This document discusses various topics related to using music to support psychedelic therapy sessions, including: 1) Different approaches to creating playlists, such as having pre-determined playlists or creating playlists live during sessions. 2) Factors to consider when selecting and arranging music to match the different phases of a psychedelic experience, such as ambient music for peak effects. 3) Considerations for track selection such as avoiding lyrics, choosing unfamiliar music, and tailoring to a client's history and preferences learned during intake. The document provides recommendations for audio hardware, software, and examples of artists suited to different phases of an experience. It aims to help therapists effectively incorporate music to guide clients' inner journeys.

1. www.polarisinsight.com

2. We
are
taking
people
HIGHER

3. Nature is Music

4. Music is a Cross-Cultural Healing Tradition

5. The Psychedelic 60’s

6. The Age of Electronic Music

7. Active Listening
“Once you’ve taught yourself the tools to engage in active listening, you
can take those tools everywhere. Out into life. And the whole world
becomes music, the whole world becomes more beautiful. And that’s
absolutely part of my intent… You can take those habits of awareness
into the daily world and be more self-aware, more awake in your
waking time, instead of being a sleepwalker while awake.”
-Robert Rich interview with Mendel Kaelen

8. Active Listening as a
Meditative Act
• The overthinking, conditioned,
calculative “monkey-mind”
settles and enters a space of
pure curiosity, receptivity, and
wonder.
• Active listening leads to
increased awareness of the
world around us – World
becomes more beautiful, but
also more painful, at least for
a while.

9. Everything Is Musical
• All sound is potentially musical, consisting
of a series of calls and responses (e.g.
ocean waves)
• Each session is potentially musical.
Responding to the call is important.
• Flow of session just as important as
content
• Resonance –when two musical instruments
are held next to each other, one is played,
and they vibrate at same frequency.
Human beings also resonate.
• Our work as therapists is to listen, attune,
resonate, and harmonize.

10. Sound and
Consciousness
“I discovered that with
consciousness and using
sound, we can hear around
corners, we can hear
through the dark… Hearing
allowed me to relocate
consciousness, out into
space and away from this
cabin between the ears.”
–Robert Rich

11. Slow Time
• Under the influence of ketamine, perception
of time changes.
• Brain activity slows and enters alpha-theta
state.
• Mind disengages from calculative mode and
from expectations and anticipation. Predictive
capacity is reduced. Access to meditative
mode is facilitated.
• Meditative mode allows us to listen to sound
“as it is” instead of listening “for” something
(e. g. your favorite part of a track).
• You are not going out to meet the music. The
music is coming to meet you.

12. Frisson /frēˈsôn/ (The Goosebumps, The Chills, The Feels)
Artist: Hans Walor

13. Frisson
• “Aesthetic chills” or “goosebumps”
resulting from deep appreciation of
beauty or meaning in a piece of art or
music.
• Resulting from the release of adrenaline
to counteract increased serotonin levels.
• The stimuli that produce this response
are specific to each individual.
• Enhanced by the temperature of the
environment. Cool listening rooms and
cinemas may enhance the experience.
• Enhanced by ketamine. “This is like
frisson turned up to 11!”and“The shaking
is my body telling me that this is a good
place to be.”
Artist: Michael Divine

14. SONIC ALCHEMY
The use of music,
in combination with
psychedelics and the
attunement of the facilitator,
to resonate with and uplift
the vibrational frequencies
of the journeyer.

15. Attention as Doorway
for Transformation
• What if we are able to literally attune
to and uplift our client’s vibrations
just by focusing our attention on
their experience and allowing the
music to move us?
• Tips: Keep room a little chilly –
important not to be TOO
comfortable. Have empty stomach.
Use music that you LIKE.

16. Timing of Interventions
• Healing is dramatic. Music is dramatic. Use
these features to optimize the impact of
your interventions.
• When you know the music well, you can
time interventions accordingly, to “prime”
the client.
• Example: Checking in between tracks
(instead of in the middle of a track).
• Example: Reciting back the client’s
intention just before the climax of a track.

