature and continue to embrace using this month of blogging to cultivate the experimenter’s mindset. I’ll adjust text size to show significance and add comments by some of the books that I feel have been especially important.

Important Books In My Story

The Doors of Perception – Aldous Huxley

I read this in the aftermath of my first experiences and I fell for Huxley’s literal, almost scientific way of describing, while also diving into cultural commentary and philosophical and spiritual ideas. I even remember at one point standing up and punching the air whilst reading this. Huxley has since become my most read author. His mind and words just get me in some special way. I find the way he explores ideas both through novels and essays to be incredibly stimulating and energising.

The Psychedelic Experience – Tim Leary, Richard Alpert, Ralph Metzner

On The Road – Jack Kerouac

As cliché as it is this beat classic was a big fuel for me in my wild travel and wanderlust ways. It was a perfect companion on my first budget travel trip around Europe, and it also planted a seed of desire for me to visit Mexico; a journey I made around seven years later and ended up staying in the country for five months. My time in Mexico remains one of my all time favourite chapters and cherished memories.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test – Tom Woolfe

A rollicking great story following Kesey and those crazy band of merry pranksters. Woolfe plays with form in a psychedelic style which fits perfectly.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo‘s Nest – Ken Kesey

May be my favorite novel that I’ve ever read. Rightly a classic, just brilliant.

The Path of Tibetan Buddhism – The Dalai Lama

 

Introduction to Zen Buddhism – D.T Suzuki

How to Meditate

The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind

Tao Te Ching – Lao Tze

Wisdom packed, almost mystical, fundamental Taoist text. I’ve read a few different translations and this is a book I expect I’ll be continuing to revisit for the rest of my life.

Be Here Now – Ram Dass

An incredible story and many great tools for aspiring spiritual practitioners. This book began my yoga practice, I used the core asanas it provided, and was very useful with the step-by-step instructions to both these and pranayama breathing exercises.

Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
1984 – George Orwell
Brave New World Revisited – Aldous Huxley

Island – Aldous Huxley

This remains one of my favorite pieces of literature that I’ve ever read. The island of Pala that Huxley describes is in many ways the beautiful world our hearts know is possible. Incredible vision from Huxley of a spiritually and scientifically informed society where psychedelics integrated and used in a coming of age ritual.

Peace Is Every Step – Thich Nhat Hanh

I bought this book in Bangkok train station on my way heading south to find a peaceful beach where I could unpack after my 14 month stint in China. I lived in a hut by the beach for a couple weeks, reading in hammocks, relaxing, and practicing meditation ahead of my first silent retreat which was coming up a few weeks later.

Reading this book really helped evolve my meditation practice from a mostly seated stillness practice into a daily life mindfulness practice. Though a simple and very readable format and style, it has depth and gave me ideas for many ways to return to a mindful state throughout the day.

Savor – Thich Nhat Hanh
Shamanic Trance and Modern Kabbalah – Jonathan Garb
The Perennial Philosophy – Aldous Huxley
Against Nature – Joris-Karl Huysmans

The Book – Alan Watts
The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
The Way of Zen – Alan Watts

War God – Graham Hancock

An incredible semi-historical flight of fancy from one of my favourite authors in the psychedelic space. An absolute page turner, couldn’t put this one down and had me staying up late reading and waking up for work tired.

Vagabonding – Rolf Potts

True travel classic. Certainly one of the most influential books on my path and somehow practical in a philosophical way. Potts saved money for his travels whilst working as an English teacher in the South Korean coastal city of Busan. I read this book whilst saving money for travel whilst working a an English teacher in Busan. That was not planned, but surely another reason why it resonated so strongly with me. Potts was also an inspiration for me as an aspiring adventure and travel blogger.

The 4-Hour Work Week – Tim Ferriss

 

The Sunhitcher – Tomi Astikainen

The Book of Tea – Kakuzō Okakura

 

Thousand Cranes – Yasunari Kawabata
The Old Capital – Yasunari Kawabata
Snow Country – Yasunari Kawabata

The Joyous Cosmology – Alan Watts

The Teachings of Don Juan – Carlos Castaneda

After having been out in the Mexican desert picking peyote and smoking DMT with a band of travellers, I picked up this book upon heading back to the city of San Luis Potosi, where I was based. Reading Castaneda I became so inspired and re-invigorated with that adventurelust I once again packed up and headed back out to the desert town for what turned out to be another incredible chapter which began with bailing a friend out of a local prison for possession, had consecutive days of peyote sessions in the desert, a Mexican country village fair, and lead to me being invited to The Dance Of The Sun – a native American shamanic ritual that includes fasting and blood sacrifices.

The Daily Stoic – Ryan Holiday

Can’t recommend this book highly enough. Ryan holiday has become one of my favourite authors.

