FAQ

You've made the choice to take psychedelics. That might mean you'll be exploring psychedelic therapies for a mental health condition by taking ketamine in a clinic or at home, or that you booked a retreat or psychedelic-assisted therapy session in the US or abroad. You may have made a plan for a solo or guided journey, or perhaps you’ll be headed to a festival like Burning Man. Maybe you've booked a psilocybin session in Oregon; or you plan to do psychedelics in nature, at a show, or elsewhere.

Now the work begins. Psychedelics can open doors, provide insights, and reveal many things. But an open door is only the starting point for personal development. The grounded, professional experience of trained psychedelic facilitators can help you fulfill this transformative potential. You need to walk through that door while staying safe, explore what arises, and apply what you've learned through psychedelic integration. That takes time, and it takes work. Having someone to walk alongside you the whole way can make all the difference.

That's where our coaches come in. Their focus is on you—meeting you where you are, answering your questions, supporting your growth, offering insights, sharing wisdom in the form of hands-on advice and spiritual practices, celebrating your successes, offering accountability, and above all, looking out for your safety.

If having a collaborative, co-creative companion accompany you on your journey sounds like it could be beneficial, our coaching may be a good fit for you. All of our Fireside coaching is done through the lens of and for the purpose of harm reduction.

Now the work begins.

Psychedelics can open doors, provide insights, and reveal many things. But an open door is the starting point.

You need to walk through it, stay safe, explore what arises, and apply what you’ve learned. That takes time, and it takes work. Having someone to walk alongside you the whole way can make all the difference.

That’s where our coaches come in. Their focus is on you—meeting you where you are, answering your questions, supporting your growth, offering insights, sharing wisdom, celebrating your successes, offering accountability, and above all, looking out for your safety.

If having a collaborative, co-creative companion accompany you on your journey sounds like it could be beneficial, our coaching may be a fit for you.

All coaching is done through the lens of and for the purpose of harm reduction.

Your coach's agenda is to support your agenda. The relationship you build with your coach is co-creative, collaborative, and ever-evolving, and it all depends on what you're seeking and where you are on your path. All coaches will create a safe, non-judgmental space where all emotions, thoughts, questions, and ideas are welcome.

Your coach will support you with whatever arises, whether that's difficult emotions, challenging questions, concerns about safety, or goals for your personal development.

They'll do their best to answer your questions and they may ask some of their own. They may offer suggestions, tips, and tools based on your unique circumstances. They may share what's worked for them or others in the past in terms of effective preparation and psychedelic integration. But all of it is in service of supporting and empowering you, and keeping you safe.

But we can't help you decide whether, where, or when to take psychedelics. All of that is your decision. All of our coaching is done for the purpose of and through the lens of harm reduction.

We recommend a minimum of three preparation sessions and five psychedelic integration sessions.

But it depends on you. Coaching relationships can and often do last weeks, months, or years. That's because unpacking your journey and applying the lessons to your life is seldom simple or straightforward. When your psychedelic journey ends, the same life, the same old patterns may await you.

Your coach is the ally in your corner, by your side as you re-engage with, re-imagine, and let go of whatever no longer serves you. Looking out for you, keeping you safe.

Like so many experiences in life, what you get out of a psychedelic experience depends on what you put it in, as well as your own lived experience.

Preparation begins the moment you say “yes” to a psychedelic experience. Preparation can include setting an intention and making space in your life to reflect on it—why this journey and why now? It can also include doing a deep dive into where you are in your life, how you got here, where you're going, what you'd like to let go of, and what you'd like to change.

Preparation is a key to safety and fulfilling the transformative potential of psychedelics. All of our coaching is done through the lens of and for the purpose of harm reduction.

Psychedelic integration is the process of exploring what arose during your journey and applying what you learned to your life.

This deeply personal experience can take the form of letting go of old habits and developing new ones. It can mean falling in love with every part of yourself, or re-imagining your life and your place in your community, your relationships, and the wider world. Integration is also an important part of reducing the risks of your psychedelic experience. All of our coaching is done through the lens of and for the purpose of harm reduction.

No.

Our coaches support people who have already decided to have a psychedelic journey or who have had one in the past.

Their role doesn’t include helping you decide whether to have a psychedelic journey, which substance to take or at which dose, or where to go for your psychedelic journey.

No.

Coaches are with you before and after for the purposes of preparation and psychedelic integration, but not during a psychedelic experience.

You're welcome to call our free, confidential Psychedelic Support Line during your journey at 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433).

There are many, many differences! You can read about them in the chart above. In a nutshell, Fireside-Certified™ psychedelic coaching is a paid service that provides long-term, scheduled support by video to clients who are preparing for future psychedelic experiences and/or integrating past ones.Clients select their coach from a database of coaches' photos and profiles. All coaches are employees who are Fireside-Certified™.

By contrast, the Psychedelic Support Line offers free emotional support via one-off, inbound, and unscheduled conversations by phone and text between anonymous volunteers and callers who are in the midst of psychedelic experiences or integrating past ones.

To learn more about the differences, see this chart.

You may be able to use pre-tax dollars from your Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay for coaching. While our services are classified to accept HSA/FSA funds, we recommend confirming your eligibility with your FSA/HSA carrier or a tax professional.

For additional support, you might consider providing your carrier with supplemental documentation, such as a note from your medical or behavioral health provider outlining how coaching is part of your care plan. Taking this extra step can help ensure your payment qualifies under your plan.

Fireside Coaching differs substantially from psychedelic-assisted therapy, but can pair well with therapy, especially if you are working with a mental health professional who isn't familiar with psychedelics. Our coaches have all had their own psychedelic experiences and have spent over 300 hours supporting people navigating psychedelic experiences. They bring all of that knowledge, experience, and wisdom to bear to meet you wherever you are on your healing journey.

Plus, coaching is often more future-focused and goal-oriented than therapy, and can involve identifying specific areas of your life that you'd like to change and developing strategies to help make those changes. This approach can serve as a nice complement to certain therapies, especially those that tend to be root-cause focused.

We appreciate your interest. Just fill out the form below and let us know when you're free. We'll do our best to make it work.