17. RESEARCH ON MUSIC AND PSYCHEDELICS
Artist: Michael Divine

18. Early Research
• Hermine Browne, vocalist, worked with Humphrey Osmond in 60’s in individual
psychedelic sessions, facilitated psychedelic sessions with alcoholics
• Helen Bonny, music therapist, worked with Walter Pahnke at Maryland Psychiatric
Research Institute in early 70’s in LSD Sessions (200 – 400 mics)
• Inspired Grof to incorporate music into Holotropic Breathwork sessions
“Roles of Music in LSD Psychotherapy” (Bonny, H. Pahnke, W., 1972)
• Functions of music in psychedelic sessions:
• Help client relinquish control
• Facilitate emotional release/catharsis
• Contribute toward peak experience
• Provide continuity in a sense of timelessness
• Direct/Structure the experience
• 6 Phases: Pre-onset (30 min), Onset (.5 – 1.5 hrs), Building (1.5 - 3.5 hrs), Peak (3 -
4.5 hrs), Re-entry (4.5 – 7 hrs), and Return to normal consciousness (7 - 12 hrs)

19. More Complex Timbre → Greater Euphoria?
• Timbre = Tone color or quality (distinct from pitch or frequency)
• Timbre is critical for “creating dynamic structure, tension and release
in a work to provide the conditions for a listener to be emotionally
moved in the manner intended by the composer.”*
• There is some evidence that timbre – or complex changes in timbre –
increase frisson or chill response.
• Electronic/digital music composition may have greater potential to
create rich timbre – or complex changes in timbre.
*Auricchio N. (2017) Natural Highs: Timbre and Chills in Electronic Dance Music. In: Merrill J. (eds) Popular
Music Studies Today. Systematische Musikwissenschaft. Springer VS, Wiesbaden.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-17740-9_1

20. Overtone-Based Music Better than Classical?
• Researchers analyzed the effects of the musical genre played during sessions of a
psilocybin study for tobacco smoking cessation.
• Participants (N = 10) received psilocybin (20−30 mg/70 kg) in two sessions, each
with a different musical genre (Western classical versus overtone-based).
• Mystical experiences scores tended to be higher in overtone-based sessions than
in Western classical sessions.
• Researchers founds slight preference for overtone-based playlist
• Findings call into question whether Western classical music typically played in
psychedelic sessions holds unique benefit.*
*Source: Strickland, J., Garcia-Romeu, A., and Johnson, M. (2021). Set and Setting: A Randomized
Study of Different Musical Genres in Supporting Psychedelic Therapy. ACS Pharmacology &
Translational Science 4 (2), 472-478. DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00187

21. Two Approaches to Making Playlists
• “Preset” Approach: Having predetermined playlist for journey
• Pros:
• Therapist does not have to think about “managing” the music
• Therapist knows the music.
• (In research) Greater control over a potentially confounding variable (i.e.
the music)
• “Live” Approach: Creating playlist as you go, adapting to each client’s
personal process
• Pros:
• Therapist able to change music to respond to in-the-moment, evolving
emotional landscape
• Greater resonance/acceptance by client (?)
From: Barrett, F.S., Preller, K.H. and Kaelen, M. (2018). Psychedelics and music: neuroscience and
therapeutic implications. International Review of Psychiatry, 30(4), pp.350-362.

22. Critiques of Preset Approach
• An individual’s journey on a given day is not going to necessary
conform to a predetermined arc
• Doesn’t make room to respond organically to the spontaneous
call-and-response of the journey
• Over-attachment to “pet” playlists may prime the field with certain
expectations and lead to explicit/implicit judgment of client or client’s
process..
• May lead to less resonance with the material

23. Critiques of Live Approach
• May distract therapist’s attention from the therapeutic process
• Does not require familiarity with the playlist
• Technology, like Wavepaths, that create personalized, adaptive music
to optimize therapeutic outcomes is still in development
• “Research is yet to fully comprehend the specific parameters of
music that dictate positive therapeutic results.” (M. Kaelen)
• Positive therapeutic outcomes from hundreds of sessions using preset
playlists don’t lie!

24. Discomfort with/Resistance to Music
• Three factors to consider in assessing resistance to selected music:
• The type of music (like/dislike)
• Match to their process (resonance/lack of resonance)
• The material that the music is eliciting (openness/resistance)*
• Resistance may reflect power and control dynamics, or transference or
countertransference dynamics
• How resistance will be managed should be made explicit during intake
• Therapist should track - and explore - resistance but avoid
overanalyzing client’s process
• Therapist should be flexible to adjusting/changing music as needed
*Kaelen, M., Giribaldi, B., Raine, J., Evans, L., Timmerman, C., Rodriguez, N., Roseman, L., Feilding, A., Nutt,
D., & Carhart-Harris, R. (2018). The hidden therapist: evidence for a central role of music in psychedelic
therapy. Psychopharmacology, 235(2), 505–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4820-5

