Holding Space: What Does it Mean in Context with Psychedelic Healing?
Holding space is a phrase we toss around in our psychedelic discourse, but rarely do we stop and actually explain what the heck we think it means. Do we hold space like Atlas forever tasked with the burden of holding up the cosmos? Or do we treat folks like they’re regulars at our psychedelic speakeasy and hold space for them at the bar? Do we kidnap the present moment and hold space in a kind of timeout chair?
Nah. No. Not really. Holding space (to me!) is a vigilant form of attunement that maintains harmony, balance and hope for all individuals present. What does that look like in psychedelic therapy, exactly? In truth, it can look like a zillion different things.
Holding Space: The Key Ingredients
Let’s start with a kind of case study. During journey days, I come equipped to the center with a literal bag of tricks; this old bowling bag contains ALL the things–two kinds of incense, sketch paper, clay, colored pencils, 3 different spritzes, 2 kinds of headphones, oximeter, antacid, a bell, and even extra sweatpants and a hoodie for the client. For context, the art supplies tend to help when someone needs to channel some nervous or creative energy onto a blank canvas. The spritz allows us to move through different phases of the journey and discourage looping. The extra clothes are for clients who may be faced with the sudden need for a fresh wardrobe. And so on.
Part of holding space is being prepared to nourish and amplify a client’s journey with all the tricks you’ve got up your sleeve. All that said, the most beneficial journeys I’ve facilitated this year are the ones where that bag stays zipped up and out of sight for the duration of the session.
Holding Space: The Courageous Observer
One of the most radical ways I hold space for folks is by doing nothing at all. That’s a bit hyperbolic, but what I mean is that I provide space for people to drop into the medicine without any unneeded intervention. How do I know when I should remain on the fringes, my spritzer, incense and hand drum tucked away in my bag of tricks? It’s attunement to the moment. If we trust in the medicine, sometimes holding space is a fierce act of sending energy without moving a muscle.
When facilitators intervene sans attunement, they risk stamping their own egos onto the ceremony and potentially disrupting a client’s inner journey. It’s a delicate art for sure (one I’m still learning) for it’s also our role to amplify moments of profound inspection. So far I’ve found that the most effective way to hold space is to arrive to the center without a script, but confident in my preparation and the deft knowledge of the tools in my psychedelic toolbox.
Holding Space: The Nourishing Empath
Holding space doesn’t necessarily mean lounging in the corner and sketching mushrooms on scratch paper. If a facilitator is acutely tuned in, they will notice when a client needs to hear their voice or feel more immediate and palpable energy from the facilitator. In this case, holding space may look like gentle intervention–asking questions, skipping a song on the playlist, scooching closer to the client, reminding that person of their intentions or even offering a hand or a hug.
Other times, however, the space demands a more active stewardship of the journey. That might look like guiding a client through breathing exercise or even a slow deliberate meditation. Maybe someone is experiencing constant nausea and we need to summon a somatic practice to usher that discomfort out of the room. Or maybe the client is craving a connection to the outside world, and holding space is dragging more plants into the administration room to make it really come alive.
Holding Space: The Last Word
In sum, facilitators are simple vigilantes charged with a sacred task–to support and nourish an extraordinary journey, so folks can take a hard, sustained look inward. Sometimes that means emanating tenderness from the corner of the room. Other times, we might find ourselves splayed on the carpet with a box of crayons and a sudden desire to express ourselves in ways we’ve never dreamed of.