Preparation

Preparation sessions occur between a participant and facilitator(s) to discuss a participant’s intentions for natural medicine therapy.

Many people may be attracted to psilocybin assisted therapy to address psychological conditions (e.g., trauma, OCD, depression, anxiety, etc.) and existential concerns; yet, many people want to experience psychological and spiritual development and enhance their creative pursuits in life. Still others may desire a therapeutic journey with psilocybin to cultivate psychological flexibility and explore their consciousness.

Preparation sessions aim to recognize what your intentions are for this therapeutic work and your facilitators will then help you build the right tools and techniques you may want or need on your journey day.

Facilitators will use the session to address the ‘set’ portion of the classic ‘set and setting’ approach to psychedelic therapy: assessing the mindset of the participant and helping them achieve clarity on the issues they wish to address.

Preparation sessions also introduce you to your facilitators, our space, our neighborhood, and other important contextual variables that all play in concert for you during your journey.

No. Preparation begins after the initial screening process is completed, first.

Colorado’s psilocybin therapy program is designed to maximize safety and promote mental health, which is why the first step in the process is a safety screening.

Potential therapy participants must provide complete and accurate health information, including any mental health history and current medications, to identify possible contraindications.

This screening will also help pair participants with an appropriately trained facilitator.

In some cases, potential participants may be ruled out from services until a particular health issue is resolved.

Preparation sessions establish proper set and setting, help clarify therapeutic intentions, build the essential therapeutic relationship, and familiarize you with our space and process.

This foundation is crucial for optimal therapeutic outcomes - some say adequate preparation is the cornerstone of effective psilocybin therapy.

Preparation sessions are also required by Colorado law, as these meetings tend to be used for following up on health history screening results, discussing informed consent, discussion of risks, meeting your facilitator(s), etc.

Your dedicated licensed facilitator(s) will guide you through personalized preparation, building the trust and rapport essential for your therapeutic journey.

As for location, for preparation sessions you can choose between in-person sessions at our Boulder location or conveniently through telehealth (video) session(s) that allow you to prepare from your preferred environment.

We begin with a comprehensive clinical review using evidence-based, validated assessment measures to understand your full picture — your medical history, current medications, mental health history, and any factors that might inform how we approach your care. This is not a checkbox exercise. It is a thoughtful, collaborative process that allows us to make informed decisions together about whether psilocybin-assisted therapy is right for you, and if so, how to approach it with the greatest care.

We take contraindications seriously. Your safety is not negotiable, and we hold that responsibility with both clinical rigor and genuine compassion.

One of the most consistent findings in psilocybin research is that the therapeutic relationship — the felt sense of safety with your facilitator — is among the strongest predictors of a positive experience. Preparation sessions are where that relationship is built, session by session, conversation by conversation.

You will meet your co-facilitator during this process. You will have the chance to ask every question you have. Nothing is too small, too strange, or too personal.

The preparation sessions are very important for this work. We do not want to rush this time together because this creates our “safe container” for your journey day. The safer you feel with us and our space, the deeper you are likely to go in your journey.

Most individuals benefit from 4-6 hours of preparation, typically spread across 2-3 sessions to allow for processing and integration of preparatory work between meetings.

That being stated, we want to customize your therapeutic journey to best address your needs and preferences. Depending on your background, you may need preliminary sessions focusing on trauma processing, mindfulness skillset development, or practice specific therapeutic skill-building to optimize your readiness.

For many people, a therapeutic psilocybin experience introduces concepts that may be entirely new — and we think that's worth talking about unhurriedly, with curiosity and without judgment.

We explore ideas like what it means to "go inward," the concept of your inner healing intelligence, the wounded healer archetype, and the role of ancestral ceremony and ritual in working with plant medicines. We discuss the nature of altered states of consciousness — what they are, what they are not, and how to meet them with openness rather than resistance.

We talk about your history with altered states if you have one, your intentions for this experience, and your hopes and fears. We discuss the specific strain of psilocybe cubensis we may work with, why strain and dose selection matters, and how we collaborate to make that decision based on your needs, your nervous system, and your goals.

This is also the time we introduce you to psilocybin mushrooms as sentient beings — carriers of ancient wisdom that have been in relationship with human healing for centuries. Learning how to enter into right relationship with the medicine before you encounter it is, in our view, one of the most important and most overlooked aspects of preparation. It shapes everything about how your journey unfolds.

Our final preparation session takes place in person, in the very room where your journey will unfold. We want your nervous system to recognize the space before journey day — to feel the warmth of it, to know where everything is, and to arrive on the day itself with a felt sense of familiarity and safety.

During this session we cover all state-required details, including your safe transport plan and our approach to therapeutic touch. We practice breathwork together. We develop personal mantras if that feels meaningful. We work with bilateral stimulation as a grounding resource. We talk through your ideal setting, like the music, the lighting, the objects you may want nearby, so that everything about your environment on journey day reflects your needs and your intentions.

We think of this final preparation session as a kind of threshold moment. You are not just preparing for a session. You are preparing to meet yourself.

Couples preparation focuses on creating shared intentions while honoring individual goals, establishing communication protocols, and preparing both partners for a synchronized therapeutic experience that can deepen your relationship.

Preparing for psilocybin journeys as a couple is important for many reasons - these meetings entail open and honest conversations that supports and clarifies individual and shared intentions, prepares for potential relationship material emerging, and creates safety agreements for your shared journey.

The process is very similar to individual journey preparations. You'll still work with licensed psilocybin facilitators who are also trained in couples therapy who understand the unique dynamics of shared psychedelic experiences and relationship healing.

Choose between intimate in-person preparation sessions at The Clearing or telehealth (video) sessions from your home environment where you can practice techniques together.

Couples also typically need about 6-8 hours of preparation time, often structured as longer sessions (2-3 hours each) to allow for both individual and dyadic exploration.

For all of our couples journeys, you can expect to have two licensed facilitators present, each of whom will also be involved with preparation sessions.

Group preparation sessions aim to create a cohesive, supportive community while honoring individual therapeutic goals, establishing group agreements, and preparing all members for a shared transformative experience.

These sessions are designed to create a supportive group “safe container,” focusing on building trust, establishing communication protocols, and preparing for the unique healing potential of group psychedelic experiences.

Your group will work with licensed facilitators experienced in group dynamics and psychedelic therapy, with additional support staff available for larger groups to ensure everyone feels seen and supported.

Ideally, group preparation typically takes place at The Clearing to allow the group to connect with the space where they'll journey together; however, telehealth options are also available for preliminary individual sessions.

It is not uncommon to have intensive group experiences. For example, let’s say a group meets on a Tuesday, for a whole day of preparation; then on Wednesday, the entire group journeys together; and finally, on that Thursday, the group stays together to begin their integration process.

During small group preparation sessions/days, you can expect rich group dialogue, shared ritual creation, practice with group support techniques, community building activities, and the co-creation of your group's unique therapeutic culture and agreements.

Creating an authentically safe container is absolutely vital for this work, and we take this part of the therapeutic work seriously. That being stated, we also highly value flexibility, freedom, space, levity and humor with this process!