Waking Up – Sam Harris
The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide – James Fadiman

The Secret Chief Revealed – Myron Stolaroff

Western psychedelic therapy has been huge in informing my approach and I still use methods from this book both as a practitioner and as a guide.

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism – Chögyam Trungpa

The Book Of Disquiet – Fernando Pessoa

The Obstacle Is The Way – Ryan Holiday

The War Of Art – Steven Pressfield

This book has been absolutely hugely influential and inspiring for me. Recommended to anyone looking for inspiration for creative endeavour they’d like to embark upon.
Getting Higher – Julian Vayne

Siddhartha – Herman Hesse

Atomic Habits – James Clear

I followed blogger and habits expert Clear for a few years before he released this book, being so interested in the subject of habit formation. Atomic Habits is the ultimate compilation of his works and I can’t recommend highly enough for anyone interested in habit change.

Zig Zag Zen – Alan Badiner

Wherever You Go, There You Are – Jon Kabat-Zinn

I read this book over the time I was doing mindfulness coach certification and found it to contains so much in so little. Each chapter is 1 to 2 pages, so it’s one of those books where you can read a page a day and slowly digest all the wisdom and depth that is packed in.

Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins

Psychedelic Psychotherapy – R. Coleman

Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss – Dennis McKenna

Digital Minimalism – Cal Newport

This is a book for our times. It has changed my digital life (mainly, getting me off whatsapp and telegram) and continues to inform it. I love the way Newport thinks I found it especially satisfying that the practical system he proposes in this book is almost structurally identical to a practical system I have devised for psychedelic integration. Great minds!

The Pocket I Ching – Richard Wilhelm
Ego Is The Enemy – Ryan Holiday

Currently reading:
Steppenwolf – Herman Hesse

That bring us up to date!

I’m not sure how interesting this post may have been to read but it was really fun to write! Reflecting on how much these books have contributed to my life has me really excited to read a bunch more. If you enjoy reading, try exploring your story through books, its a fun activity ????

I think I’d like to return to this post sometime to add photos but for now, I’m off to finish Steppenwolf.

Tschüs!

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6 Of The Best Modern Psychedelic Films

Welcome to day 13 of PSYJuly!

Today’s is a guest post from long time friend Peter Francis (we go back to nursery if you can believe that). Pete and myself were once upon a time two-thirds of a film club and he remains my go to friend to geek out with about cinema.

Pete has put together a short introduction to the origins of psychedelic cinema and and picked his top 6 modern films from the genre. Its an excellent selection and I fully recommend to anyone wishing to explore a psychedelic state of mind through film.

Get your popcorn ready and enjoy!

Over to Pete…

An Introduction to Psychedelic Cinema

As David Church remarks in his excellent essay The Doors of Reception, the word ‘psychedelic’ when applied to cinema is long and indeterminate. Firstly it can be used historically when ascribed to the immediate film experiments and avant- garde films from the 1960’s that coincided with recreational drug use. His Church recounts, the word ‘psychedelic’ has been used to describe some formal experiments of filmmakers like Kenneth Anger, Jonas Mekas, Stan Brakhage and Jordan Belson in the 1960’s; some being actively inspired by psychedelic drug experiences.

Avant-garde aesthetics in independent film of this period are dazzling: swirling geometric patterns, the use of paint on 16mm and 8mm (evoking a lurid flickering effect), figurative scenes that dissolve into abstracts shapes or colours, depictions of mythical figures and hallucinations and a strong absence of any linear narration. From the 1960’s onward these formal experiences spilled into the mainstream in films like Kubrick’s 2001 Space Odyssey (1968) and Seconds by Jonathan Frankenheimer (1966).

The stargate sequence from 2001

Yet the relationship between cinema and inner psychedelic experience isn’t simple. How can cinema accurately or truthfully depict an experience on the influence of ‘psychedelics’? The idea that a highly subjective drug experience could be accurately depicted through images and text is problematic. As David remarks:

‘It is precisely this phenomenology of drug-enhanced spectatorship – and the attendant proposition that no text has any inherent meaning outside one’s subjective experience of it – that makes psychedelic cinema such a valuably challenging outpost in the “antipodes” of film analysis.’ 

However, there has been a resurgence in psychedelic film in 21st century cinema since around 2000. This might be suggestive of the long-term influence of the lurid psychedelic film experiments of the 1960’s on narrative cinema. Interestingly, these films arrive at times of changing behaviours to film spectatorship – some of these films are now being watched under the influence of psychedelics (or taken after a trip) and their online responses being shared in online communities. Church gives examples of Gasper Noe’s Enter the Void having a strong online following and audience response in this regard. Could this signal a new branch of film spectatorship?

