"The best art divides the audience"
—Rick Rubin
Music plays a major role in macrodosing with psychedelics, probably due to the suggestible state you’re in.
The auditory inputs impact your sense of flow and can have a dramatic effect on the tone of the trip.
However, music taste varies wildly from one person to the next.
It’s critical piece of the trip and yet one playlist isn’t right for everyone. How do we solve this noodle-scratcher?
As they say, better to teach a man to fish.
In this volume of the ‘del diaries we’ll walk through a structure for building your macrodose playlist.
In addition to the structure, I’ll share some example songs, a few macrodose music maxims and a recent playlist of mine.
But first, the fundamentals:
The four musical macrodose modules
Curate your playlist by breaking the journey into four modules:
Pre-trip
Lift-off
Cruising altitude
Landing
For simplicity, I’ll cater to a typical psilocybin macrodose. LSD and mescaline trips can last much longer, so we’ll keep it simple with mushrooms.
Build separate blocks of your playlist for each of the four stages.
Pre-trip
Description
The period after taking the medicine but before it’s kicked in
Duration
20-30 mins (5-7 songs)
Music profile
Songs that get you dancing, jumping and singing
Commentary
I’d argue this is the most important stage. Your state of mind as you enter the Stargate portal will dictate the tone of your trip.
The ancient tribal ceremonies were onto something... and you can tap into that. If you can let go of inhibitions and embrace the singing-and-dancing vibe you will benefit.
It helps for blood circulation, dopamine release and increasing positive affect.
Examples
Music needs for this module are the most subjective. When in doubt, choose whichever music gets you most compelled to move.
A few very subjective examples:
Peter Gabriel — Sledgehammer
George Clinton — Flash Light
Cali Swag — Teach me how to dougie
Liftoff
Description
The most intense part of the journey
Duration
1.5–2 hours (25–40 songs)
Music profile
Perhaps the only thing about psychedelic playlists we can all agree on: during this stage, play songs without lyrics.
I suggest a repeating cycle with this 1-2 punch:
1) an introspective classical song, then
2) an upbeat classical cover
Commentary
This cadence gives you more than enough time to go very deep.
And yet, if you get stuck in a thought loop, the next song will help trigger a transition.
Examples
Two artists come to mind:
Philip Glass for the introspective classical and Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) for the covers.
So for example, frame a repeating A/B cycle that looks like this:
then...
Other options include deep house, rhythmic music and I'm partial to Yoyo Ma on solo Bach.
Cruising altitude
Description
The most intense parts of the trip have completed and, while not feeling “normal,” you’ve started to find a stable equilibrium within the trip.
Duration
30-60 minutes
Music
Rainforest sounds
Commentary
This period can oftentimes feel, on a visceral level, like a rebirth.
With the right background music, you’ll feel like a newborn babe in an enchanted forest.
At the very least, continue with songs that have no lyrics. A pleasant nature soundtrack is recommended.
Examples
“Exotic tropical rainforest with birds” by Paradise Music
Landing
Description
This is the beginning of the merge between your trip experience and your normal reality. You’re still very much tripping, but you may feel more in control and an urge to move.
Duration
60-120 minutes
Music
Positive sentiment songs, preferably with funk
Commentary
I suggest starting slow with gentle dreamy songs, then slowly ramping up with more energetic songs.
If you do move, note that you may feel like a newborn gazelle on the African plains. You'll likely be a little awkward and bump into things, so take it slow.
Songs with lyrics are fine now, but curate the list with feel-good songs. Bonus if they can get you dancing or singing.
I also suggest having some sort of instrument nearby. There’s a very good chance you’ll be feeling musical funk you didn’t even know you had.
Examples
The first songs after the jungle ambiance should be very pleasant and dreamy. For example:
Imogen Heap — Hide and Seek
Galimatias — Shallow
Then ramp up to more rhythmic, movement-inducing songs. A couple examples:
Khruangbin — Lady and a Man
FKJ and masego — Tadow
Macrodose music maxims
Three easy takeaways:
Less lyrics
New playlist — make a new one each trip. Novelty will help distract your consciousness.
High volume — Loud enough where it’s juuust below “uncomfortable.” Loud enough that you can’t help but let the music take over your conscious attention. This helps enable your subconscious, or perhaps the 5th dimension, to take the wheel.
If you have the option, I recommend speakers, not headphones, to give you more of a sense of freedom.
It’s already dated, but here’s a recent playlist I used.
Up next in Vol VI: Seven types of profound macrodose trips
Psychedelic Diaries refresher
This ten-part series chronicles monthly, full-dose, psychedelic therapy over five years. It will cover the insights, challenges, and overall impact.
Volume I: When you journey inward
Volume II: Five tips to prepare for a macrodose
Volume III: Entering the “Mozart Zone”
Volume IV: Seven “Mozart Zone” observations
Volume V: Making your macrodose playlist
Volume VI: Seven types of profound macrodose trips
Volume VII: Seven challenges to macrodosing
Volume VIII: Seven realizations from macrodosing
Volume IX: Seven strange aspects of macrodosing
Volume X: Mastering the macrodose
raymond.a.christian@gmail.com