Exploring alternate states of consciousness can be an excellent and powerful tool for personal growth and healing. It is a serious undertaking that requires careful preparation and attention to safety. Prioritizing self-care and your well-being reflects having a higher state of consciousness. Appreciate your capacity to explore these domains, and in doing so, please treat yourself with love and kindness.

Our experiences of consciousness contract and expand and manifest in a natural ebb and flow. These states can be explored, and eventually, we can become a more fertile space through various methods and systems. These include the wide varieties of meditation, hypnosis, psychedelic substances, lucid dreaming, flow state, and trance state.

Experiencing alternative states of consciousness can be fascinating and transformative, but it is crucial to prioritize safety during these practices. In a literal sense, prioritizing this opens the gates of higher awareness. Here are some safety guidelines which play a part in many approaches. 

The diversity of practices and approaches makes it very difficult to establish uniform and unvarying guidelines, so here are some potential guidelines to consider.

Intention. Many practices involve, at least initially, aiming at a target with your attention. The goal of this guideline is to help you stay focused and avoid wandering into territory which is less nurturing to your growth.

Safe and comfortable environment. It is helpful to conduct explorations in a safe and comfortable environment, preferably with a trusted friend or guide nearby. Make sure the space is free from unhelpful distractions and potential hazards.

Appropriate tools and techniques. Different practices require different tools and techniques. Make sure you have thoroughly researched and understand these techniques you will be using before you begin. Ideally, this is done with the benefit of a guide. Avoid using unfamiliar or untested tools, and do not take shortcuts. Past experiences often guide you to systems to explore alternate levels of consciousness. This can often be very helpful, as adopting a structure allows an initial foundation of exploration and tools and techniques developed by our ancestors.

Stay present and aware. Stay present and aware of your surroundings in your own physical and mental state. If you feel overwhelmed, disoriented, or unsafe, recenter yourself with something that helps you feel rooted. There can be tremendous insights and wisdom secured in this self-care. Consider setting aside structured and devoted time to solidify insights into the level of your normative consciousness is very important. Integrating this into a daily practice can also be very helpful.

Thank you, and have a safe journey.

Mr. Mushy Man: "A walking encyclopedia"

As an Earth grounded far-out experiencer, Mr. Mush Man is a prolific writer and researcher in all things "psychedelic." He enjoys long walks in the galactic void while learning about others' experiences.