Intentions vs Results of Psychedelic Assisted Therapy

In psychedelic assisted therapy we set out with specific intentions on what we hope to achieve in the work, whether that is in a medicine session, or in therapy, overall goals and direction can help guide the process. Some clients come in with specific intentions; to process trauma, to understand emotions, to learn more about themselves and how they operate in the world. But these intentions may not always be clear and sometimes require clarity through talking, journaling, or thinking further about the process. 

Intentions set for a session can be both a guide and hindrance to how the psychedelic experience unfolds. Intentions set and achieved in the way intended, can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience, adding deep layers of joy and accomplishment. Intention set and missed, can create disappointment, frustration, or even avoidance of further work with the medicine. The secret is that both versions of intention setting, achieved and not achieved, are equally therapeutic, and hold the same potential for growth. 

In order to understand this to didactic approach to intentions and results, we can examine the nature in which psychedelics circumnavigate our mental and emotional defenses. Let’s say that a person suffers from lifelong depression. This depression, whether triggered by environmental or genetic factors, has built up a litany of various psychological, emotional, and even biological defenses in order to sustain the belief system, that feeds lifelong depression. These defenses, having been developed over time and solidified with experience, are so strong that some people may become stuck, feeling helpless and unable to change. Despite talk therapy, psychiatric medication, coping skills, and any other forms of support, this person may remain stuck, and their rigid defenses of thinking and feeling. 

The psychedelic experience breaks down these defenses through an alternative experience of the self, and what is commonly referred to as “ego dissolutionâ€. As the substance creates a psychological experience of non-ordinary consciousness, the person is removed from the day-to-day machinations of their ego defenses, and subsequent depression. As this process can be so foreign, it may result in the intentions desired to be achieved, just not in the way the person actually intended. They may be shown, experience, or think about situations in a way so far from their traditional thinking, which in and of itself, may catalyze the necessary processes, in order to achieve the desired result.

This theory can be summarized under the concept of the inner healing intelligence, that beyond our mind’s conscious control lies the solution to the problems that plague us. It is by giving up that control and surrendering to the stream of consciousness, not directed by our defenses, that allows what is necessary to heal to come through to consciousness. This concept allows for any and all experiences in sessions to be deemed useful, intentional, and with purpose. The result of the intentions that we set may be achieved in the most unlikely and unpredictable manners, precisely because our defenses would never have allowed us to imagine, or consider the necessary steps for healing when operating in traditional, ordinary consciousness.