The Ultimate Psychedelic Terms Glossary explains key psychedelic substances, brain science, healing concepts, and ceremonial language so you can navigate your journey with clarity and confidence.
The psychedelic space is growing rapidly. With more people turning to plant medicine for healing and personal transformation, understanding the language is essential. Most glossaries only skim the surface. They list definitions but miss how these words actually show up in ceremony, therapy, or the moment someone chooses to trust the unknown.
This glossary fills that gap. It brings together scientific, cultural, and emotional insight in one place. Whether preparing for a first experience or supporting someone else’s, each term reflects both research and real-world application.
If the terminology feels overwhelming, that is normal. This is where many begin. Let this be a clear, grounded starting point for what may become the most meaningful work of your life.
Psychedelic Substances
Psychedelic medicine spans centuries, continents, and cultures. Yet for many, the names alone, psilocybin, ayahuasca, DMT, bring more confusion than clarity.
Understanding what each substance is, where it comes from, and how it interacts with the body is the first step in choosing a safe and meaningful experience.
These are not party drugs. These are tools. In our retreats, we see again and again how the right medicine, in the right setting, opens the door to transformation that years of talk therapy or medications could not reach.
Ayahuasca: A sacred brew from the Amazon made by combining DMT-containing plants with MAOIs. Often used in ceremonial settings. Known for its purgative effects and ability to uncover buried emotions. Used for trauma, grief, spiritual reconnection, and ancestral work.
DMT: Nicknamed the “Spirit Molecule.” Found in plants and even produced in the human body. When smoked or vaporized, it produces powerful, visual, otherworldly experiences that last just 10 to 20 minutes.
Ibogaine / 18-MC: Derived from the root of the iboga plant in West Africa. Ibogaine is intense and often physically demanding. Used to interrupt addiction cycles, particularly opioids. 18-MC is a synthetic version in clinical research, aiming to reduce side effects.
Ketamine: Legally used in medical settings, this dissociative creates a feeling of separation from the body. Low doses are showing promise in treating depression, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. Often the first psychedelic experience for those coming from clinical models.
LSD: Also known as acid. A synthetic compound first discovered in the 1940s. Long-lasting with trips extending 8 to 12 hours. Tends to amplify both inner and outer worlds. Common among those seeking expanded creativity, meaning, and insight.
MDMA: Often called Ecstasy or Molly. Technically not a classic psychedelic, but an entactogen. It softens defenses and increases trust, making it a powerful tool in trauma healing. Currently in advanced trials for PTSD.
Mescaline: Found in San Pedro and Peyote cacti. Used ceremonially for centuries in North and South America. Produces a gentle but enduring journey with a strong connection to earth and emotion. May last up to 12 hours.
Psilocybin: The active compound in magic mushrooms. Accessible and widely studied for depression, addiction, and existential anxiety. Many describe it as a teacher, one that reveals, challenges, and supports. Duration typically ranges from 4 to 6 hours.
5-MeO-DMT: Extracted from the Sonoran Desert toad or synthesized. This experience is short, around 20 minutes, but overwhelming in intensity. Often described as ego-shattering, with effects closer to complete dissolution than visual storytelling.
Brain Science & Pharmacology
Psychedelics change the way the brain communicates. Understanding how this happens helps explain why people report feeling more connected, less anxious, and often more alive after a journey.
The science can be complex, but it does not need to be out of reach. What matters is how it connects to the lived experience.
Some terms are technical. Others are foundational to healing. Together they help form the bridge between biology and transformation.
Key Concepts in Psychedelic Neuroscience
Here are a few core ideas to keep in mind:
- Receptors matter: Psychedelics act on serotonin receptors, especially 5-HT2A, to produce altered states.
- Plasticity is key: These substances promote brain flexibility, which helps break old patterns.
- Context shapes outcome: Mindset and environment influence how the brain processes the experience.
Active Placebo: Used in clinical trials, an active placebo mimics certain effects of a psychedelic without causing a true trip. Niacin, which causes skin flushing, is often used. This helps researchers understand what part of the experience is the medicine and what is expectation.
Afterglow: This is the window after a journey when people often feel uplifted, grounded, and more emotionally open. It is a powerful time for integration. In our work, many guests make significant life changes during this phase.
Amygdala: This part of the brain is linked to fear and emotional reactivity. Psychedelics often quiet it. That shift can create space to revisit trauma without the same overwhelm.
ARC Framework: Access, Reciprocity, Conduct. These three guide ethical psychedelic work. Who has access, how we give back, and how we act in ceremony all matter.
