Truffle Transformation: An Interview Piece on the Psychedelic Experience

Psychedelics, such as Psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms and truffles), LSD, MDMA, Mescaline and Ayahuasca, have been used for centuries in various cultures for their mind-altering effects. These substances are known to produce profound changes in perception, mood, and cognitive processes, often leading to deep introspective and mystical experiences (Wein, 2023). Psychedelics have increasingly been researched as additive treatment to treatment as usual for psychological complaints; where particular focus has been on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Schoevers, n.d.). Being able to alleviate distress and symptoms of chronic and detrimental psychological disorders is massively transformative in itself. Psilocybin truffles are known for inducing powerful hallucinogenic experiences, helping users explore deeply ingrained emotions and gain new life perspectives (NIDA, 2024). People frequently report coming out of a trip having experienced the lives of their ancestors, seeing into their pasts, or seeing a different universe providing messages about their life (NIDA, 2024). The profound experiences combined with their positive and deep entrance into the mind’s eye begs the question of how we can capitalise on such experiences to best facilitate individuals’ growth. 

As individuals studying psychology in a scientific institution, we often seek valid, reliable, and empirical evidence. However, this sometimes makes us lose sight of individual experiences and the rich insights they bring. Hence, with this article, I attempt to delve into a more subjective world of information through interviewing a psychedelic coach and several individuals who have had transformative experiences with psychedelics. 

Magda Haver, a psychedelic coach who also goes by the name “Metara”, started a spiritual coaching business after experiencing some of the transformative effects of psychedelic experiences herself. Her coaching firm, Hero’s Journey Coaching, is based in Amsterdam, where psilocybin truffles are legal. The Hero’s Journey in itself is a story about navigating through tumultuous transformative adventures. It is a monomyth and template of storytelling that encompasses a hero who goes through a transformative adventure, including decisive crises, profound learning experiences and challenges; ultimately returning home feeling transformed (MasterClass, 2021). Magda’s practice focuses on guiding psychedelic sessions, mainly with truffles, and integrating these experiences into her clients’ daily lives. Coaching with psychedelics often involves three phases: preparation, the psychedelic experience itself, and integration. This comprehensive approach ensures that clients are well-supported before, during, and after their journeys (Barber & Aaronson, 2022). Preparing for the experience includes discussing the individual’s struggles, background information, and goals. Intentions play a pivotal role in shaping the psychedelic experience. These intentions can be grand and spiritual, or simple, like wanting to explore. What matters is that they resonate clearly with the individual. 

The psychedelic trip itself, especially with Psilocybin truffles, requires less direct work than the preparation and integration stages. In The Netherlands, it is not legal to administer the truffles directly to the client, so they have to make the tea and consume it themselves. However, this can actually add to the experience, as it can feel more like a profound ritual and contribute to the client feeling in control of their trip. Then, once the client starts tripping, the role of the guide is to hold space for the client and help them if needed. Holding space entails creating a non-judgemental and supporting environment, where the client feels that their guide is there for them, but is not intruding on their experience. It is important to maintain balance and not interfere too much into their trip – as a simple tap on the shoulder can alter the course of their psychedelic experience. Once the client starts to sober, it can be helpful to provide them with water, words of affirmation, and healthy snacks – like nuts, dark chocolate, and fruit – and ease them back into reality. Finally, it can be helpful to take notes of what the client says right after the trip (and during, if they say anything), as they often forget the trip’s contents soon after sobering. These steps may differ across practices, but these are elements Magda does with Hero’s Journey Coaching clients and has learned from working with different psychedelic centres like Synthesis Institute and Psychedelic Insights. 

Integration refers to the steps that the guide and individual take following the psychedelic journey to best understand and translate the experience into their daily lives. “Integration is like taking two steps forward and one step back,” Magda notes. “Integration, as Magda explains, is crucial. It involves reflecting on the psychedelic experience, pausing to understand its implications, and gradually incorporating these insights into daily life. Her role as a guide is vital, helping clients ground their experiences and develop deeper awareness. “Awareness is the first step to transformation. You need to see what needs to change before you can take action.”