25. CREATING PLAYLISTS FOR KETAMINE JOURNEYS
Artist: Peter Westermann

26. Music as a Support and
Guide for the Experience
• Dr. Stanislav Grof describes
the role of music as creating
“…a continuous carrier wave
that helps patients to
overcome difficult parts of
the sessions and move
through impasses” (Grof,
LSD Psychotherapy, 2008)
Artist: Joshua Levin

27. Playlists Essentials
• Flow: Playlists take people on a
journey through inner world.
Playlist should have beginning,
middle, and end (or opening,
active, and closing)
• Uplifting: Ultimate goal should
be to uplift the spirit and open
the heart
• Broad expressive range:
As the totality of one’s life and
memories contain the full range
of emotions, the playlist should
mirror this, helping the client to
reconnect with old memories
and deep emotions of sadness,
grief, surrender, joy, and love
Artist: Adam Scott Miller

28. Playlists Essentials
• Shadow: Use it!
“One of the things that creates
depth or layering of experience in an
artwork is that willingness to go into
shadows. I think that the
fundamental difference between
something that’s merely pretty and
something beautiful or deeply
moving is that for something to be
beautiful it needs to contain the
thanatotic. It needs to contain the
shadows, the death within it, as well
as the urge to life.”
–Robert Rich
Artist: Adam Scott Miller

29. Ketamine +
Ambient Music =
Synergy
• Ambient tracks create
atmospheres that are rich in
timbre, texture, spaciousness
• Ethereal sounds – subtle,
light, airy, immaterial,
weightless – enhance
expansive states
• Tension and release

30. With Ketamine,
Ambient Music is Best,
AND…
• Prominent beat/rhythm can help
move someone through the
experience.
• Can be TOO Ambient (e. g. singing
bowls or gongs for 20 minutes) –
does not carry the experience.
• You don’t have to sacrifice
melody! Even though melodies
are dependent to some degree on
predictive capacity, which is
compromised with ketamine,
beautiful melodies at the right
time can be incredibly powerful!

31. Track Selection and Arrangement
IM Dose Response Curve
John C. Lilly

32. Track Selection and
Arrangement
• Match tracks to the arc
of the medicine effects
• For example, PEAK
effects of ketamine
occur 10 - 30 minutes
after taking the
medicine (vs. MDMA or
psilocybin where PEAK
is around 2 -2.5 hours)
Artist: Bernart Amygdalah

33. Timing of Music Arrangement to Match
Medicine Effects: IM Sessions
Phase Duration (60 - 90 min total) Quality of music
Opening Minutes 0 – 5 Slow, spacious, nature sounds
Onset and
building
Minutes 5 – 15 Building, stirring, still ambient
but introducing rhythm/beat
Peak Minutes 10 – 20 Rhythmic, higher-tempo, but
with atemporal periods to
accentuate expansive state
Long tail Minutes 20 – 60 Deep, spacious, emotional,
cinematic
Re-entry and
Return
Minutes 60 – 90 Timeless, flowing, meditative,
heart-centered, spiritual,
vocal tracks can be nice at end

34. Timing of Music Arrangement to Match
Medicine Effects: Lozenge Sessions
Phase Duration (90 - 120 min total) Quality of music
Opening Minutes 0 – 10 Slow, spacious, nature sounds
Onset and
building
Minutes 10 – 20 Building, stirring, still ambient
but introducing rhythm/beat
Peak Minutes 15 – 30 Rhythmic, higher-tempo, but
with atemporal periods to
accentuate expansive state
Long tail Minutes 30 – 90 Deep, spacious, emotional,
cinematic
Re-entry and
Return
Minutes 90 – 120 Timeless, flowing, meditative,
heart-centered, spiritual, vocal
tracks can be nice at end

35. Track Selection and Arrangement (Continued)
• Unfamiliar music is better- less “predictive mapping”
• Lyrics can be distracting and should be used sparingly (but
not prohibited!)
• Choose playlist beforehand and know the tracks. You won’t
have to worry (and spend attention) managing the playlist.
• Have several playlists available that you also know well that
you can use if needed to adapt or change music style
• Have other colleagues (on a listserv for example) that you
can share playlists with and get feedback

36. Track Selection and Arrangement (Continued)
• Track selection should be informed – but not dictated – by an
understanding of the client’s history.
• Certain content should be avoided. Explore client’s
relationship with music during intake to identify triggers.
• Therapist’s understanding of the process/arc is the guiding
principle. Grof: “It is useful to discuss the subject’s tastes
before the session and get an idea of his or her preferences,
idiosyncrasies, and general level of musical sophistication.
The actual selection usually reflects more the sitters’
understanding of the process than the experient’s choice.”*
*Source: https://grof-legacy-training.com/psychotherapy-and-self-exploration-psychedelics

