It was in 7th grade when we did the chocolate ice cream experiment. I attended a ‘70s counter-culture middle school where I sat on a bean bag and received a golden star for every assignment, regardless of quality. Heather, my best childhood friend, and I agree we didn’t learn much at that school. But we still remember the chocolate ice cream experiment.
The chocolate ice cream experiment taught us the power of suggestion.
The chocolate ice cream experiment was a blind-taste test for us to rate the quality of three ice creams. Our teachers, Karen and Debbie (we called our teachers by their first names “to dismantle the hierarchy”) brought in three tubs of chocolate ice cream. Blindfolded, we tasted each one and scored for quality, 1 being the lowest and 3 the highest. As we tasted each ice cream, Karen and Debbie prompted us with phrases like . . . ”taste for deep, dark, delicious flavor” . . . or . . . “pay attention for an aftertaste of cheap chemicals”. And we rated the ice creams based on what we tasted as undeniable difference. Well . . . the teachers duped us. All three ice creams were the same! Each one of us took the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
Like a middle school ice cream plot and today’s influencer-driven society, the psychedelic arena also leverages human tendency to respond to the power of suggestion. Usually, it’s unintentional.
The challenge I face is how to describe a psychedelic experience, particularly to a newbie. Words are my only tools for elucidation. Some of my fellow psychedelic travelers share journey stories of fractals, spirit animals, Disney-esque entities, and past lives. Me? None of the above! I typically experience a feeling of “universal blissful love” and insights into how to show up with less ego and more loving service.
Julian Vayne, the scholarly British psychonaut, recently shared an anecdote about the outcomes of two psychedelic research studies, both using the same substance. One study was conducted by a UK hospital that had a storied history providing Freudian psychoanalysis. The other study was being led by a progressive US institution.
In the initial study documentation, the British facility described an opportunity to purge and heal core wounds. Meanwhile, the American institution documented an opportunity to have a sublimely mystical experience. Can you guess how the study participants experienced and put language to their mind-altering journeys? Yep, you’re right.
The power of suggestion is . . . well, powerful!
As a psychedelic-assisted coach, I must be aware of my message. I caution myself to stick to the simple science of plant medicine: A scan of your brain during journey would reveal new and increased connectivity. I might add that a journey often activates insight, new perspective, and even transformation and healing.
But mostly, as a plant medicine facilitator and coach, I want you to experience your own unique journey. It’s an opportunity for you to step outside of your day-to-day reality and perceive things in a novel way. And afterward, I want to be present for you – not to interpret, advise, or even suggest – but to help you pay attention to what is naturally arising in a unique way for you.
Disclaimer: I hereby acknowledge that everything I said above is inherently as suggestive as “taste for deep, dark, delicious flavor.” Heck, words are the best human tool I’ve got . . . however partial or limiting they may be.
I’m trying my best. : )
P.S. To learn about a dangerous case of the power of suggestion in the psychedelic space, check out my post on The Trauma Pandemic.
