Before You Reach for High-Frequency Substances: Know Your Spiritual Foundation

By: Mary Jane Almeda, MA, MFT

In a world hungry for healing, people are turning to psychedelics such as mushrooms, ayahuasca, LSD, ketamine, and they're searching for breakthroughs they feel they can’t reach on their own. It’s become trendy, almost glamorous, to talk about trips, ego death, and spiritual awakening. But here’s what I don’t hear enough of:

Do you truly understand your spiritual foundation before stepping into altered states of consciousness?

Because psychedelics don’t magically transform you. They amplify what is already inside you. And if what’s inside is unresolved trauma, unprocessed pain, confusion, or spiritual disconnection, those substances will intensify that reality, sometimes in ways that can fracture rather than heal.

Expansion Without Structure Can Be Dangerous

High-frequency substances dissolve barriers between the conscious and subconscious mind. They tear down filters. They open doors that many people aren’t spiritually or emotionally prepared to walk through.

Before you open up the deepest parts of yourself, ask:

• What am I rooted in?

• Where do I find truth and safety when everything feels unstable?

• What practices anchor me back to myself when I’m overwhelmed?

• Who is guiding me — God, intuition, or peer pressure?

If you don’t know those answers before you begin, the experience can feel like being dropped into the ocean without knowing how to swim.

This Isn’t About Fear. It’s About Wisdom.

I’m not against alternative healing. I’m not judging anyone’s choices. I deeply understand the desire to break free, to heal, to connect with something bigger than yourself. I’ve spent years navigating my own emotional and spiritual journey — through prayer, stillness, resilience, and a relationship with God that has held me when the world couldn’t.

What I am saying is: do not treat psychedelics as shortcuts.

They are not replacements for inner work.

They are not substitutes for spiritual discipline.

They are not substitutes for a therapist or psychologist.

They are not a way around the pain. They take you straight to it,

And if you don’t have a strong foundation, you can lose yourself in the process.

A Strong Spiritual Root Makes All the Difference

When you know who you are and whose you are the experience becomes:

• Revelation instead of confusion

• Healing instead of chaos

• Integration instead of fragmentation

• Growth instead of collapse

High frequency requires high grounding .Without structure, expansion can shatter you.

So before you open those doors, build the inner space that can hold what comes through:

• Daily reflection or prayer

• Authentic community and support

• Practices that strengthen emotional regulation

• A relationship with God that is real, not performative

Because anything that expands your awareness will meet you exactly where you stand today — not where you pretend to stand.

Your Soul Deserves Preparation

If you choose that path one day, let it be from a place of strength, not desperation. Let it enhance who you already are, not replace the work you’re avoiding. Let it amplify truth — not confusion. Healing is not meant to rush you. Your spirit is not a trend. Your journey is sacred. And you are worthy of moving through it wisely.

Brightlightlife Reflection

Before seeking a high-frequency experience, ask yourself: What grounds me when everything else falls away? Sit with your answer.

Disclaimer:

I am a strong proponent of inner work, therapy, and deep self-understanding before ever considering high-frequency substances. Psychedelics are not a replacement for the emotional processing, professional guidance, and self-awareness required for real transformation. In other words: Know yourself before you attempt to expand yourself. Do the internal excavation first. Build the foundation. Approaching substances without doing the work is like opening a door you’re not prepared to walk through. Got it?