Module 10 - Instructor Guide

Return to the warm-up board. Walk through each sentence and identify the language pattern it represents. You are not embarrassing students — you are showing them that these patterns are instinctive, not careless, and that replacing them takes deliberate practice.

Then introduce the language framework. The avoid/use/why table is not a list of rules to memorize. It is a map of the underlying principles: if a word implies clinical authority you don't have, find one that doesn't. If a word removes participant agency, find one that restores it. If a word promises an outcome, add a hedge or remove the predictive framing. Those three principles generate the specific substitutions — and they apply to words not yet on the list.

Intention vs. outcome desire (J.4, J.9): The distinction matters because psilocybin experiences reliably amplify whatever orientation the participant brings in. A participant approaching with tight outcome expectations ("I will heal this specific thing today") may struggle when the experience takes an unexpected direction — which it often does. A participant approaching with an open intention ("I want to explore this part of my life with fresh eyes") has more flexibility to navigate whatever arises. The facilitator's job in intention-setting is not to produce a clean intention — it is to help the participant notice when what they've named is a desired outcome rather than an orientation, and to gently open the framing.

This is among the more nuanced facilitation skills in the program. It requires the facilitator to be genuinely curious without being leading, to reflect back without correcting, and to help the participant find their own words rather than adopting the facilitator's. The intention-setting guide provides a sequence; the quality of the facilitator's presence in that sequence is what makes it useful.

Inner guidance — trusting what the participant already knows (J.4): Colorado NMTP J.4 requires facilitators to discuss the concept of trusting inner guidance — what different frameworks call Inner Healing Intelligence, Inner Genius, The Self, Wise Mind, Soul, or Spirit. This is not a peripheral topic. It is the philosophical core of what preparation is for — and it is named in the iETA program identity itself. "Inner EDGE" is not incidental language. It names the conviction that what the participant is preparing to access is already within them. The facilitator is not delivering an experience to the participant. They are helping the participant create the conditions to access something they carry.

In the preparation conversation, this principle is practical: the facilitator is not the authority on what the participant needs or what will help them. The participant's own sense of what they're seeking, what feels true, what matters — that is the compass. The facilitator's role is to help them hear it more clearly, not to override it with clinical frameworks or outcome prescriptions. When the participant says "I don't know what I want from this — I just feel like it's time," that is inner guidance speaking. The facilitator's response should honor that knowing, not redirect it toward a more articulable goal.

Different participants will relate to this concept through different language — spiritual, psychological, somatic, philosophical. The facilitator does not impose a framework. They meet the participant in the language the participant brings. A participant who speaks in terms of soul receives that language. A participant who speaks in terms of the nervous system receives that language. The underlying concept is the same: something in this person already knows the direction. Preparation helps them listen to it.

Honest expectation-setting (J.9, J.7, J.3): Participants almost always arrive with expectations shaped by popular media, social circles, or personal research — and those expectations are often either more dramatic or more clinical than the actual range of experience. The facilitator's role is to offer an honest, research-grounded picture of what the experience may involve — without dampening curiosity or overclaiming. The key phrases are "many people experience," "some people find," and "the research suggests." These phrases are not hedges designed to manage liability. They are accurate descriptions of what is actually known about a highly variable experience.

What to cover in expectation-setting: the general arc of a session (onset, intensification, peak, gradual return — addressed fully in M11 Administration); the variability of response including the possibility of difficult or unexpected content; the distinction between a challenging experience and a harmful one; the importance of not having fixed ideas about what "a good session" looks like; and the principle that preparation quality significantly influences how the participant moves through whatever arises.

