Inner Journey is an Abhyanga given after a microdose of psilocybin truffle chocolate. A microdose is small: it softens the edges and makes you more present in your body, it does not take you anywhere you cannot come back from. Truffles are legal in the Netherlands, and I hold this treatment the way I hold a ceremony: slowly, clearly, with time to talk before and after.
What Inner Journey is
We start with a conversation and the chocolate. Then you rest for thirty to forty minutes while it comes on, with soft sound in the room. The massage itself is a full Abhyanga with warm herbal oil, slower than usual and with more pauses. In the 120-minute version there is more time to arrive and more time to land afterwards, with tea and something to eat.
Where it comes from
Abhyanga is Ayurvedic. Working with psilocybin truffles comes from my shamanic practice, where I hold group and private ceremonies. Combining the two is not traditional in either lineage. It is my own format, built from years of giving both, and I describe it as what it is: a massage for people who want to go a little further inward. Abhyanga is classical Ayurveda [1], and a pilot study found it lowers subjective stress [2].
What it is for
What people come to me for:
- Feeling stuck, numb or cut off from the body
- Integration after a bigger ceremony
- Anxiety that lives in the body as tension
- Curiosity about microdosing in a safe, held setting
- A first, gentle introduction to plant medicine
Microdosing has been studied, with mixed results. A large self-report study found small improvements in mood and attention over six weeks [3]. A placebo-controlled trial found that most of the reported benefit was explained by expectation [4]. I tell people both things.
How often to come
This depends on why you come. These are the rhythms I suggest most often; we settle on yours at the intake.
| If you come for | I suggest |
|---|
| Integration or a period of change | Once every four to six weeks |
| A one-off experience | One session. Many people do not need more |
| Microdosing in general | More than one dose a week, in any form, is more than I would suggest |
What to combine it with
Treatments that work well alongside it:
- A private ceremony if you want to go deeper; the Inner Journey is a good first step
- Regular Abhyanga in between, without the microdose
- A sound bath in the days after, to keep the softness
And at home, in the days around the treatment:
- Eat lightly beforehand; an empty-ish stomach makes the chocolate easier
- No alcohol the day before or the day of
- No coffee before the treatment. Water and herbal tea afterwards
- Keep the evening free, and let someone else drive
Practical
90 minutes for €170, 120 minutes for €200. Amsterdam city centre, by appointment, for adults only. We talk first, and if I feel it is not right for you I will tell you honestly. Psilocybin truffles are legal to buy and use in the Netherlands; the Trimbos institute, the national institute for mental health and addiction, publishes plain information on them [5].
- Eat lightly, and nothing heavy in the ninety minutes before.
- Tell me beforehand about pain, injuries, pregnancy or conditions you are being treated for.
- Keep the rest of the day easy if you can. The body is warm and open, so a hat helps on cold days.
When not to book
Better to wait, or to choose another treatment, with:
- Antidepressants or other psychiatric medication
- A history of psychosis or bipolar disorder
- Pregnancy
- A heart condition
- Any day you feel unstable
Everything that applies to Abhyanga also applies here. If anything on this list is close to you, talk to me before you book; an honest conversation is part of the treatment.
Afterwards
Give yourself rest. Rinse the oil off with warm water later in the day. Eat something warm and simple. Write down what came up if you want to keep it.
Booking
Before a first treatment I suggest an Ayurvedic consultation of forty minutes for €90, so I know which oil and which treatment fit you. If you already know what you want, write to me or book directly.
Before a first visit, read the preparation notes and contraindications and the cancellation and rescheduling policy.
References
Numbers in square brackets in the text point to the entries below. Journal references are given in the National Library of Medicine style; each was checked against the Crossref and PubMed registries.
- Sharma PV, translator. Caraka Samhita: text with English translation. Vol. 1. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Orientalia; 1981. Sutrasthana, chapter 5 (Matrashitiya): the daily routine, including abhyanga.
- Basler AJ. Pilot study investigating the effects of Ayurvedic Abhyanga massage on subjective stress experience. J Altern Complement Med. 2011;17(5):435-40. doi: 10.1089/acm.2010.0281. [DOI] [PubMed]
- Polito V, Stevenson RJ. A systematic study of microdosing psychedelics. PLoS One. 2019;14(2):e0211023. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211023. [DOI] [PubMed] [PMC free article]
- Cavanna F, Muller S, de la Fuente LA, Zamberlan F, Palmucci M, Janeckova L, et al. Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Transl Psychiatry. 2022;12(1):307. doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-02039-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [PMC free article]
- Trimbos-instituut. Paddo’s en truffels [Magic mushrooms and truffles]. Utrecht: Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction. [Trimbos]
The frequencies and combinations above are my general advice from practice, not medical treatment. If you are being treated for a condition, tell your doctor and tell me.