Bridging the Consciousness Gap between Psychedelics and Flow States
We are in the age of a significant psychedelic resurgence on many fronts. The mental health community is appropriating psychedelics as an impactful tool to help solve the mental health epidemic. Scientists are studying the physiological effects of psychedelics with a special interest on neurobiology. Spiritual seekers have rediscovered what pre-Christian religions believed over two millennia ago—that psychedelics can provide direct communion with their creator. Another trend is the increase in the number of psychedelic users in the recreational world. Ideally, each of these communities—medical, scientific, spiritual, and recreational—will have a seat at the table when considering the place psychedelics have in our society.
This paper’s focus is primarily on the scientific, but this should not be interpreted as a slight against the other communities. This approach is being considered because neuroscience can contribute complementary information to other disciplines. The specific focus area is in the realm of consciousness—specifically linkages between psychedelic and flow states.
Psychedelic and flow states of consciousness are mutually supportive and when synergistically combined create a dynamic framework for practitioners to get an exponentially powerful impact. Therefore, this paper attempts to illustrate specifically:
Flow, in preparation for a psychedelic journey, establishes the measurement of a baseline state of consciousness through mindset and assessments that create a strong foundation for a more deeply impactful psychedelic sit.
The psychedelic experience catalyzes the coaching process by enabling clients to gain more profoundly powerful insights.
Psychedelics can significantly boost clients’ peak experiences psychologically, phenomenologically, and somatically with many flow state characteristics and imprint this destination in our neural network “memory.”
Flow prolongs and enhances the benefits of the psychedelic trip through ongoing access to insights and more rapid implementation of integrative practices.
Before getting into the Psychedelic Catalyzed Coaching approach, let’s take a brief look at some neuroscience fundamentals as they pertain to psychedelics and flow.
Neuroscience
Neuroscience examines psychedelics through three primary lenses:
The brain regions impacted.
Communication between areas of the brain or neural network activity.
The neurochemicals that are activated or inhibited.
Neuroplasticity is the profound ability of the brain to adapt and evolve. While the concept was first introduced by psychologist William James way back in 1890, the idea was largely ignored until the last 50 years. The most recent and unconventional trends in neuroscientific studies around neuroplasticity point to an increase in brain entropy while under the effects of psychedelics. The resulting anarchic brain produces relaxed beliefs under psychedelics or “REBUS” for short as posited by Robin Carhart-Harris in his seminal 2019 work on psychedelic neurobiology.
In the waking state of consciousness, the brain is “metastable,” so it can exert better control over the environment. When high-level neural networks become disorganized, fixed patterns of thinking and perspectives melt away and other ways of examining ourselves and our place in the world expand. In other words, by dissolving the entrenched patterns of neural activity, ingrained thought patterns and behaviors become more amenable to re-patterning (Carhart-Harris, 2017).
To help sustain the resulting neuroplasticity, clients are encouraged to enter flow states and practice meditation. The idea of entering flow states and practicing meditation is to deepen the new network of “grooves” that are opened to the person who is in a psychedelic state. The theory is that while each avenue is a way to increase neuroplasticity, the combination has an exponentially powerful and sustained neurological impact.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies show a surge in neural connections during a psychedelic experience, illustrating the profound alternations in brain activity. Among these, the Default Mode Network (DMN) is strongly associated with self-reflection, subjectivity, and introspection. Task-Positive Networks (TPN) are associated with the inverse of these things with a focus on and scrutiny of the external world (Raichle et al., 2001). It has been observed that after a psilocybin sit, there is a noteworthy reduction in the DMN-TPN anticorrelation, consistent with these networks becoming more similar. The same decrease in DMN-TPN inverse coupling is observed during a particular style of meditation known as “non-dual awareness” (Josipovic et al, 2011). These correlations beg the philosophical question: Does our understanding of consciousness solely hinge on neurotransmitters, or do these neural patterns hint at our deeper cosmic connections?
To help answer such questions, we can turn to Lisa Miller, who has done extensive research on the positive impact of spirituality when dealing with various depressive states as well as its physiological effects on the brain (Miller, The Awakened Brain, 2021). Thus, from a brain structural impact perspective, we see the commonalities of psychedelic, flow, meditative, and spiritual practices.
Turning now from psychedelics to flow states, we find that the previously described anti-correlated networks are simultaneously triggered. While the hyper-focus associated with flow requires the activation of TPNs, flow also shares characteristics with a task-negative cognitive state, the psychedelic state (Csikszentmihalyi and Nakamura, 2018). This overlap includes phenomenological aspects, including the diminishment of self, an altered sense of time, the overlap of action and awareness, and behavioral elements, such as measurable increases in creativity and insight. Having a foundational understanding of psychedelics’ neural dynamics is helpful when examining flow’s neural dynamics (Kotler et al., 2023).
