The Veteran's Guide to Psychedelics: Therapist/Coach Edition

This coaching guide, designed to accompany The Veteran’s Guide to Psychedelics, bridges theoretical knowledge with practical application as you support veterans through their psychedelic experience. It enhances your role as a therapist or coach, ensuring veterans feel understood, valued, and empowered, while promoting broader acceptance of psychedelics in mental health.
The manual includes all content from the Veteran’s Workbook, with therapist/coach-specific information highlighted. This will provide you with background and rationale behind the activities. The goal is to create a supportive environment and empower veterans to harness psychedelics’ transformative potential.
Objectives:

• Enhancing the supporting role.
• Preparing veterans for their journeys.
• Maximizing integration and healing.

The Supporting Role in the Psychedelic Journey
Therapists and coaches are essential in preparing veterans, supporting them during their journey, and aiding in the integration of their experiences. The most important role is to create a safe, non-judgmental space where veterans feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and emotions.

• Preparation: Therapists and coaches help veterans prepare mentally, spiritually, and physically for their psychedelic experience. You’ll offer strategies to navigate challenges and encourage openness during the process.
• Integration: After the journey, your role shifts to helping veterans make sense of their experiences, connect insights to daily life, and promote healing. This phase is critical for turning insights into lasting change.
• Educating and Advocating: You also serve as an educator, informing veterans about the benefits and risks of psychedelics, navigating the legal and medical landscape, and advocating for their acceptance as a treatment for PTSD and other conditions.

As a therapist or coach, you help veterans harness psychedelics’ transformative power to heal, grow, and reclaim peace and purpose in their lives.
Trust is foundational in psychedelic therapy. A strong, empathetic bond supports veterans through the unpredictable nature of their experience. Research shows that the success of psychedelic therapy is deeply influenced by the relationship between the therapist/coach and the participant.
This guide offers a flexible framework, allowing you to tailor your approach to each veteran’s experience, whether in a clinical or ceremonial setting. Whether guiding veterans or others through transformative psychedelic experiences, this guide helps you provide empathy, structure, and support for lasting healing and growth.
Key Components of the Therapist/Coach Edition:

• Essential Background Information
  • Understanding the types and effects of various psychedelic substances
  • The importance of setting clear intentions
  • Creating a supportive environment
  • Best practices for integration and overcoming challenges
• Preparation Tools
  • Mental and Spiritual Preparation: Meditation practices, intention-setting exercises, and journaling prompts.
  • Physical Preparation: Dietary recommendations and wellness tips.
  • Homelife and Relationship Preparation: Creating supportive spaces and communicating with loved ones.
  • Packing Essentials: Checklists to ensure readiness.
• Journey Logs
  Provide structured spaces to record thoughts, feelings, visions, and insights, encouraging reflection at each stage.
• Integration Support
  • Week 1: Embracing Change and Cultivating New Habits
  • Week 2: Exploring New Sensations
  • Week 3: Revisiting the Past and Healing Trauma
  • Week 4: Envisioning the Future and Moving Forward