Affinity: Refers to how strongly a compound binds to its target receptor. LSD, for example, has high affinity for 5-HT2A receptors, which helps explain its potency even in micrograms.
Default Mode Network (DMN): A group of brain regions that light up when the mind is at rest, daydreaming, or self-reflecting. In many mental health conditions, the DMN becomes overactive, linked to rumination and stuck patterns. Psychedelics quiet this network, which often leads to ego dissolution and expanded awareness.
Glutamate: A chemical messenger that plays a key role in learning and memory. Psychedelics affect glutamate release, allowing for new mental pathways and insights.
Neurogenesis: The creation of new brain cells. Early research suggests some psychedelics may support this process, especially in areas related to mood regulation.
Neuroplasticity: This is the brain’s ability to change. Psychedelics appear to temporarily increase plasticity, which supports new behaviors, thoughts, and perspectives.
Placebo Effect: The mind’s own power to heal. Even in clinical trials, some participants experience breakthroughs without the actual medicine. Belief and expectation influence outcomes more than most realize.
Receptor Agonist: A substance that activates a receptor site in the brain. Most psychedelics are agonists at the 5-HT2A receptor, which leads to altered perception and emotion.
Serotonin: A neurotransmitter tied to mood and connection. Classic psychedelics influence serotonin systems, helping to explain their antidepressant and empathogenic effects.
Set and Setting: What someone brings in emotionally and the space they are in physically. This combination is one of the strongest predictors of the journey’s direction.
SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor): Medications like Prozac or Zoloft that increase serotonin levels. These often compete with psychedelics at receptor sites, dulling the experience or blocking it entirely.
Tryptamines: A family of compounds that includes psilocybin and DMT. Structurally similar to serotonin, tryptamines are central to both ancient traditions and modern research.
5-HT2A Receptor: The main target for most classic psychedelics. Activation of this receptor leads to changes in perception, mood, and sense of self. It is the biochemical switch behind many breakthrough moments.
Experience & Integration Terms
The most powerful part of a psychedelic journey often begins after the medicine wears off. While the experience may only last hours, the insights, emotions, and shifts in perspective can stay with us for months or years.
This section translates the emotional and spiritual language that surrounds these moments into clear, grounded terms.
Bad Trip: An overwhelming or emotionally intense experience. Often linked to poor preparation or an unsafe setting. But a so-called bad trip can hold real value. What surfaces is often what is asking to be healed.
Breakthrough: A moment of release, clarity, or spiritual connection. Sometimes it arrives suddenly, other times slowly. Often remembered as a turning point in the journey.
Comedown: The return to baseline after the peak of the experience. Can feel soft and peaceful or raw and exposed. Good support, water, and gentle grounding help here.
Downloads: Sudden insights that feel more like remembering than thinking. These may come as images, messages, or emotions that feel instantly true.
Ego Death: The temporary loss of the usual sense of self. Some describe it as floating, dissolving, or becoming part of everything. Can feel liberating or terrifying depending on preparation and support.
Flow State: A focused and creative state where time fades and action feels natural. Microdosing may increase access to this during work, art, or meditation.
Grounding: Simple tools to come back into the body after or during intensity. This may look like drinking tea, walking barefoot, or resting in silence.
Holding Space: Being present without judgment. This is what allows emotions to rise and pass without needing to fix or analyze them. It’s the foundation of trust.
Intention Setting: A practice before the journey to clarify focus or desires. Even a simple phrase like “show me what I need to see” can anchor the process.
Integration: The work after the journey. This may include journaling, talking with a therapist, changing habits, or simply sitting with what came through.
Journey: The arc of the entire process. Not just the time under the medicine, but the preparation, the unfolding, and what comes after.
Macrodose: A full-dose experience that brings noticeable perceptual changes. Often guided or facilitated. Used for healing trauma, grief, depression, or disconnection.
Microdosing: Taking a very small dose of a psychedelic, not enough to cause a trip. Many report improved focus, emotional balance, and creativity over time.
Preparation: The foundation of a meaningful journey. This may include adjusting diet, setting intentions, resting, or talking through expectations with a guide or trusted support.
Purging: Often happens in ceremonies with ayahuasca. Can include vomiting, crying, shaking, or emotional release. It is seen not as sickness but as clearing what is no longer needed.
Shadow Work: Looking at the parts of ourselves we hide or avoid. Psychedelics can bring those aspects into view with compassion, not shame.
(Trip)Sitter: A sober companion who stays present during the experience. They do not guide but protect and support if needed.