Neuroanatomy’s ultimate quest is to find the anatomical location of consciousness. Fabienne Picard, a neurologist at the University Hospital Geneva in Switzerland has done extensive research around ecstatic seizures. Several of her patients described their sensations as immense joy, total presence, and absolute integration of oneself with life and the world. From Picard’s perspective, these descriptions point toward one brain region—the insular cortex. These descriptions also acknowledge the work of Bud Craig, a neuroanatomist at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Craig published a series of papers, including “How Do You Feel Now? The Anterior Insula and Human Awareness.” In these papers, Craig hypothesizes that the anterior insula is key to human awareness and possibly the seat of the “sentient self” (Anathaswamy, The Man Who Wasn’t There, 2016).
Finally, psychedelics and flow states impact the neurochemistry of our brains. A whole host of neurochemicals from dopamine to serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, and anandamide are triggered to varying degrees depending on the psychedelic consumed and the depth of flow achieved (Nichols et al., 2017).
When simultaneously triggered and impacted, the neurochemical, the brain region activation, network communication, and a resulting entropic state induce a powerful shift in consciousness. The intensity, duration, and purpose of this shift in consciousness vary depending on the trigger—psychedelics, flow, or meditation. To bridge the gap between these states of consciousness and maximize the leverage of our neuroanatomy, let’s turn to a new approach which I’ve termed Psychedelic-Catalyzed Coaching.
Psychedelic-Catalyzed Coaching (PCC)
Psychedelic-Catalyzed Coaching bridges the consciousness gap between psychedelics and flow. The coaching modalities that underpin PCC are High Flow Coaching, Positive Psychology Coaching, Cognitive Behavioral Coaching, and Somatic Coaching. Upon this multi-modal coaching approach stands the twin pillars of flow and psychedelic realms of consciousness. Before getting deeper into PCC, let’s take a closer look at flow and consciousness.
Flow is an altered state of consciousness that occurs when we are fully engaged in a challenging task or activity that stretches our skills (Kotler, 2023). Creative endeavors, action sports, or other activities that completely consume the participant are some broad and common examples. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi began a formal study of flow in the 1970s and defined flow as “an optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.” (Csikszentmihalyi, Flow, 1990) Both cognitively and neurobiologically, the state of flow shares overlaps with other altered states of consciousness, including meditative and psychedelic states, states of traumatic stress, and peak or optimal experiences (Carhart-Harris et al., 2012, Carhart-Harris et al., 2014, Brandemeyer et al., 2019, Wheeler and Dyer, 2020).
Consciousness is an elusive subject. Much has been hypothesized about it, with a multitude of perspectives. One of the foundational suppositions is that we are all living in a “normal” state of consciousness. This could imply that we are all conscious of the same reality. This is a fundamentally false supposition. Consciousness is not necessarily a “state.” If anything, it is more akin to a series of fluctuating states or like a “stream” of which we have varying degrees of awareness and control.
When addressing consciousness from a psychological perspective, it’s a focus on mindset. While psychedelics and flow generate a different frame of mind, they are mutually supportive. While the psychedelic realm involves the mind's disorganization and expansion of perspectives, the flow state is characterized by complete attention and focus on a single task. The relationship between the two is complementary in that psychedelics can open heretofore unseen possibilities while flow allows for focused exploration into the depths of these insights. The theory is that psychedelics rewire you and get you out of the deep grooves that have you stuck. Practicing flow allows you to consolidate the establishment of new grooves and then implement practices that will strengthen them.
Exploring consciousness through a spiritual perspective yields an even greater expansion of our view of ourselves. At its deepest dive, we witness the connection we have to infinite consciousness and our relationship with the creator shifts in heretofore unforeseen ways.
Regardless of the lense through which we examine consciousness, everyone wants to believe that their “state” of consciousness produces the most impactful results.
Whether it is flow, meditation, or psychedelic states, we are trying to gain access to expanded states of consciousness. Meditators and flow advocates believe their practices are the holy grail. Psychedelic proponents believe these chemicals can be used in many ways to achieve never-before-seen results in the mental health field. Spiritual seekers maintain that psychedelics offer direct communion with God. Pick your passion, but they all largely do the same thing, with the most notable variances occurring in the accessibility, immediacy, intensity, and longevity of the impacts, effects, and benefits (Hancock, The Divine Spark, 2015).
It is worth noting that these practices under various names have been around for thousands if not tens of thousands of years. They are nothing new, yet in our technocentric, pseudo-science-driven world, amazing breakthroughs, and our understanding of them are still unfolding. Nothing in this paper is revolutionary; however, simply combining the best of each of these disciplines into a cohesive and inclusive model may yield the most powerful results yet.