Following qualitative research on psychedelic coaching, Branco (2023) identified two critical factors in successful integration after a psychedelic experience, namely regular integration practices and a strong support system. Examples of integration practices include journaling, speaking to a guide/coach about the experience – the general goal to minimise an individual’s distress while allowing them to live a fuller life by merging the psychedelic experience with their everyday routine. The support system, including a coach, therapist, and supportive family members, helps individuals process and translate their experiences into their lives. When speaking to an individual who has taken psychedelics recreationally, they identified the challenge of explaining their experiences to others and the lack of reflection as barriers to transformation. Magda confirms that a strong roadblock to allowing transformation with psychedelics is the difficulty of understanding such experiences without having done it yourself. Thus, it can be easier to return to everyday life and refrain from discussing it with others, particularly due to the stigma surrounding drugs. 

Despite the potential benefits, there are challenges in working with psychedelics. Individuals with strong rational or scientific minds may find it difficult to integrate their experiences. “Critical minds can be a barrier,” Magda admits. “They question a lot, even if revolutionary changes are happening.” However, she believes that curiosity, trust, intuition, and a supportive community can help overcome these obstacles.

At the core of Magda’s practice is the belief that psychedelics can help individuals know and love themselves better. “Psychedelics are not a quick fix,” she explains, “The healing process requires patience and ongoing reflection.” This highlights the gradual, sometimes challenging, nature of true transformation. Magda emphasises that psychedelics are tools for self-discovery and self-love. “When you know yourself better, you can understand yourself, and then you can love yourself better. And when you love yourself better, the outside reality matters less,” she says. This inner transformation is crucial as it can alter the way individuals respond to life events, bring strength to one’s self esteem, and generally foster peace with oneself (Ekman, 2023). 

Delving deeper into the client experience of psychedelic journeys, I spoke to Nathalie Sloos, a mother of two who has taken psilocybin truffles with a guide twice. Nathalie took her first trip very seriously, with a strong intention of wanting to discover her life’s purpose. During the experience, she said that she “felt like she was in a conversation with someone or some force”, which then told her not to focus on purpose, but to first focus on her childhood in order to experience “pure joy”. This shift led to four hours of laughter, where she crucially learned that her life’s purpose doesn’t have to be grand, but rather rooted in simple joys. Her second journey was more intense, still contextualised in her early childhood, “the differentiation between seeing, feeling, and being was unclear – it was almost like seeing the life of a baby.”. The experiences combined reassured Nathalie and made her appreciate the way she naturally leads her life, going towards light and joy. During the trips, Nathalie was interestingly compelled to draw some of the visuals – “I am not usually creative, but the experience is so visual, so even though it was dark and I had a blindfold, I really wanted to draw.”. When asked about integration, she described having conversations with her guide about the trip, re-listening to the playlist from the trip, and colouring in her drawings. These steps help ground her present self and remember aspects of the trip she forgot. Ultimately, Nathalie believes that “Psychedelics can give a different perspective; not that only through psychedelics I can find a solution, because it is not the solution to everything.”. Yet, it taught her how to come to terms with people’s roles in her life – like the father of her children, and was generally empowering in fostering self-acceptance. After the second trip, she felt satisfied with the teachings, emotional clarity, and reassurance of playfulness brought to her life, wherein she currently feels no inclination to experience another trip. 

Psychedelic experiences can be powerful in providing profound insights and transformative experiences. By integrating these experiences into one’s personal life with a supporting guide, one can uncover new perspectives, enhance self-awareness, and foster a deeper connection with oneself and the world at large. In essence, psychedelics have the potential to be transformative on an individual level, where the support from trained and knowledgeable guides can be paramount. For those interested in the background of psychedelics, articles on the Spiegeloog website by other authors may provide such insight. <<