A psychedelic experience goes better when you've thought about why you're having it, who you're having it with, and what you'll do if it gets harder than you expected. Preparation coaching is the work of thinking those things through — carefully, in advance, with someone who has done this before.
What this is — and isn't
Preparation coaching is a short arc of sessions, usually two to four, focused on getting you psychologically ready for an upcoming psychedelic experience. The work includes clarifying your intention (why you're doing this, now), thinking through set and setting (where, with whom, inside what container), noticing what parts of you might get activated, and planning for the hours, days, and weeks after.
Preparation coaching is not therapy. I don't diagnose, I don't treat clinical conditions inside this work, and I don't keep a clinical record of these sessions. I don't provide, procure, or source any substance. The experience you're preparing for is one you've arranged on your own, through a legally-sanctioned pathway of your own; coaching sits alongside that arrangement, not inside it.
If during preparation we notice that what you actually need is therapy rather than coaching, I'll tell you, and we can talk about whether that's work I'd do with you separately — inside my therapy practice, under a different contract — or work I'd refer you to someone else for.
Who this is for
A fit if:
- You have a specific psychedelic experience coming up — a legal clinic, a ceremonial container you trust, a legally-sanctioned retreat — and you want to do the interior work that goes with it.
- You've read the preparation literature and want a person to think with rather than another essay to read.
- You've had psychedelic experiences before, and something about the last one left you wanting more structure going in.
- You're not looking for a therapist, or you already have one and want coaching that sits alongside the therapy without replacing it.
Not a fit if:
- You're hoping someone will decide for you whether to do this, source a substance for you, or issue medical clearance. Those are separate conversations with different kinds of professionals.
- You're in active clinical crisis. Preparation coaching is for someone stable enough to prepare.
What we cover
Every preparation arc is different. Most sessions touch some combination of:
Intention. What are you hoping this experience will do? What's the underlying question? We work through the difference between a clear intention (useful) and an outcome-attached wish (often counterproductive).
Set and setting. Who are you going in with? What container are you using? What's the physical space? What does trust with the facilitator or guide look like? Is there medical backup if the experience goes somatic?
Your history. Not a full therapy history, but the parts relevant to this experience — prior psychedelic use, trauma history at a high level, current medications, current relational dynamics. We look at what might get activated and how to hold it.
The day of. Practical planning — how you'll get there, what you'll eat, who's picking you up, who knows what's happening, what the next twenty-four hours look like.
After. Integration isn't this service — it lives at /coaching/integration/ — but preparation includes planning for integration. What the first week looks like. Who you'll talk to. When we'll meet again if you want post-experience support.
A note on medical readiness
Some substances and experiences require medical screening. Cardiac conditions, certain psychiatric diagnoses, and specific medications are contraindicated for some psychedelics. Medical clearance is not something I provide. If the container you're using doesn't do its own medical screening, you need that clearance from your physician or a prescriber who handles this domain, before we begin. Preparation coaching presumes the medical-readiness work is already done.