Tales from the Other Side, Volume #17: Samadhi

Welcome to the Psychedelic Blog. I write about the Impact of Psychedelics on Grieving, Relationships, Culture & Death. Periodically, I also detail my own Psychedelic journeys to the other side. Well-written trip reports are hard to come by—most are just celebrities “finding themselves” on Ayahuasca, which interests me about as much as a trip to the dentist.

This past week, I communed with a powerful Psychedelic called Samadhi. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. It remains relatively obscure. Samadhi is akin to Ayahuasca, it’s potent blend of DMT & MAOIs. The inclusion of MAOIs serves to slow the metabolism of DMT, extending the fleeting ten-minute journey to span several hours. This concoction is not for the uninitiated or those seeking mere recreation. The profound and mystical experience it invokes necessitates thorough preparation, and the presence of a facilitator to steer the course is imperative.

I’m not recommending the use of Psychedelics; anyone interested should consult with their doctor or therapist first. Alright, here we go.

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“Hi Andrew…I know it’s been a year but for whatever reason, you came into my dreams last night. You were very happy and calm. I wanted to share. I hope you are doing so well.”

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• Intention

I spent weeks carefully crafting my intention for the ceremony. I deliberately scheduled it toward the end of my trip to Mexico, giving myself ample time to fully absorb the unmistakable energy of Puerto Vallarta. Reaching a place of inner peace was essential before embarking on this journey. Seasoned travelers to the other side understand the critical importance of mindset when venturing into the unknown.

While intention-setting can sometimes feel academic—especially with potent Psychedelics that will guide us where they want us to go—our mindset is anything but. As a huge fan of the UFC, I’m always struck by how calm the fighters appear as they enter the octagon. They’re about to face a trained killer, with a high likelihood of pain, injury, or even being knocked out or submitted in brutal fashion. Yet, they remain calm and steady, their eyes focused.

Entering a Psychedelic journey should be no different. By the time it begins, the preparation should be complete—our minds at ease, our bodies relaxed, and our souls ready to transcend and explore the unknown.

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• Set-up

Something interesting happened while the facilitator was preparing the room for the ceremony. He said to me, “The energy in the room is good this evening.” This was a stark contrast to the last time I communed with Samadhi, when I wrote:

This tension proved ominous, as the journey last October was a challenging one. Physical discomfort, incessant nausea, and dry heaving were rampant. At times, I was engulfed in heavy thoughts about my late siblings. I didn’t fight or resist—I let the medicine do its work. But it was not easy.

This time would be different.

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• Takeoff

The facilitator handed me the medicine—Samadhi is delivered in pill form—and instructed me to hold the pill in my left hand, place my left hand over my heart, and express gratitude for the medicine and the experience it was about to bestow on me.

I reminded myself of my intention and swallowed the first pill. Samadhi’s takeoff is smooth and subtle. I was greeted by the familiar markers that signaled I was leaving baseline consciousness: the slow loss of motor function, the vibration of the music resonating through me, and that unmistakable sensation of the plant coursing through my veins.

The beginning of a Samadhi journey reaffirms the idea of a ‘shared consciousness,’ a notion I’ve explored in the past with a friend of mine who is a healer:

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• Transcendence

On the other side, the most beautiful sacred geometry awaited me. With ‘entry-level’ Psychedelics like Psilocybin, you observe shapes & patterns; on Samadhi, you become them. You’re not merely a witness but an active participant in a realm that lies beyond what our evolutionarily adapted eyes allow us to see. The veil is lifted.

The zenith of the journey was marked by pulsating images of perfect triangles & squares, a calm soul, and fleeting appearances of my loved ones—both those still with us and those who have passed—dancing and alive. It felt akin to the scene in The Matrix Reloaded when the underground city of Zion celebrates life through dance. What makes their collective dance so powerful is the stark contrast it represents to the cold, mechanical world of the Matrix and the machines. It’s a perfect metaphor for a Psychedelic experience. I was off the proverbial treadmill that defines so much of our existence—the version of us that goes to work, pays bills, and watches the latest Netflix show. Not this evening. While my body lay still on the bed, my soul had never felt more alive.

This journey with Samadhi was distinctly different from my previous one. There was a lightness to the trip—it was joyful. Whatever my intentions were, they were now buried deep in the annals of my mind. The medicine wanted me to let go and enjoy the ride, and I wasn’t about to push back against her guidance.

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• Landing

The facilitator offered me a cookie. After fasting all day in preparation for the ceremony, this gesture marked both the beginning of the end of the journey and the single best snack I have ever consumed. This time, I took the time to savor the nourishment, a stark contrast to my previous experience, where I devoured the cookie with urgency. I was overwhelmed by profound feelings of gratitude.

The word ‘gratitude’ is often overused in our culture, but those who have ventured to the other side know the feeling I’m describing. It’s a deep gratitude for Mother Earth, the beauty and wisdom of the medicine, our health, our loved ones, our ancestors, and yes, even a simple cookie. It tasted so fucking good.

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• Integration

It can be argued that the real impact of a Psychedelic journey begins after the ceremony ends. This is when the downloads happen. Dreams take on an entirely new meaning—they become vivid, realistic, and deeply connected to what truly matters in life. I practice Transcendental Meditation daily, and in the days and weeks following a journey, these meditations serve as a catalyst for revisiting the experience. Forgotten or suppressed insights resurface, allowing for continued growth and understanding.

I keep a journal close by in the aftermath of a powerful journey. Throughout the day, memories of insights, blissful moments, or seemingly random takeaways surface in my consciousness, and I don’t want to lose them. They are the ultimate gifts from the universe, the reward for the courage it takes to travel to the other side. They serve as a poignant reminder that there is so much more to life than what we experience on a given day. I will honor the medicine by remembering its lessons.

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• The Power of the Medicine

Now, let’s revisit the message from the beginning of this article. I’ll reshare it here so you don’t have to scroll back:

This was a text message I received the day after the ceremony. It’s from a woman I briefly dated last summer—we hadn’t spoken in a year. What’s even more fascinating is that I had just described the Samadhi journey as "happy and calm" to a friend earlier that day.

We don’t truly know where our souls go during a Psychedelic experience, nor do we fully understand what a soul really is. We only know what our technology allows us to perceive. Take the atom, for example—it was once thought to be the smallest indivisible unit of matter. Then, as our technology advanced, we discovered subatomic particles, such as protons, neutrons, and electrons, within the atom. Further advancements led to the development of the Standard Model of particle physics, which describes the fundamental particles (like quarks and leptons) and the forces that make up these subatomic particles. There are likely countless smaller worlds that we can’t yet see, limited by our current technology. Psychedelics break down these barriers. They allow us to perceive a reality that is always there but otherwise hidden from us.

Skeptics of mystical experiences—most of whom lack the courage to journey to the other side—dismiss these profound experiences as mere hallucinations. They lump all Psychedelics into one category, as if the experience catalyzed by Samadhi is equivalent to that of Ketamine. This notion is laughable to any seasoned traveler. These skeptics believe everything in life is explainable—except, of course, for one rather important thing: how it all started, what existed before, and what catalyzed the Big Bang. On that topic, they remain conspicuously silent. If they were to experience what I and so many others have, they would understand that there is so much more to life than what can be found in a textbook. And it is the most beautiful.

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The morning after the ceremony, I woke up, climbed into an old beat-up truck, and headed into the jungle. It was time for Round 2—Sapito. I’ll be detailing my experience with the world’s most powerful Psychedelic in next week’s piece. Stay tuned...

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