Many people arrive at psychedelic retreats carrying deep pain: depression, anxiety, trauma, burnout. They come looking for healing, transformation, or clarity. What they often don’t realize is that their biochemistry is malnourished—and that matters more than most realize.

You see it in people’s faces: some flow with the medicine, and others struggle. Their journeys are dense, dark, or disjointed. Not because the medicine failed—but because the physical vessel wasn't ready.

Here’s the part no one talks about:

Psychedelic medicines don’t just touch your soul. They hijack your neurochemistry. And if that chemistry is running on empty, the experience can be difficult, confusing, or even traumatic.

What’s Happening in the Brain During a Psychedelic Journey?

Whether it’s psilocybin, DMT, mescaline, or LSD, all classic psychedelics create their effects by acting on the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A)—primarily in the prefrontal cortex.

But this is just the ignition.

Under the hood:

Psilocybin (converted to psilocin) and DMT cause a massive release and redistribution of serotonin—affecting mood, perception, memory, and emotional processing.

This leads to glutamate surges, which stimulate BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor)—fueling neuroplasticity, learning, and even trauma rewiring.

Oxytocin rises in relational or love-based journeys, enhancing bonding and safety.

Dopamine is modulated during peak and integration, affecting motivation and memory encoding.

The limbic system (emotional brain) goes full throttle—processing suppressed material.

This is an immense metabolic event. The brain consumes more ATP, burns through neurotransmitters, and chews through cofactors like magnesium, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants.

The Cost of Going in Depleted

If someone’s system is already stressed—emotionally, metabolically, hormonally—they enter a journey with thin reserves.

This leads to:

More intense, chaotic journeys

Dissociation, panic, or difficulty staying grounded

Greater emotional overwhelm with less capacity to process

“Dark night of the soul” experiences that feel destabilizing instead of healing.

And after the ceremony, they sometimes crash:

Low mood, exhaustion, irritability

Poor sleep

Brain fog

Even questioning the value of the experience. Not because the medicine failed, but because the body wasn’t supported.

The 4 Foundational Supplements That Change Everything

These are not exotic or expensive. They are nutritional scaffolding for a stable, integrative, and profound experience.

1. Magnesium (Glycinate or Threonate)

Required for over 300 enzymatic reactions, including serotonin production and glutamate regulation

Stabilizes the GABA-glutamate axis (key during peak states)

Helps reduce neuroinflammation, tension, and anxiety

Supports sleep, emotional regulation, and physical relaxation

Dose: 200–400mg

Time: Evening, 1–2 hours before bed

2. B-Complex (Activated)

Provides B6 (P5P) – essential for serotonin and GABA synthesis

B12 (methylcobalamin) and Folate (methylfolate) – critical for methylation, mood, detox

Supports dopamine and energy metabolism

Prevents post-journey neurotransmitter depletion and emotional flatness

Dose: 1 capsule

Time: Morning, with breakfast

3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids (DHA/EPA)

DHA integrates into neuronal membranes = fluid communication between brain cells

EPA reduces neuroinflammation – crucial when unresolved trauma is activated

Essential for emotional regulation, memory formation, and trauma repair

Dose: 1000mg combined DHA+EPA

Time: With meals, preferably lunch or dinner

4. Glycine

Inhibitory neurotransmitter = smooths emotional intensity

Supports liver detoxification (especially after ayahuasca vomiting or fasting)

Enhances slow-wave sleep and integration dreaming

Can ease emotional reactivity and support grounded openness

Dose: 2–3g

Time: Evening, with or after dinner or in tea before bed

When to Start and Stop: A Simple Protocol

Start:

Begin these supplements 7–14 days before your ceremony.

If you’re doing a 2-week ayahuasca diet, they can safely be included unless you're doing an extremely restrictive version. (Avoid synthetic additives.)

Continue:

Take them for at least 2–4 weeks post-retreat—the window of neuroplasticity and emotional reintegration. If you bought a 1-month supply, finish it. You’ll benefit.

Can’t Commit to All 4? Start Here:

If you can only do one supplement:

→ Take Magnesium — it alone can shift anxiety, sleep, and emotional reactivity.

If you can add a second:

→ Add B-Complex — to support mood, energy, and neurotransmitter balance.

If you can manage three:

→ Add Omega-3 — to reduce inflammation and improve brain integration.

Glycine is a quiet powerhouse, especially if sleep or emotional regulation is a major issue. If you can, include it—but even a partial protocol is better than none.

Final Thoughts

The plant teachers open the door.

But it is your body—and your nervous system—that walks through it.

When the physical terrain is supported, the journey becomes smoother, deeper, and more transformative.

When it’s not, even the most beautiful insight can struggle to take root.

Let’s prepare the body with the same reverence we bring to the ceremony itself.

You are not just preparing for a trip—you are preparing for transformation.