While there won’t be anything you can do right now to change your society or culture as you prepare for your journey, you can still understand it. You may find that bits and pieces of it will make its way into your ketamine session. It can be beautiful as you integrate your insights into the world.

Understand your own history as well. Reflect on your family, your friends, and others who have touched your life, good and bad. They will likely appear in some fashion in your session.

You may even want to read an intriguing book, either fiction or non-fiction, in the days leading up to your session. It will probably make its way into your experience. On the same note, avoid the news for as many days as possible, especially if you find it distressing. Social media is fine in small doses.

Ideally, you will be in a safe, quiet, and comfortable space. Pay attention to the lighting in the room, the temperature, and the surface you will rest on. A reclined or flat position - such as one you would be comfortable sleeping upon - is ideal. You may want a light blanket to cover part of your body, but keep your head and face uncovered to aid your breathing.

You will be listening to music during your session, and we recommend either good headphones with noise cancellation, or a speak system you find to be good quality. Music is a powerful driver of ketamine experiences, so we do not recommend you do a silent experience. Some people become more sensitive to sound on ketamine, so we would recommend you keep the volume to slightly lower than you would normally.

We encourage you to bring meaningful tokens from your life to the session. This may be a photo, or toy, or even something like a coin or feather. You can find an image or piece of art, like a card, to help inspire you as you begin. If you like, you can use scents such as sage or incense - just remember to put out any fires before you take the medicine. Your Curio coach will give you “flight instructions” as you begin, so you have some phrases and guidelines to help you should you feel unsure of what to do in your journey.

You should have someone physically present in the general space, although not necessarily in your room. They may need to check in on you every 15-20 min. Their purpose is to help you if you need to move or go to the bathroom. If you want to move more, they may use blankets or pillows to make sure you don’t bang against the wall or other objects. Most people lay quietly or talk a limited amount during their session, so dramatic movement is unusual but still possible.

Ketamine is a mild diuretic, meaning it will make you produce urine faster. Since your session can be up to 3 hours long, this means you should go to the bathroom preferably right before you take the medicine. But if you need to go during, just make sure your session monitor is with you so they can help you to the bathroom. They can keep the door closed, but just use the walls and any other solid surface to help as your vision will be blurry and you’ll feel off balance.