Gratitude: Enhancing the Psychedelic Experience

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Chemical Collective or any associated parties.

Introduction

What is the single most overlooked and underappreciated practice in psychedelic preparation and integration?

It may well be gratitude: the quality of feeling appreciation and thankfulness.

As the psychedelic field grows, with more and more people taking psychedelics each year, the significance of preparation and integration in bringing about beneficial and transformational experiences has become increasingly evident.

Whilst some practices such as meditation, journaling, and sharing circles are becoming increasingly common knowledge amongst psychonauts and practitioners alike, one often overlooked tool that can enhance both the preparation and integration phases is gratitude.

Inspired by Sam Woolfe’s insightful article on Metta-Bhavana as a psychedelic integration practice, this article delves into the role of gratitude in enhancing every stage of the psychedelic process.

I will look at how psychedelics’ effects can naturally lead to gratitude, the power of gratitude in well-being and psychological health, and how gratitude can support the psychedelic process in each phase; preparation, navigation, and integration. To finish I will give some practical ideas and methods for developing a practice.

Let us dive in.

Psychedelics, the Open Mind and Connected Brain

One of the most powerful attributes of psychedelic substances is their ability to shift awareness and open the mind to new perspectives. Under the influence of psychedelics, we can experience a heightened or expanded state of consciousness, and increased sensitivity to thoughts and emotions. 

Under psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD, brain scans have shown that the brain becomes more interconnected, with parts of the brain communicating with each other that do not usually communicate with each other. This can lead to novel connections being made and for those who have had the psychedelic experience, it often results in a deeper feeling of connection to themselves, others, and the universe.

This sense of interconnectedness can naturally lead to a sense of gratitude as we become more aware of the beauty and complexity of life.

For many, this heightened state of appreciation is the most treasured and valuable part of the psychedelic experience.

The Power of Gratitude

Gratitude is often defined as the quality of being thankful and feeling appreciation for what one has.

Its practice has been linked to numerous psychological and emotional benefits, and there is research indicating that practising gratitude can reduce stress, increase psychological well being, decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety, and enhance overall life satisfaction.

Practising gratitude is done by thinking, writing, or verbally expressing things we are grateful for. The practice encourages us to recognise and appreciate the good in our lives. One of the key benefits of this practice is its ability to foster a sense of abundance for the good in our lives. When we focus on what we are grateful for, we shift our attention from what we lack to what we have. This shift in perspective can lead to a more positive mindset and a greater sense of contentment.

Gratitude also has an impact on the brain.

Thinking about and feeling gratitude causes synchronised activation in multiple brain regions, lighting up parts of the brain’s reward pathways and the hypothalamus. This enhances the production of dopamine and serotonin, the neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of happiness and well-being. This can create a positive feedback loop where feeling grateful makes us happier, and being happier makes us more grateful.

Gratitude can also strengthen social bonds and improve our relationships. By expressing gratitude, we can build and maintain positive connections with others. This can also lead to increased social support, which can be a big factor for emotional health and resilience. The act of expressing gratitude not only benefits the person who feels it but also those who receive it and this contributes to a positive cycle of positivity and mutual appreciation.

Gratitude and Psychedelic Experiences

All of the benefits of gratitude can work in conjunction with psychedelic experiences. By improving our sense of well-being, it can enhance and support our preparation, navigation and integration. Let us take a look at each of these phases.

Gratitude for Preparation

Psychedelic experiences are often undertaken with the intention of enhancing well-being and exploring profound aspects of the self and the universe. Preparation plays an important role in setting the stage for experiences, so integrating gratitude into this phase can have a positive impact on the overall experience.

Positive and Receptive Mindset

One of the main benefits of incorporating gratitude into psychedelic preparation is its ability to bring about a positive and receptive mindset. By improving our internal state, the ‘set’ of set and setting, gratitude can enhance our preparation.

By approaching a psychedelic experience with increased well-being and a sense of gratitude, we can arrive at the session with a more positive, open, and receptive mindset. This state, which can also bring about a sense of humility, helps to approach experiences with greater openness to insights and experiences that may unfold, and lends itself to deeper insights and more meaningful experiences.

Reduce Anxiety and Increase Trust

By encouraging us to focus on the positive aspects of our lives, gratitude can also help to counterbalance any apprehensions or uncertainties about the upcoming experience. By acknowledging and appreciating what we have, we can feel more grounded and emotionally resilient; a beneficial state and mindset to be entering into a psychedelic experience and navigating any potential challenges that may come up.

By increasing positive emotions, gratitude can help to reduce anxiety and fear, commonly associated with psychedelic experiences. Expressing gratitude towards psychedelics themselves and the opportunity for the experience can also support preparation. After all, it is harder to be scared or apprehensive about an experience when you are grateful for the opportunity to have it.

By being grateful that psychedelic substances and their effects exist at all, and that experiences are opportunities we have opted into, we can reaffirm to ourselves that ultimately the experience is something we are consciously choosing to do as a positive act. By acknowledging it is something that we have chosen, we can also cultivate a sense of trust in the process. Why would we choose to do something if we did not think it would benefit us?

Gratitude for Navigation

Prevailing psychedelic navigation wisdom tells us that we should be trusting and surrendering to whatever emerges in our experiences. Gratitude can support this aspect of navigating a psychedelic experience.