6 Awesome Modern Psychedelic Films

Below is a list of recommended modern films for those of you interested in this kind of spectatorship, or films that are somehow linked to psychedelic experiences. They contain surreal sequences; hallucinogenic dream-states that veer into abstraction, a languid pace, an over-emphasis on micro-details and some even depict the effects of psychedelic usage.

Spoiler alerts

Waking Life by Richard Linklater (2001)

Richard Linklater takes a departure from his very wordy every-day dramas to make a very wordy animated investigation into dreams and consciousness. An unassuming protagonist roams around an unnamed American city, drifting between conversation (often mid-way) that muse on the nature of reality, time and the meaning of dreams. Is he witnessing a dream or a real conversation? Linklater ‘rotoscoped’ (traced animation) of each digitally-shot frame using computer animation. The resulting animated effect is gloriously surreal-  more figurative than hand-drawn animation, yet strangely amorphic and unstable.

Midsommar by Ari Aster (2019)

As director Ari Aster remarks, Midsommar is  “a breakup movie dressed in the clothes of a folk horror film.’ Set in the perpetual daylight of Summer Solstice in Sweden, Midsommar is the story of Dani (Florence Pugh) and her self-regarding boyfriend Christian visiting a bizarre Swedish pagan cult for a summer research project. The film follows Dani’s growing realisation of how much of a jerk her boyfriend is, while at the same time being subject to the  cult’s horrific and otherworldly rituals including sacrifice, chanting, incessant drinking and dancing.

The lengthy finale of the film is particularly striking, Dani is given a hefty dose of psychedelic drugs and becomes the ‘Queen’ of the cult’s ritual- making the final sequence nightmarish. The sequence even more surreal and hallucinatory, by the warping of the frame ever-so slightly.The drug sequences in Midsommar emphasise the dramatic-downfall structure that is typical of the horror’s genre; Dani’s ethereal, blissful trip early on heavily contrasts with her garish and horrific trip in the films finale.

Mulholland Drive by David Lynch (2001)

All of David Lynch’s work embraces abstract, non-linear methods of storytelling, which is crystalised in the often-sublime ‘Mulholland Drive. David Lynch’s L.A film – noir juxtaposes innocence and darkness in equal measure; a tale of two actresses, amnesia and loss of identity.

Mulholland Drive begins in a  familiar narrative path which eventually becomes darker, more allusive, more abstract as the film progresses. The imagery of Los Angeles night time boulevards and palm trees give a seductive, hypnotic quality in this film -a film recommended to be viewed late at night!

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2011)

Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, makes incredibly meditative films – set in very rural locations near the Thai, and Laos border, and are categorised as ‘slow cinema’. Uncle Boonme concerns a man with an ailing kidney condition, who receives visitations of ghosts of his son and wife and hopes to reach them when he is reincarnated. Weerasethakul films are interested in ideas about memory and ‘objects and people that transform or hybridise”.

While his films often delve into the supernatural and dream states as characters experience powerful incantations, the film’s surreal effects are always grounded in a very blissful realism; his films make use of long shots and languid sequences that make use of silence, natural sounds, and remote locations. Two of his earlier works, Tropical Malady and Syndromes and a Century are also heavily recommended.

Embrace of the Serpent by Ciro Guerra (2015)

Embrace of Serpent is semi-historical black and white film, inspired by the diaries of real-life ethnographer Theodor Koch-Grunberg and ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes. The film follows two explorers’ encounters with Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his tribe. Shot with non-actors and indegenous communities in the Columbian Amazon, the film explores the western discovery of rare psychedelic plant Psychotria Viridis, and vividly depicts how such sacred indigenous plants can be abused by colonial interventions and interference.

Watch out for the poignant and illuminating colour sequence in which Evans is given a dose of Yakruna from a last surviving plant.

Enter the Void by Gasper Noe (2009)

Gasper Noe’s neon-tinged, Tokyo-set Enter the Void, explores a young man called Oscar out-of-body experiences over one dramatic and fatal evening. Shot entirely from point-of-view, the film explores Oscar’s intense experience when taking DMT, and the dramatic turn of events that follow. After a fatal encounter with police, Oscar experiences a range of flashbacks and out-of-body observations as his spirit drifts above various scenes.

John on Enter the void:

This film is as trippy as they come. Noe envisioned this film in his early twenties whilst on magic mushrooms and worked on the screenplay for over fifteen years before the film went into production. He made Irreversible, starring Monica Belluci and Vincent Cassel, as a way to generate funding for Enter The Void which was ultimately his passion project. An absolute visual feast and, like all of Noe’s works, absolutely not for the faint of heart.

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If you are interested in continuing to read about psychedelic cinema of the modern era, I would like to point you in the direction of Church’s excellent academic essay from Senses of Cinema about ‘Psychedelic film and spectatorship’.

