Expectations can be your worst enemy – this is true as much in a psychedelic journey as it is in life. Today we’ll explore how expectations in the psychedelic space is something to be aware of, and avoid in order to stay open to receiving what we need instead of what we want.
We’ve all heard stories of people having life-changing experiences – maybe they gained profound insights, had mystical visions, or resolved deep-seated emotional issues. These stories can be exciting, even inspiring, but they also set the stage for a common trap: expectations. When we come into a psychedelic journey with specific ideas of what we want to experience, we can miss the deeper message, the true wisdom that the medicine is trying to show us.
How Expectations Can Derail Your Journey
Expectations are like a mental straitjacket. We enter the experience with a script, a rigid set of outcomes we believe will or should happen. Maybe you’ve heard someone talk about seeing fractals or meeting spirit guides, and now you’re hoping for the same thing. Or maybe you’ve done some research and think the journey will fix a specific emotional issue or give you a grand revelation about life. But psychedelics aren’t about fulfilling wishes. They work on a much deeper, more intuitive level, and when you come in with a laundry list of what you expect to happen, you can easily get caught up in disappointment if the experience unfolds differently.
When things don’t go as planned, frustration sets in. Instead of allowing the experience to flow naturally, you might find yourself stuck – questioning why you’re not seeing the visions you imagined or wondering why you’re not feeling the breakthrough you were expecting. In trying to force the experience into a certain box, you become disconnected from the present moment, which is where the real magic happens.
Allow the universe to show you a better way. When you surrender to the flow of the journey, you create space for miracles to unfold. Trust in the unknown and let go. The universe has your back!
Every Journey is Unique
Another important thing to remember is that no two journeys are ever the same. Not only do different people experience psychedelics in unique ways, but even one person’s journeys can vary wildly. What worked for you last time might not even make an appearance in the next experience. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s futile to compare your experience to others or even your own past journeys. The nature of psychedelics is unpredictable and fluid – each journey reflects a combination of your internal state, the environment, and the medicine itself.
Comparing your current journey to a previous one or to someone else’s story is like expecting every sunset to look the same. Sure, they’re all sunsets, but they’re influenced by different factors – clouds, light, weather – and no two are ever identical. Similarly, psychedelic journeys are shaped by countless variables: your mindset (set), your surroundings (setting), your emotional state, and even how much trust you place in the experience. Trying to measure your journey against some idealised expectation not only sets you up for disappointment but also prevents you from receiving the unique insights and lessons that this particular experience has to offer.
Expectations vs. Intentions
This is where the distinction between expectations and intentions becomes so crucial. While they might sound similar, they are worlds apart in how they shape your experience.
Expectations are rigid and specific. They focus on a particular outcome – seeing certain visuals, gaining a specific insight, or feeling a particular emotion. They are inflexible and tied to a sense of “should” or “must”. For example, you might expect to come out of the journey with the answer to a problem, or you might expect to experience euphoria the entire time. When these things don’t happen, disappointment or even anxiety can kick in.
Intentions, on the other hand, are more like gentle guideposts. They reflect your openness and readiness to engage with the experience, without demanding any particular result. Setting an intention might sound like, “I am open to learning what I need from this journey,” or “I seek clarity on a personal issue, but I am willing to receive whatever comes.” Intentions help you focus on the process, not the outcome, allowing the experience to unfold in its own way without forcing it into predefined expectations.
In other words, while expectations are about control, intentions are about trust. When you set an intention, you acknowledge that you don’t know exactly how the journey will unfold, but you’re open to its possibilities.
Letting Go and Trusting the Process
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the importance of letting go. The moment you realise that you can’t control the experience is the moment you open yourself to the real wisdom psychedelics have to offer. Letting go isn’t always easy, especially if you’re used to trying to steer your life or experiences in a certain direction. But psychedelics don’t work like that. They show us that the Universe/Source/God has a better plan than we do – one that’s far more meaningful if only we’d step back and let it happen.
Letting go means releasing your grip on the outcome. It means accepting that whatever happens in the journey is what needs to happen, even if it’s uncomfortable or different from what you imagined. Often, the most profound insights come when we stop trying to control the narrative and instead allow the experience to unfold naturally.
Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.
~ Eckhart Tolle
Trusting the Medicine and Your Own Inner Healing Intelligence
Part of letting go is learning to trust – not only the medicine but also your own inner wisdom. Psychedelics work by tapping into the body and mind’s innate ability to heal and understand. This inner healing intelligence is something we all possess, even if we’re not always aware of it. Psychedelics don’t “do” the healing for you; instead, they create a space for your own inner wisdom to surface and guide the process.
When we trust the medicine, we acknowledge that it knows what we need, even if it’s not what we expect. And when we trust ourselves, we realise that we have the strength, resilience, and insight to navigate the journey, no matter where it takes us. Psychedelics aren’t a magic pill – they don’t fix everything for you – however, they do open a door, allowing your inner healing to take centre stage.