This can be done simply by being grateful for anything that emerges during the experiences.

Whatever visions, emotions, or contents of mind may emerge, we can be grateful for them, seeing them as opportunities to learn about ourselves and grow. Although not always easy, by leaning into being thankful for them, we decrease our resistance to any potentially challenging aspects, and allow ourselves to open up to them. 

Gratitude for Integration

The goals of psychedelic integration can be roughly split into two categories. The first is handling adverse reactions and minimising negative reactions. This means alleviating any negative symptoms which may manifest such as anxiety or disorientation. The second is promoting, enhancing, and maximising the benefits. This would be maintaining and improving any improvements in mental and emotional health, and building upon them for continued and further benefits.

Gratitude can play an important role in both of these processes, offering support in times of difficulty and enhancing the positive impact of the experience.

A Tool for Grounding and Reorientation

The post-experience phase can bring its own challenges, as we might be processing complex emotions and reflections. Gratitude can help serve as a grounding tool during these challenging phases. By bringing attention to what we are grateful for, it can help us to maintain a positive mindset and emotional balance, even when we are navigating and handling difficult or confusing emotions or insights.

Appreciating and Deepening Insights

As well as building upon any positive emotions experienced after an experience, gratitude can help us appreciate and reinforce any positive insights and lessons from our experience. By acknowledging these insights, it can help to solidify their impact, making them easier to incorporate into our daily lives. This appreciation can motivate continued personal growth, and bring about a deeper sense of fulfilment and purpose. In this way, post-experience gratitude can help to promote long-term positive change.

Building a Gratitude Practice

At this point, you might be thinking “OK, so how do I build a gratitude practice?!”

Here are some methods and ideas to help you start and maintain a gratitude practice, which can  enhance both all phases of a psychedelic experience. 

Gratitude Journaling

One of the simplest and most effective ways to cultivate gratitude is by journaling. Spend a few minutes each day to write down three to five things you are grateful for. These can be about absolutely anything. They might be related to your daily life, social interactions, meals, weather, or relationships. They might be related to your preparations for a psychedelic experience, or reflections on insights gained from one. This practice helps shift your focus towards positive aspects of life and reinforces a grateful mindset.

Sharing these reflections with close friends, a therapist, or an integration group can also enhance the sense of connection and support and further aid the process.

Gratitude Lists

Similar to journaling, maintaining a running list of things you are grateful for can be a quick and easy way to cultivate gratitude. Keep a notebook or a digital document where you can add to your list whenever you feel thankful for something. If you are feeling creative and want a visual reminder, you might make a gratitude tree. Review this list or collection regularly to remind yourself of the abundance in your life.

Mindful Appreciation Exercises

You can engage in mindful appreciation by taking a few moments each day to fully experience and appreciate your surroundings. This could be as simple as savouring your morning coffee, appreciating a beautiful sunset, or feeling gratitude for your body’s capabilities. Mindful appreciation doubles as a mindfulness practice, and can help ground you in the present moment.

Gratitude Meditation

Incorporate gratitude into your meditation practice by dedicating a section of your meditation to focus on what you are grateful for. Visualise people, experiences, or things you are grateful for and allow yourself to feel the warmth and positivity that gratitude brings. This can work particularly well as a pre-trip ritual to set a positive tone.

Expressing Gratitude to Others

Take time to express your gratitude to people in your life. Write thank-you notes, send heartfelt messages or emails, or simply tell someone why you appreciate them. This not only reinforces your sense of gratitude but also strengthens your relationships.

Reflecting on Positive Experiences

After a psychedelic experience, reflect on the positive insights and moments you experienced. Write these down in your journal or discuss them with a friend or therapist. This reflection can help to integrate the positive aspects into your life.

You can also use specific prompts to guide your gratitude practice in relation to your psychedelic session. For example, “What insights from my most recent experience am I most grateful for?” or “How has my perspective on my life shifted, and what positive changes am I thankful for?” These prompts help you focus your gratitude practice on integrating your psychedelic insights.

Patience and Practice

As a final note, it is worth mentioning that gratitude may need to be practised for some time before any benefits are felt. One study showed it can take three weeks of practising gratitude daily before any sense of well-being is improved. However, it was then significant and the benefits improved from then on. So do not be disheartened if you do not feel any benefit after practising gratitude for the first time. It may take a little practice, but it can be done in just two minutes each day.

Conclusion

Gratitude can serve as a powerful and versatile tool at each stage of the psychedelic process. It can enhance the overall impact of our psychedelic experiences and make them more meaningful and transformative.

In preparation, gratitude can help set a positive and receptive tone, reduce anxiety, and cultivate trust in the process. In navigation, it can help to bring about acceptance and reduce resistance. And in integration, gratitude can reinforce positive changes, help manage challenging emotions, and make benefits last longer.

By intentionally incorporating gratitude into your psychedelic process, you can deepen your preparation and improve your integration, promoting long-term positive change.

I hope this article has given you some ideas and motivation to start a gratitude practice.

Stay safe. Be grateful.

John Robertson | Community Blogger at Chemical Collective | mapsofthemind.com

John is one of our community bloggers here at Chemical Collective. If you’re interested in joining our blogging team and getting paid to write about subjects you’re passionate about, please reach out to David via email at blog@chemical-collective.com