How do you prepare for a truffle ceremony?

If you are considering a truffle ceremony, you probably want to know what you can do beforehand. What should you think about? How do you set an intention? And how can you feel ready?

There are practical things to consider: your health and medication, the support you choose and how you will get home afterwards. But preparation is also about how you are feeling and why you want to have this experience. You may want to give those questions a little more time.

Below, I share what I find important when preparing for a truffle ceremony. What should you discuss beforehand? And what can you do yourself?

Is a truffle ceremony right for me at this point in my life?

Preparation really begins before you choose a date. How are you doing? What makes you want to take part in a truffle ceremony? And do you have enough rest and support to go into what may be an intense experience and process it afterwards?

Perhaps you are curious, have a question about your life or have been exploring personal development for some time. Perhaps you long to feel more connected to your body, or want to explore something you understand intellectually but do not yet really feel.

Also consider what is happening in your life around the time you would like to plan the ceremony. How full are your days? Do you have a lot on your mind? And can you leave some time free afterwards? What you hope the ceremony will bring is part of this too. You can long for something while still not knowing how the experience will unfold.

Practical preparation

Be open about your health and medication

If you choose a guided truffle ceremony, careful screening should be part of the preparation. Tell your guide about any physical or mental health difficulties, the medication you take and any significant mental health conditions in your family. Also mention supplements, herbal remedies and substances you use occasionally.

Let your guide know if anything changes after the screening. For example, if you start taking different medication, are sleeping poorly or notice that you are feeling less mentally stable.

Never stop or change your medication yourself in order to take part in a ceremony. Discuss this with the doctor who prescribes it.

You can read more in my article about the risks and contraindications of a truffle ceremony.

Consider your menstrual cycle too

When I plan a ceremony with a woman, I also consider her cycle. It is easy to overlook. We look at our diary, find a free day and think: that works.

But how do you usually feel around that time? Will it be just before your period, and is that a time when you experience a lot of PMS symptoms? Do you become overwhelmed more easily, sleep less well or find things harder to cope with?

I find that relevant information, especially for an experience in which feelings, emotions and physical sensations can become very prominent.

There is not yet enough research to identify one phase of the cycle as the best time for a psychedelic experience. How you feel physically and emotionally is therefore important when choosing a date. What you would like to explore during the journey can also be part of that conversation.

Find out what good support involves

A beautiful website may appeal to you. Still, I would also want to know who is behind it. What training have they had? How much experience do they have of guiding people? What do the reviews say? What happens if a journey becomes difficult? And is support available afterwards?

For example, you can look at the Guild of Guides, a Dutch professional association for guides of psychedelic experiences with truffles. I am a member myself. As members, we work with a code of conduct that includes agreements about screening, boundaries, consent and aftercare. This ethical code gives you an idea of what to expect from professional guidance and what you can ask a guide about.

Get to know your guide

You may find yourself crying, laughing, being quiet or feeling something you do not yet have words for. Who you are with matters. You want to feel comfortable with your guide and be able to trust them.

So take time to get to know each other. How do you feel during the conversation? Can you ask your questions? Do they ask further questions and listen to you? Do you feel able to say that you are unsure or that something does not feel comfortable?

I find this very important. Precisely because a ceremony can be so personal, you want to notice beforehand whether you feel a connection.

Ask about the practical details too. Will your guide stay present and sober? What happens if you find things difficult? What does aftercare involve? And do not worry that you are asking too many questions.

Intentional preparation

How do you set an intention for your truffle ceremony?

Why do you want to make this journey? Sometimes you know straight away. Sometimes it starts with a feeling you cannot quite explain yet.

You might take some time to sit with these questions. What is happening in your life? What do you keep coming up against? What do you miss, and what do you long for?

Write something down, simply in your own words. For example:

• I want to develop a more loving relationship with myself.
• I want to make more room for my own needs and feelings.
• I want to understand why I keep falling into the same patterns.
• I long for more clarity about an important question in my life.
• I want to rediscover my sexuality and sensuality.
• I want to relate to my body with more love and acceptance, including when it is unwell or changing.
• I want to experience more lightness and enjoyment in everyday life.

Your intention does not need to sound beautiful. Perhaps all you can say is: I do not know exactly yet, but I want to get to know myself better. Or: I am mostly curious about what I might experience. That is a good place to start.

It can help to frame your intention positively. What would you like to experience more of? Beneath “I want to feel less tense”, there may be a longing for trust, calm or more freedom to be yourself.

An intention gives you a direction

As an ACT therapist, I often explore how you want to live and what matters to you. That is also how I see an intention for a truffle ceremony: as a direction you would like to move in.

I see an intention as a compass. Like walking south: you can keep moving in that direction without reaching a point where you are “done”.

A more loving relationship with yourself, for example, is not something you can tick off after one experience. During the ceremony, you might notice how hard you are on yourself, feel sadness or experience gentleness and kindness towards yourself. You can continue exploring that afterwards.

During a psychedelic experience, your intention can give you something to return to. But its connection to what you experience is not always clear straight away. Sometimes you only understand it later. And sometimes something entirely different occupies you from the question you arrived with.

Preparatory sessions

Some guides offer preparatory sessions. Together, you can explore what is happening in your life and what you would like to give attention to during the ceremony.