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Clearing: A Key To Psychedelic Preparation

I first got introduced to the concept of clearing as a psychedelic preparation practice from DMT researcher Rick Strassman’s chapter Preparation For The Journey from the psychedelic compilation book, The Divine Spark. He outlined some basic and practical ways of clearing.

Then a couple of years ago, I saw this concept evolved when I went on on an experience Retreat with the UK psychedelic Society. As part of their preparation guidelines they included clearing and broadened the the idea to include emotional clearing; clearing space in the heart. This included, for example, having difficult conversations that you’ve been putting off, or if this was not possible, writing a letter to that person expressing your feelings (even if if you aren’t going to send it).

Clearing could also be known as creating space, tidying up loose ends, or getting around to doing those things that you have been meaning to do but have been putting off. It could also be known as closing open loops or clearing your mind.

Clearing practices can help to bring about a greater sense of peace by putting to bed nagging thoughts that may be at the back of one’s mind. Those oft subconscious unresolved things can take up space.

Clearing is so important because space is where new things can emerge. If we are hoping for an insight or a new idea to emerge in a psychedelic experience it’s best that we try to clear the way for them to grow and sprout. Nothing new can grow in a garden which is already full.

Clearing can be done on many levels, both big and small. A lot of it can be very mundane. Here are some examples:

  • selling or donating clothes/things you no longer use
  • household jobs you’ve been putting off
  • paying overdue bills
  • filing
  • cleaning the apartment

Digital Clearing

Computers and tech are such a big part of our lives these days and I think it’s very useful to also do digital clearing. Digital clearing may seem less obvious because you can close your laptop and lose sight of your mess, where as if you are in a dirty room, it’s hard to ignore. However, a cluttered digital life can take up a lot more mental space than we might imagine.

Some examples of digital clearing practices:

  • cleaning up your computer; sorting download and document folders
  • responding to any unanswered emails or messages across all messaging platforms
  • inbox zero
  • sending any other emails you’ve been meaning to get around to

Emotional Clearing

If we want to experience some kind of deep rebirth or renewal from a psychedelic experience then we need to prepare to let go of old things and to say goodbye to things from our past. In this way a thorough clearing practice can be seen as preparing for death. Opening and clearing the heart can be a difficult, but ultimately, powerful preparation. Some examples:

  • Calling loved ones and touching base with them
  • Expressing a feeling to a friend or partner that you’ve been holding back
  • Having that difficult conversation with a flatmate or co worker
  • Reaching out to someone you wronged and apologising to them
  • Saying things that shouldn’t be left unsaid

If your time is going to be up, what needs to be cleared up before you can pass on in peace?

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Session Agreements

The psychedelic experience is an inherently wild entity and it is useful in to have a strong and steady container to contain such a thing. Having certain strict confines for a session can help to promote feelings of safety and security. This in turn will help a journeyer to relax more deeply and navigate their journey more effectively.

Part of a container can be the structure, and part of this can be agreements between journeyers and guides. Agreements may differ depending on the intention of the session and the people involved. For example, if you are doing a group journey with friends, agreements will probably be more relaxed than those of a 1-1 session with a hired guide.

Leo Zeff’s Agreements

Leo Zeff was a pioneer of psychedelic therapy and the subject of the book The Secret Chief Revealed. In this book, he shares five agreements that he had with all of his patients:

1. They will not leave the house where we’re having the trip at any time during the trip without prior clearance from me.

 

2. They agree that there will be no physical harm or violence to themselves or to me or to anything else in the house.

 

3. Reiteration of the security requirement. They agree they will not reveal to anybody else where and with whom they had this trip without prior clearance from me, ever.

 

4. I ask them to agree—now if this is a woman or somebody gay—I ask them to agree that there will be no sex taking place between us. I’ll explain the background for these agreements in a minute.

 

5. The last one I ask them to agree is that at any time during the trip if anything is going on and I tell them to stop it, stop doing it, and I make clear, “This is under structure; it’s not just a recommendation or suggestion,” they agree that they will stop it. Or if I tell them to do something and I make clear it’s under structure they agree that they will do it.”

You might also have other agreements or rules in place to contain the experience, such as the journeyer turning their phone off and handing it to you for safekeeping until the day after.

You might also ritualise them somehow, by shaking hands, or having everyone say ‘I agree’. It can be good to say them out loud and have an express verbal agreement before the start of the session, or in certain circumstances it may be appropriate to have certain agreements written down on a piece of paper and signed. 

If you are working as a guide, it is good practice to have agreements in place so that your journeyer can rest assured that certain boundaries will not be crossed, helping to create an emotionally safe space for the session.

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The Secret Chief Revealed is available as a PDF on the MAPS website here. Tam Integration also wrote a piece about Zeff’s agreements you can find here.

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