Historical and indigenous modalities (J.14): Preparation for experiences with natural medicines has deep roots in indigenous and ceremonial traditions worldwide — long before clinical or regulatory frameworks existed. Facilitators trained in Colorado NMTP operate in a specific regulatory and clinical context that differs substantially from traditional ceremonial contexts. Acknowledging these lineages is both ethically appropriate and practically relevant: some participants will arrive with prior ceremonial experience, and their frame of reference may differ significantly from the preparation model being offered here. The facilitator can acknowledge the richness of these traditions, note that this preparation process reflects a different but related context, and remain genuinely curious about the participant's prior experience without appropriating ceremonial language or claiming expertise they do not have. This was addressed in depth in M07; here it is applied specifically to preparation practice.

The concept of set and setting is well established in psychedelic facilitation — mindset and environment as two primary non-pharmacological determinants of the experience. The iETA framework expands this into six practical coordinates, each requiring its own conversation with the participant. They are not independent checkboxes — they inform each other. Who the participant travels with affects where the session takes place. When it happens affects how much preparation time is available. These are worked through in order, but held as a system.

Coordinate 2 — With Whom: Companionship & Support (J.5)
Who is present during the experience matters profoundly — for safety, comfort, and the quality of what the participant is able to access. This coordinate has two parts. First: the facilitator-participant relationship itself. The quality of trust, clarity of role, and consistency of contact leading up to the session constitute the relational container. Second: the support person named in M08C and confirmed in M09. The support person needs to be identified, briefed, and have a clear role — not just a name on a plan. In group contexts, this also includes co-facilitator roles and participant-to-facilitator ratios.

Coordinate 3 — When: Timing (J.10, J.12)
Timing is not a scheduling detail — it is part of the terrain. The participant's emotional bandwidth, current stress load, obligations in the surrounding days, and recovery time available afterward all shape how the experience unfolds. A participant scheduling a session between a difficult family event and a high-stakes work deadline is not choosing optimal timing — and the facilitator has both the right and the responsibility to name that. Readiness is not about urgency or courage. It is about having the space to fully enter and return well.

The eligibility reconfirmation lives here: a brief check that nothing significant has changed since M09 screening. This is not a full re-screening — it is a check-in: "Has anything significant changed for you healthwise since we last met? Any changes to medications? Anything that's happened in your life that feels important for me to know?" If something significant has emerged, the facilitator may need to pause and return to M09 protocols.

Coordinate 4 — Where: Environment & Set/Setting (J.8)
Set and setting describes the two most significant non-pharmacological determinants of a psilocybin experience. Set — mindset, emotional state, and intentions going in — is what we worked on in L1. Setting encompasses the physical environment (the room, sound, light, temperature, comfort elements), the relational environment (who is present, the quality of the facilitator-participant relationship), and the logistical context. The nervous system registers environment before conscious thought arrives — privacy, predictability, physical safety, and manageable sensory input help the body stay regulated as perception shifts.

The facilitator's role is to bring knowledge of what conditions tend to support versus complicate the experience — and then co-design with the participant based on their specific needs, preferences, and life context. A participant who is sound-sensitive needs different environmental design than one who finds silence uncomfortable. The three-space framework from M08 applies: what does this participant's healthspace require from the physical environment? What environmental qualities will support their current mindspace? What setting fits their lifespace realistically?

Coordinate 5 — What Amount: Natural Medicine Amount (J.8)
Amount influences not just intensity, but duration, vulnerability, and the level of support the experience requires. This is a preparation conversation — not a prescription. The facilitator does not determine the amount; they inform the conversation and the service center's protocols govern what is available. What the facilitator can do is help the participant understand how amount tends to affect the arc and quality of the experience — so the decision is made with clarity rather than assumption, escalation impulse, or external comparison. A participant who says "I want to go as high as possible" is telling the facilitator something important about their expectations, and that deserves genuine exploration, not accommodation. Deeper work comes from alignment with readiness, not from escalation.

Language precision matters more here than anywhere else in the preparation conversation. "Dose" and "dosage" are prescribing terms — use "natural medicine amount." "High dose" is clinical classification — use "a more intensive experience." These are not stylistic preferences; they are scope boundaries.