Perhaps you begin with a general wish, such as feeling calmer or more connected to yourself. A conversation can help you look a little further. When do you lose that sense of calm? What thoughts or habits play a part? And what makes it difficult to listen to your own needs? Underlying patterns may become clearer, giving your intention more meaning.

There is also time for your expectations, doubts and questions. What feels daunting? How do you respond when things are difficult? Do you seek contact or withdraw? And what would you want your guide to know about you at such a moment? For me, these are valuable conversations to have before a ceremony.

Give yourself some rest in the days beforehand

In the final week, you may notice some tension or restlessness. Try to give yourself a little extra rest. Go for a walk, sit for a while or notice how you are feeling, without immediately having to solve anything.

See whether you can leave a little more space in your days. If you work late, sleep little and still have lots to arrange on the morning itself, it can be harder to begin the ceremony feeling settled.

Perhaps you can move an appointment, go to bed a little earlier or pack your bag in advance.

Writing, meditation, time in nature, gentle yoga or a warm bath: choose something that helps you relax. Keep it simple too. You do not suddenly need to meditate or do yoga for an hour every day.

The idea is to give your body some time to settle and to notice what is going on within you.

Also pay attention to what you watch and read. News footage, films and social media can stay on your mind. If you are sensitive to that, the evening before the ceremony may be a good time to put your phone away a little earlier and skip the news.

Do you need to read a lot beforehand?

It helps to understand what truffles can do and roughly what you might expect. But you do not need to read everything you can find about them.

Other people’s stories can create expectations: vivid images, major breakthroughs or a mystical experience you hope to have yourself. Your own truffle journey may unfold very differently.

Other accounts may make you anxious. Perhaps you read about a difficult experience and wonder whether the same will happen to you.

During my own most recent truffle journey, I saw very few images. I was mainly feeling incredibly cold, with a lot happening in my body. The emotions and insights came later. Looking back, it was a valuable experience, even though at the time it was very different from those colourful journey stories.

That is also why I am careful about expectations of how a ceremony should feel. You can learn about what is possible, but you cannot predict how it will be for you. It helps if you can stay curious about your own experience.

When you book a truffle ceremony with me, you receive a preparation workbook. It explains the experience and practical preparation, with questions and exercises to help you explore your intention and what you need. This often answers many of your questions already. We can discuss anything else you would like to know afterwards.

Eating and drinking before a truffle ceremony

You may have read about special diets for ceremonies. A ceremony with psilocybin truffles does not require a special diet.

You can choose to eat a little more lightly in the days beforehand. For example, you might have fewer heavy meals or eat a little more plant-based food if that feels good for you.

As part of my preparation, I ask you not to use alcohol, cannabis or microdoses during the week beforehand. If you use a lot of alcohol or cannabis every day, or find it difficult to stop, discuss this in advance.

It is often advised to avoid caffeine on the morning of a truffle ceremony. If you drink coffee every day, you could gradually reduce it in the days beforehand. This may help prevent a headache from suddenly skipping your usual coffee. Discuss the arrangements with your guide.

Take care of the practical arrangements too

It can help you feel more settled if, on the day itself, you no longer need to think about transport, your children or a work message that still needs an answer.

Discuss in advance what is provided and what you should bring. Think of comfortable clothing, warm socks, an extra layer and perhaps a notebook.

Arrange things so that you do not have to drive yourself after the ceremony. Even once the strongest effects have passed, you may still feel foggy or find it difficult to concentrate. Agree how you will get home or where you can stay overnight.

Keep the following day free

I recommend keeping the following day free to rest and process the experience. Give your body and mind time to recover and let everything settle.

See whether you can also leave a little more space in the days that follow. Integrating a ceremony continues beyond the next day. You may still be reflecting on what you felt or discovered and what it means for your everyday life.

Perhaps you want to walk or write something down. Perhaps you need someone to listen. You cannot know exactly how you will feel beforehand. A free day gives you the chance to respond to what you need at the time.

Agree on aftercare too. When will you speak again? Who can you turn to if you have questions, or if the experience brings up more than you expected?

What if you feel nervous?

Perhaps everything is arranged, yet you feel more nervous as the date approaches. Tell your guide. It can help to discuss exactly what worries you and what you think you might need in those moments.

Nerves, doubts or some resistance are quite common during preparation. After all, you are entering an experience without knowing exactly what it will be like.

I think I have now had more than a hundred psychedelic experiences myself. And I still feel a little nervous every time. Every journey is different. I know how intense, beautiful, sad, magical or unexpected an experience can be, but I do not know what I will encounter that particular time either.

In a nutshell

Good preparation begins before you plan your truffle journey: with choosing your guide, discussing your health and exploring why you want to make this journey. Your intention, some rest beforehand and time in the days afterwards are part of it too.

You cannot determine in advance how your truffle ceremony will unfold. You can make sure you have had the chance to ask your questions, that your guide knows what matters to you and that the practical arrangements are in place. That can already bring a sense of calm, making room alongside the nerves to look forward to the day.

Read my latest articles about psychedelics for women

• How do you prepare for a truffle ceremony?
• Psychedelics, hormones and the female cycle
• Safety and boundaries in psychedelic settings
• What does a truffle ceremony feel like?
• What are the risks of a truffle ceremony?