What is Set and Setting?
The term ‘set and setting’ refers to the importance of ‘context' when choosing to consume a psychedelic compound. As psychedelics are known to enhance a person's current state of mind and amplify the stimulus from one’s surroundings, this expression was designed to highlight the importance of factors that can shape a person’s response to psychedelic substances and contribute to the outcome of the experience.
’Set’ refers to a person’s conscious and subconscious mindset prior to the experience. This includes the person’s thoughts, moods, expectations, fears and desires, preparation, intentions, and general outlook as well as deeper factors such as general mental state or even personality and disposition. Current physical health is also an important factor, as sensations of feeling stressed, exhausted, sick, injured, or generally unwell may get amplified during the experience.
‘Setting’ refers to the physical, social and cultural environment in which the user takes a psychedelic compound, and while this may differ a little for everyone, the physical environment that you undergo your experience in will significantly steer the course and outcome. Essentially a safe, familiar and comfortable place (possibly with easy access to both indoor and outdoor areas) is more likely to encourage a pleasant experience. Generally, an uncomfortable environment (places with strangers and/or crowds, scary stimuli or unexpected interruptions) may contribute to an unpleasant experience. It is often recommended to clean the house beforehand, carefully choosing the other participants and discussing your plans for the journey as well as pre-preparing conducive music, eating lightly or fasting beforehand, and having food and other supplements prepared for the end of the journey.
Additionally, other factors that can affect the overall outcome have been expanded beyond ‘set and setting’ to include: substance, sitter, session and support. These are elaborated on in Jim Fadiman’s (2011) book The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys.