The commonality among these practices is their ability to impact our consciousness while acknowledging that everyone’s baseline consciousness is different as is each person’s capacity for expansion. Although there are common characteristics to psychedelic journeys, each person’s experience is unique, and so is the variance of each person’s revelations across multiple psychedelic explorations. With such a significant degree of variability, this begs the question, “How can we maximize their impact on an individual's consciousness in day-to-day life?”
Answering this question is where Psychedelic-Catalyzed Coaching enters the picture.
Proper preparation not only prevents a poor psychedelic trip but also tips the scales toward increasing the likelihood of a more deeply profound experience. With psychedelics, preparation is essential since psychedelics offer intensely impactful insights. Most people are so tuned out, distracted, and numb that when psychedelics hit their system and they are confronted with the chemical’s intensity, there is nowhere to hide, and for the underprepared, this can create an incredibly challenging experience. We like to label things as good or bad, and the psychedelic landscape is no different. Some trips are easier to navigate and more mellow, whereas others are more difficult and disorienting. Although preparation doesn’t guarantee a positive experience, it can help keep the participant on course.
Most current coaching around psychedelics involves having a person declare an intention for the sit. Responsible psychedelic practitioners will also ensure that clients are mentally and physically healthy and present no “high-risk” medical issues that could complicate the experience. Clients are advised to clean up their nutrition practices, curtail any potential stressors (such as alcohol use), limit fearful, violent, or provocative media, and follow mindfulness practices to create as peaceful an inner environment as possible. These are all excellent guidelines and can be supplemented with other “flow hygiene” practices. Adequate sleep, social connectedness, gratitude practices, nature experiences, exercise, limiting social media, and self-care activities such as massages, infrared sauna, and cold plunges are encouraged.
Baseline measurements are also useful for psychedelic sit preparation. Two assessments in particular are beneficial:
Carol Dweck’s Growth vs. Fixed Mindset Assessment is effective at measuring the degree to which the client has a growth mindset. Because flow and psychedelics involve expanding consciousness beyond normal bounds, being open to this is enhanced with a growth mindset.
The Flow Short Scale (FSS) is designed to measure state-level flow, specifically absorption—not noticing the passage of time, and fluency—thoughts and activities run fluidly and smoothly.
Other areas of pre-sit inquiry and exercises that are useful and a part of Psychedelic Catalyzed Coaching include:
Orientation of one’s locus of control
Identification of one’s intrinsic and extrinsic motivators
Identification of unique strengths, values, goals, and life purpose
Examination of one’s spiritual beliefs and practices
Just as these are foundational elements that support flow, clarity around them also allows for one to have a deeper, more impactful experience while in psychedelic effect. Achieving clarity or having all the answers in these areas isn't necessary; often, gaining insight about some aspects of oneself is the motivation for sitting with psychedelics. The key to such inquiries is to open one’s curiosity to a myriad of possibilities. Having that curious mindset allows the person to open more fully to the psychedelic experience and the dissipation of their potential fear of the unknown and inability to give up control.
Because psychedelic states are intense, the ability to contextualize and integrate the experience is critical when one transitions out of effect. Implementing flow or meditation can be advantageous. They are symbiotic because they share many of the same qualities as psychedelic states. For the psychedelic experience to be maximized as a catalyst, continued coaching—coupled with consistent meditation or spiritual practices—is beneficial. Journaling, consistent coaching, maintaining regular recovery and flow hygiene practices are also vital to deepening the catalyzation.
PCC’s foundation is built through a 12-week program of 10 coaching sessions and 2 psychedelic journeys. During weeks 1-4, initial assessments are taken, a growth mindset is nurtured, strengths, values, and spiritual practices are identified, and the principles of flow are introduced. Week 5 is a 1 or 2-day psychedelic experience depending on the needs of the client. During weeks 6-9 integration of the first sit occurs as well as strengthening and expanding psychological, spiritual, and flow practices. Week 10 is the second 1 or 2-day psychedelic journey. This will allow for the deepening of the first experience or delving into new territory. Weeks 11-12 focus on the integration of the second sit and exploring the way forward.
This program is purposefully called Psychedelic Catalyzed Coaching. It cannot be overemphasized enough that psychedelics are merely the catalyst. The real work is done in the pre-sit/post-sit coaching and in the practices that support the continued integration of psychedelic insights. Because of the neurological similarities between psychedelics and flow, they are mutually supportive. Activating our biology through these complementary approaches is a true game changer in the personal development space.
In summary, psychedelic and flow states are complementary and PCC offers a robust framework to support the expansion of these states of consciousness. Much research has been done and more will come to distinguish neurobiological similarities and differences. Future research will venture beyond neurology and the mental health issues that psychedelics help alleviate and begin to expand into the realms of high performance and enhanced spiritual awareness. As a powerful tool that can be used either in or beyond a clinical setting, Psychedelic-Catalyzed Coaching ensures that this exploration is done responsibly and thoughtfully.
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