37. Examples of Phase-specific Tracks on Spotify
• OPENING
• BUILDING
• PEAK
• LONG TAIL
• CLOSING

38. Some Suggested Artists for Each Phase
• Opening: Ishq, Future Sounds of London, Alucidnation, East
Forest, Ulrich Schnauss, Aphex Twin, Chicane
• Onset and Building: Solar Fields, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Benn
Jordan, Cell, El Buho, Tom Day, Port Blue
• Peak: Solar Fields, El Buho, Kilowatts, Tycho, Alucidnation,
Desert Dwellers, IHF, Voyage, Kick Bong, Zero Cult
• Long Tail: Jonsi, Hammock, Patrick O’Hearn, The Fires of Ork,
Carbon Based Lifeforms, Shpongle, Scann-Tec, Aphex Twin,
Mars Lazar, Ray Lynch, 36, Jon Hopkins, Tony Anderson
• Re-Entry and Return: Olafur Arnalds, East Forest, Alucidnation

39. Audio Hardware Options
Headphones
• Immersive
• Portable
• Noise canceling option to filter out background noise
• Can make it difficult for the client to hear the therapist
• Open back headphones help
• I have used Zoom and a second device to pipe audio into the
headphones which works nicely
• Practice with a friend to dial it in
• A second audio device is needed for the therapist to be
able to track the playlist and time their interventions

40. Audio Hardware Options
Bluetooth Speakers
•More affordable than high quality surround sound
speakers
•Portable
•More than sufficient for most folks
•Can be distorted at higher volumes
•Not as immersive as headphones or surround sound
•Lower end notes like bass lines are either quiet or
missing

41. Audio Hardware Options
Surround Sound Speakers with Subwoofer
•Fills the room with sound, immersive for both client
and therapist.
•Music often has movement in space that can only be
captured with 5.1 systems and up.
•Provides a richer range than bluetooth speakers
•Difficult in most settings to play loudly enough to be
as immersive as headphones
•This is my ideal setup

42. Software
Spotify
• Can be used on most devices (Desktop, Laptop, tablets, phone)
• User friendly
Audition, Traktor, Ableton, Garageband
• Needs more computing power to run (Desktop, Laptop)
• Enables custom playlist mixes that transition smoothly and
have some overlapping sounds or repeated themes.
• Gives more of a sense of a sonic tapestry rather than a playlist
of individual songs
• Steeper learning curve
• Endless options

43. Software
Spotify
• Settings:
• Purchase a premium account
• No advertising in medicine space!!
• Download the playlist
• Crossfade - On (8 – 12 seconds)
• Auto-Play - Off
• Normalize Volume – On
• Download Quality – Very High
• Shuffle - Off

44. General Principles and Tips
• Test it before the session to ensure everything is properly
powered/charged, connected, adjusted, etc.
• Be able to adjust the volume, change the track, know where you are
in the playlist, etc without getting up
• Optimize sound setup as heard from the position of the client
• Equipment should be minimally distracting and should not inhibit the
clients movements
• All alarms, notifications and other interpreting noises turned OFF!!

45. Spotify Settings Tutorial

48. 1
2

49. 3

50. Spotify Playlist Basics

59. The Mighty Spotify Queue

63. 1

64. 2
3

67. Playlist Resources
• Polaris Insight Center’s Spotify ketamine playlists KAP Group and
Wilbur Weekend
• GentleBeard on Spotify – Ryan’s KAP playlists
• Hearts of Space – Nice, spacey, ambient pre-made mixes
• Nod to Spotify profiles we like:
• Roots To Thrive (RTT-KAT),
• Healing Realms
• Angela Ward
• Marisa Radha Weppner
• Journey Space

68. Other Resources
• Chacruna Article High Holy Strangeness by Matt Baldwin, reviewing
one of Eric’s ketamine playlists
• Wavepaths Articles on music for psychedelic sessions
• Mendel Kaelan’s presentation Psychological and Neurophysiological
Effects of Music in Combination with Psychedelics
• Matt Baldwin’s presentation The Art of Creating Musical Playlists for
Psychedelic Work (for longer psychedelic sessions)
• Ilsa Jerome’s article A Journey in Sound: Music in Psychedelic Assisted
Psychotherapy

69. THANK YOU!
Polaris Insight Center
4255 18th St.,
San Francisco, CA 94114
415-800-7083
eric@polarisinsight.com
ryan@polarisinsight.com
www.polarisinsight.com