Coordinate 6 — How: Method of Preparation & Consumption (J.8)
How the natural medicine is prepared and consumed directly affects onset, pacing, and the overall arc of the experience. Method choices can reduce unpredictability or amplify it, depending on how thoughtfully they're made. Fewer surprises during the experience means more agency when navigating what arises. A participant who understands that onset typically begins 30–60 minutes after consumption, that the experience may intensify over the following 1–2 hours, that the peak typically occurs within 2–4 hours, and that the full arc may last 4–6 hours is far better positioned to stay oriented than one encountering that progression for the first time. In Colorado NMTP, method specifics are governed by service center protocols and the facilitator's training — the preparation conversation informs the participant about what to expect from the specific method being used, so the arc of the experience is not a surprise.

Alongside method, practical session-day logistics are confirmed here: transportation to and from (the participant cannot drive for at least 8 hours post-ingestion, confirmed in M08C); what to bring and wear; arrival time with adequate buffer before the session start; substance windows confirmed in M08A are reconfirmed. These practical elements reduce friction and uncertainty on session day — and a participant who arrives rushed, sleep-deprived, or having skipped preparation steps is already starting from a depleted position.

Informed consent as a continuing conversation (J.1, J.2): Consent was introduced in M02 Ethics and applied in M09. In M10 the key point is that informed consent is not a single event — it is an ongoing conversation. A participant who signed a form at intake months ago and has since experienced significant life changes may need the consent conversation revisited. Consent includes: what the service involves, what the facilitator will and will not do, the participant's right to stop at any point, the known range of experience including the possibility of difficulty, and the participant's unconditional right to change their mind. The consent conversation is conducted — not just the form signed.

Participant-directed safety planning (J.13): The Colorado NMTP language is deliberate: "participant-directed." This means the safety plan reflects the participant's own choices about who to contact, what their threshold language sounds like, and what they need in each tier of the post-session support spectrum. The facilitator's role is to introduce the framework, explain the purpose of each element, and then follow the participant's lead in populating it. The plan was introduced in M08C as the contingency plan template. In M10, it is rebuilt and finalized with full preparation context — including the session date, the participant's specific intention, and updated support person information.

Post-session support thresholds: The three-tier threshold model from M08C applies directly here. Monitor (check in with support person — feeling unsettled but functioning); Concern (contact facilitator — persistent distress, difficulty functioning); Emergency (call 911 or go to emergency services — thoughts of self-harm, inability to communicate, medical emergency). The threshold language must be in the participant's own words for what each level looks like for them. Generic threshold descriptions are less useful than specific ones: "for me, 'concern level' is when I can't get out of bed two days in a row and I'm starting to avoid calls" is more useful than "significant distress."

Support person briefing (J.5, J.11): The support person — named in M08C and confirmed in M09 — needs to be briefed before the session. The facilitator does this either directly or by equipping the participant to do it. The briefing covers: what the service is at a high level; what to expect from the participant in the 48–72 hours following; what the participant's threshold language means; how to reach the facilitator; and when to call emergency services. The support person does not need clinical training — they need specific, plain-language information about what they're supporting and what to do at each threshold.

Communication protocols (J.11): The facilitator and participant need explicit agreements about between-session communication — before, during the integration period, and the parameters of ongoing contact. This includes: how to reach the facilitator (phone, message); typical response window; what warrants reaching out versus waiting for the next scheduled session; and when to reach someone else instead. These agreements protect both parties and significantly reduce the post-session ambiguity that drives unnecessary contact or, conversely, insufficient support.

Group session safety planning adaptations: All of the above applies to individual sessions. In group contexts, the safety plan needs additional elements: the participant-to-facilitator ratio and who specifically is the participant's assigned point of contact; what the exit process looks like if a participant needs to leave; how the support person network works in a group context; and any group-specific communication protocols. Group facilitation is addressed comprehensively in M15 — this is an introduction to the preparation-phase adaptations only.