Psychedelic clubs/integration circles (D.C. area)???

[Mister_Niles]

I've been hearing about psychedelic clubs and integration circles lately. I've heard them discussed on the podcast Psychedelics today and on another podcast. It sounds like a great idea. It sounds like a sketchy idea.

I usually go solo and reach out for integration help to a few friends who know. Some who take psychedelics and some who don't. I'm almost 50 years old and I'm feeling the need for community. Forums are great, but I want to get together with people.

I've tried to make it to some conferences, but I am a business owner and it's hard for me to get out of town

. A friend was telling me about a community of people who did something like a micro-mini burning man recently in D.C.
I think they were called Catharsis? Interesting, but I don't want to go to festivals. I want to meet people in quiet settings. I want to talk to people about experiences in an environment that allows me to look into their eyes. I want to meet people who might be able to introduce me to other people.
In particular, I'm hoping to find my way to an underground therapy network. Professionals who are doing important work, and aren't letting the establishment dictate their doctoring.

I think groups like the ones I'm describing are more common on the west coast.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[null24]

Start one! There are a lot of local communities doing just that and it is creating a grass roots (or a mycelial) network of people dedicated to this avenue. The one in my town was started on meet up dot com, check out that platform, do a search on it for other groups and get ideas...

If you want to see it, make it.

 

[Mister_Niles]

I may do just that. I want to find the others. The older I get, the more important it becomes. I want the support of like minded people. I think the meetup dot com thing is a good idea. I haven't even checked facebook. That place is pretty crappy.

 

[Loveall]

I want this too. It also seen it as a way to positively influence society so our laws can be updated to be more humane with respect for individual personal freedom and aligned with our natural plant and mushroom teachers that can feed our spirit.

I think that it is in our nature than when we see our society suffering due to synthetic opioids, artificial greed, hate, record incarceration rates, artificial scarcity, and misinformation that we want to help.

PS: I love the mycelium reference above.

 

[null24]

There are actually a few in my area, started by different people for different reasons. There are actually psychonaut groups made up of younger people who get together for experiences and one that focuses on discussion and hosting presenters.

It is the latter one that interests me. The makeup of attendees seems to be about half and half experienced and psychedelic naive people who are interested. The average age is over 40 and most are professionals. It can be pretty cool.

 

[Mister_Niles]

Yeah. I'm definitely looking for the latter also. I've become less and less able to embrace the idea of tripping with anyone. I have on friend who I do dmt+harmala work with, but we take turns and it's serious business. We sit for each other and take notes if we need to. He is a special friend. My cosmic twin, who is half my age. The age thing you mentioned is important too. While my friend is 25, and over clocked from my perspective, he has the ability to dial it back, and I speed up, and we meet in the middle.
I want to talk with people who are on the same page as far as harm reduction and myriad forms of caution go. I don't want to be in a room with people who are tripping, willy nilly at Applebees or whatever
Like I said, I don't mind younger people. My 13 year old's friends love me to a degree that makes my child uncomfortable. They don't want their friends to think their old ass dad is cool. Which is hilarious to me.

I just want to make sure I am not in a room with someone who has an ounce of 2-cb in their pocket because they sell it, and are putting everyone in the group in legal jeopardy.

I also want to have cultural (pop and otherwise) touchstones in common, so there isn't undue alienation snd wated time, explaining who the Beatles are. That being said: young blood is important. For many reasons. Fresh perspectives, in both directions. And to be totally honest, as I get older, it gets harder to locate certain things. That could be a plus.. or a minus, considering levels of discretion.

I feel like I'm sounding like a snob. Maybe I am. I just want to talk to thoughtful people, who take this stuff seriously. Sorry if I sound ageist. If I found a group of 20 year olds who were doing important work and were really integrating and holding space for a responsible and growing community, I'd be happy.

 

[skoobysnax]

After 5 yrs of solo flights i began a small circle with some folks i practice yoga with. It started after I gave one of them some passionflower i grew and we discussed its uses as an MAOI inhibitor. That led to a wow we "found each other" moment. First it was us 2 and we have expanded to 4. Changa being the primary sacrament. Beginning with silent meditation/intenton ritual in a prepared setting. We go in turn with leaving at least one person to oversee. Singing and chanting are allowed if the spirit says vocalize and it has been magical. We discuss the journies in turn at the end to integrate. This has taken DMT to a new level for me. I still enjoy my sunrise changa alone when it calls but I prefer the group now. I can't imagine doing it as a meetup though. I am also pushing 50, businesss, kids and the possible legal issues are worth looking at in earnest. I had implicit trust in these folk before the reveal so i feel blessed like it was a force greater than us than joined us. We have sworn secrecy for obvious reasons and discuss inviting others before new folks come because trust is important.

I hope it can happen for you!!

 

[○]

I looked over some of the results for around here, and a few came up, but I'm very hesitant haha [though this site is pretty neat, seems decently put together]. Having small communities of some kind is a great thing though, even if it's just a handful or so of people. Though it's hard for me to get the nudge in order to make that leap into a group of strangers face to face.

I used to have a small group of friends that I traveled with early on within the first few years of using psychedelics. Life massively separated us - which I'm okay with, though I do occasionally wonder about others in close proximity to me. For the majority of my psychedelic voyaging over these last several years it's been noone other than myself, though a girl I'd met through some people I knew - we had microdosed mushrooms together and went hiking a few times, also had smoked some changa on a couple occasions [now she lives in another state lol].

For the majority of these last several years it's mostly been me and my bestfriend/significant other - we'd dated for a number of years, had some ups and downs, though til this day we're still close, maybe even closer than we once were. Mushrooms, mescaline, changa, enhanced leaf, ayahuasca, lsd - we've done so much together over the years. In alot of ways that's all I ask for now - is when me and her have the time to journey - we can, without hiccup, without any issue. Me and her tend to agree on a great deal of things regarding these experiences and she sees them very similarly to me. We actually talked about smoking some changa here within the coming week or two, it's been a few years for her and a little over a year for me.

I'm definitely going to keep this website in mind. Thanks