Journeys Can Be Challenging: Episode 3 in My Account of Traveling West in a Van while Writing a Book about Psychedelics and Elderhood

4/27/24 – Taos, New Mexico

After we left Big Bend and headed north, things started going south. When we crossed into New Mexico, the temperature dropped. A lot.

The WiFi here is great, said the kind woman at the campground reception. It wasn’t. By a long shot.

The campsite we’d reserved – the beautiful spot next to a small stream – turned out to be accessible only with a tent. So we parked the van, set up the tent and air mattress and hunkered down.  Woke up to rain. And cold. The kind that sits in your bones.

The phrase “Not a happy camper” was taking on entirely new meaning.

I retreated to the van to work on my writing.

One of the main purposes of my book-in-progress is to bring older adults up to speed with the current understandings about psychedelics. Between the impressions we may have from our youthful experiences and War on Drugs propaganda, there is a lot to unpack.

For instance, the dreaded “bad trip” is now understood as a challenging episode – something that is completely expected during a journey and which may even lead to some form of insight – experienced in an insufficiently supportive environment.

We now know, through clinical research and many forms of practice, how to create a safe and supportive environment for psychedelic journeying – through intentional preparation of one’s mind set and physical setting before the journey, and integration of the experience afterwards.

In the New Mexico campsite, I set to work explaining the components of this safe environment – and their ultimate purpose – to support the journeyer with sufficient security, courage and curiosity so they can submit to the experience – its high points and challenges – without resistance.

With the rain and fog outside and no internet signal, I sat in the comfortable warmth of the van and realized there were some things I needed to let go of as well.