Surrender: The shift from resisting discomfort to allowing it. Most difficult moments in journeys begin to soften when surrender replaces control.
Trigger: A reaction to something that activates past pain or fear. These are signals, not stop signs. Working with triggers during integration builds resilience.
Trip: The informal term for a psychedelic experience. Includes the beginning, the peak, and the return. No two trips are ever the same.
Cultural Foundations & Ceremonial Practices
Psychedelic work does not exist in isolation. It is held by tradition, shaped by ritual, and transformed through intentional space.
Long before research labs and therapy rooms, these medicines were used in ceremony by cultures who understood the sacred nature of the experience. Today, many are returning to those roots while blending in modern tools to create safe, powerful spaces for healing.
Understanding the cultural and ceremonial language helps us approach the work with care and responsibility. This section outlines the concepts that support the container of the journey.
Animism: A worldview found in many indigenous traditions, where everything in nature is seen as alive and conscious. In ceremony, this belief often becomes real. The medicine, the forest, the breath in the body all carry meaning and spirit.
Breathwork: A way to regulate the nervous system before or after a journey. Used to calm anxiety, release emotion, or reconnect with the body. It is simple and powerful. When things feel unsteady, we come back to the breath.
Guided Facilitation: Not everyone works with a shaman. Many choose a trained facilitator who offers grounded, compassionate support without the use of ritual or dogma. What matters is safety, presence, and skillful guidance before, during, and after the experience.
Holding Space: This means being present with someone without trying to change what they are feeling. In ceremony, holding space allows emotions to rise and move without judgment. It is a form of trust.
Integration Circles: Community gatherings where people share what came up in their journeys. This helps normalize the experience and gives space for reflection and support. It reminds us that we are not alone.
Icaros: Sacred songs sung in ayahuasca ceremonies. These are not background music. They guide energy, open insight, and help the medicine do its work. Even when we do not understand the words, the body often understands the vibration.
Indigenous Wisdom: The lineages that have carried these medicines for generations. This includes ritual, prayer, plant knowledge, and a relationship with the land. Honoring these roots brings depth and respect to the work, even in modern settings.
Micro-Niche Healing: A newer approach where psychedelic support is tailored to very specific life challenges. Retreats or journeys may focus on menopause, grief, ADHD, or creative block. Healing is not one-size-fits-all, and this reflects that shift.
Reciprocity: A reminder to give back. Whether to the land, the people who hold the traditions, or the communities where the medicine originates. This is not charity. It is a cycle of respect and balance.
Retreat Culture: An evolution of the ceremonial setting. Modern retreats combine structure, science, and support. People come for healing, connection, and growth. The container may include preparation calls, community integration, and one-on-one guidance.
Sacred Ceremony: A space where every element is intentional. The music, the silence, the invitation to surrender. Ceremony honors the medicine and the journeyer. It reminds us that this is not a recreational experience. It is a return to self.
Shaman / Facilitator: A shaman often works within a specific spiritual lineage, trained in ritual and plant wisdom. A facilitator may be trained in trauma support, somatics, or coaching. The choice depends on the setting, the medicine, and the needs of the participant.
Sound Healing: The use of sound to support the nervous system. This may include crystal bowls, chanting, tuning forks, or nature recordings. Sound can anchor the experience, release emotion, or guide energy.
Visionary Art: Creative works inspired by psychedelic states. These images can help integrate the journey and reflect back the mystery or insight experienced. Art becomes a mirror of the process.
Beyond Definitions – The Real Psychedelic Journey
Words are powerful. They help us name what we feel, connect with others, and understand the landscape ahead. This glossary is a starting point, not a final answer. It is meant to support those who are exploring psychedelics for healing, growth, and insight, not for escape or entertainment.
We intentionally left out slang and recreational terms. They do not reflect the work we are here to do. Our focus is on safe, supported, and meaningful journeys that lead to real change.
What Matters Most in the Psychedelic Journey
No matter where someone is starting from:
- Respect is non-negotiable: For the medicine, the space, and the people involved
- Support makes a difference: Whether it’s a facilitator, therapist, or community, we are not meant to do this alone
- Language should be accessible: Everyone deserves to understand and feel welcome in this work
- Healing takes time: The insights matter, but it is the integration that shapes who we become
The most important transformations do not happen at the peak of a trip. They happen in how we speak to ourselves after, how we show up for others, how we make new choices. That is the real psychedelic journey. And it begins with preparation, continues with trust, and deepens through integration.
Ready to take the next step?
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