Set is your state of mind going in: mood, expectations, worries, what you hope for. Setting is everything around you: the place, the people, the sounds, the time you have. With a strain rated as strong as the Dragon truffles, these two shape the session at least as much as the exact number of grams.
Where the idea comes from
The terms were made popular by the psychologist Timothy Leary in 1961 and have been accepted by researchers since (overview). They describe something every harm reduction service repeats in its own words: the same dose can give a light, funny afternoon or a frightening one, depending on who takes it, where and with whom.
What research found
A prospective study followed people who planned to take a psychedelic on their own initiative, starting with 654 participants who answered questions before and after (Haijen et al., 2018). Three findings are useful for anyone planning a session:
- People who went in with a positive mindset were less likely to have a challenging experience.
- People who took it with a recreational intention were also less likely to have a challenging experience.
- A higher dose increased every part of the acute experience: the visual effects, the intense moments and the difficult ones.
The Jellinek describes the same thing from practice: truffles mostly amplify the mood you already have. If you feel bad, you can become anxious; if you feel good, the result is usually a relaxed, cheerful state (Jellinek).
Set: checking yourself first
Before a Dragon session, be honest about a few things.
- How you feel this week. Stress at work, a fight, a loss or a bad night's sleep all come along. Postponing costs nothing; the truffles keep until the date on the pack.
- Why you want to do it. Curiosity, music, a day outside with a friend are good reasons. Proving you can handle a strong strain is not.
- What you expect. Expect waves, some confusion and moments that feel odd. Expecting fireworks makes an ordinary first hour feel like failure, which is when people reach for more.
- Whether you should skip it. A personal or family history of psychosis, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder is a reason not to take truffles at all. See safety.
Setting: place and people
- A place you know. Your own home or a friend's, quiet, with a toilet, water, blankets and somewhere to lie down. A familiar room makes strange moments easier to place.
- Outdoors only if it is calm. A quiet park or garden can be lovely. Traffic, water, heights and crowds are risky for someone whose perception and balance are changed.
- A sober sitter. One person who takes nothing, knows what you took and how much, and stays for the whole session. The Jellinek notes that a sober trip sitter can help keep a session on track.
- Few people, all trusted. Strangers, phones that keep buzzing and unexpected visitors can easily tip a session into a difficult one.
- Music chosen in advance. Calm music you know well, without lyrics if you are unsure. Changing the music is one of the easiest ways to change the mood.
- Time. Six hours with nothing to do, and the next day free. The Jellinek advises taking the day after a trip off to let it settle.
Amsterdam and travel
Many people buy truffles during a visit to the Netherlands. A hotel room, a busy street, canals and bicycles, a city you do not know and a flight the next morning add up to a poor setting for a strong strain. If you are visiting, a light dose in a quiet place, with a sober companion and a free next day, is the version that fits. Take nothing back home: in most countries truffles are illegal, see legal status.
On the day
- Eat lightly in the morning and nothing for three to four hours before.
- Weigh your dose, put the rest away, put the car keys away.
- Tell your sitter what you took and when.
- Switch your phone to silent, except for the sitter's.
- Have water, fruit juice and something sweet within reach.
- If it gets hard, change something: the room, the light, the music, or step outside for fresh air. Read what to do when it gets difficult.
Next: how much to take and safety and dangerous combinations.