Part 2: What Does a Psychedelic Experience Actually Feel Like?
Episode Summary
What does it actually feel like to take a psychedelic?
And what happens when the experience becomes emotional, uncomfortable—or downright terrifying?
In this episode of Through the Sh#t, host Jen McDowell continues her conversation with Dr. Suzanne Blazing, a psychotherapist, psychedelic medicine therapist, and educator with more than 25 years of experience. They move beyond the preparation and theory of psychedelic-assisted therapy and into the part people are often most curious—and sometimes most afraid—about:
What actually happens when you take the medicine?
Suzanne explains what a ketamine or psilocybin medicine session can look and feel like, why difficult experiences aren't necessarily bad experiences, and why having the right person beside you can make such a difference.
She also gets deeply personal, sharing her own experience with psilocybin while grieving the death of her daughter—and what that experience taught her about grief, alcohol, avoidance, and learning to make space for emotions instead of running from them.
In This Episode
What happens during a psychedelic-assisted therapy session
What a psilocybin or ketamine experience can actually feel like
What happens when difficult emotions, memories, or physical sensations surface
Why people sometimes become afraid that they're “losing their mind”
Why a challenging psychedelic experience isn't necessarily a bad one
Suzanne's personal experience using psilocybin while grieving her daughter
How psychedelics can bring us face-to-face with things we've spent years avoiding
Why staying curious can be more useful than trying to control the experience
The importance of having a trained therapist or facilitator present
Why psychedelic therapy isn't a magic bullet—and why the experience itself isn't the end of the work
Key Takeaways
A psychedelic experience isn't necessarily easy. Difficult doesn't automatically mean bad.
You may encounter things you've spent years avoiding. Psychedelics can lower the defenses that normally keep difficult emotions at a distance.
The goal isn't to escape what hurts. Sometimes the work is learning to stay with it—and develop a different relationship with it.
Who is beside you matters. Preparation, skilled support, and a safe setting are critical when the experience becomes challenging.
What happens afterward matters, too. A powerful experience is only the beginning; integration is where insight can become meaningful change.
You don't have to chase a “good” experience for the work to be valuable. Sometimes the most uncomfortable parts of the journey have something important to teach you.
About Dr. Suzanne Blaising
Dr. Suzanne Blaising is a psychotherapist, psychedelic medicine therapist, and educator specializing in the clinical use of ketamine and psilocybin to support people navigating complex mental health challenges, trauma, and major life transitions.
Learn about Suzanne’s work:
