In the world of psychedelic-assisted recovery, the concepts of set and setting are often emphasized as foundational to a safe and meaningful journey. These terms—originally popularized by Timothy Leary—refer to the mindset (set) of the individual and the environment (setting) in which the experience unfolds. However, one critical concept has been largely overlooked in recent discussions of psychedelic healing: the matrix, a term explored extensively by Betty Eisner but now often forgotten.

For those transitioning from traditional recovery paths, the matrix is particularly important to understand, as it addresses the complexities that can arise when incorporating psychedelics into healing practices.

Set and Setting: The Traditional Pillars

Before diving into the matrix, let’s revisit set and setting, the two principles that are commonly prioritized in psychedelic circles.

• Set refers to the psychological and emotional state of the individual going into a psychedelic experience. Are they feeling calm, anxious, or excited? What are their intentions, fears, or unresolved issues? The mindset shapes the tone and trajectory of the journey, making it crucial to enter these experiences with mental clarity, preparation, and support.
• Setting refers to the external environment in which the experience occurs. Is the person in a peaceful, supportive space, or are they in a chaotic, unsafe environment? The setting can either facilitate a healing journey or exacerbate feelings of anxiety, paranoia, and confusion.

For those recovering from addiction or trauma, both set and setting are essential to creating the conditions for a safe and transformative experience. However, they are not enough on their own. This is where the forgotten concept of the matrix comes into play.

The Matrix: Betty Eisner’s Forgotten Insight

Betty Eisner, a pioneering psychologist in the field of psychedelics, introduced the concept of the matrix to describe the broader interpersonal and social web that influences psychedelic experiences. For Eisner, the matrix was not just the immediate social environment (like friends, guides, or facilitators), but also the unseen relationships and emotional dynamics that people bring into their experience, often unconsciously. This can include:

• Familial and cultural conditioning
• Relationship patterns and attachments
• Social structures or recovery communities people belong to
• Long-standing beliefs about oneself and the world

Eisner believed that psychedelic healing could not be fully understood or utilized without considering the matrix. The people around us, whether physically present or not, as well as societal influences, subtly shape our experiences in ways we don’t always realize.

Today, the matrix is often neglected in conversations about psychedelic recovery. While people focus on getting their set and setting right, they overlook the fact that they are embedded in larger, interconnected systems—family, society, and recovery communities—that affect their healing.

Why the Matrix Matters for Psychedelics in Recovery

For those who have transitioned from traditional recovery paths—like 12-step programs, inpatient treatments, or faith-based recovery methods—re-engaging with the matrix is especially critical. Many of these recovery systems have rigid structures, belief systems, and social hierarchies that can unconsciously shape one’s experience with psychedelics.

1. Carrying the Unspoken Rules of Traditional Recovery

People coming from 12-step programs, for example, may carry deeply ingrained ideas about sobriety, abstinence, and personal responsibility. While these principles are invaluable in traditional recovery, they can lead to conflict or guilt when someone explores the use of psychedelics, which some recovery communities still view with skepticism.

The matrix, in this case, consists of the hidden judgments, expectations, and sometimes fears instilled by these traditional paths. Without addressing these underlying influences, someone may experience cognitive dissonance or emotional turmoil during a psychedelic journey.

2. The Role of Relationships in Healing

The people in our lives—friends, partners, sponsors, or fellow recovery members—are part of the matrix. Even if they are not physically present during a psychedelic journey, their opinions and attitudes can still shape how we process the experience. Some individuals in traditional recovery communities may not understand the role of psychedelics in healing, which can create internal conflicts for those looking to explore these alternative methods.

Acknowledging this broader social matrix can help those in recovery set clear boundaries, develop new support systems, and make peace with the different phases of their healing journey.

3. The Influence of Societal Stigma

Despite a growing understanding of the benefits of psychedelics in mental health and addiction recovery, societal stigma still lingers. People coming from traditional recovery paths are often aware of this stigma and may carry it with them, affecting their willingness to fully engage with psychedelics as part of their healing process. Society itself can be a part of the matrix—its influence can either encourage or inhibit personal growth.

Re-embracing the Matrix for Deeper Healing

To truly harness the power of psychedelics in recovery, we must reintroduce the matrix into the conversation. By understanding and addressing the broader social, relational, and cultural influences that shape our experiences, we can create a more supportive and comprehensive framework for healing.

For those coming from traditional recovery paths, the matrix may include residual guilt, internalized rules, or the expectations of a recovery community that doesn’t fully embrace psychedelic therapies. Recognizing this matrix and working through it can liberate individuals to experience the full therapeutic potential of psychedelics.

Just as set and setting are essential to preparing for a psychedelic experience, acknowledging the matrix can help ensure that the journey leads to genuine healing, integration, and growth.

Moving Forward

The resurgence of interest in psychedelics as a tool for recovery provides a unique opportunity to reconsider and reintroduce the forgotten wisdom of Betty Eisner. In doing so, we can offer more compassionate and nuanced support to those transitioning from traditional recovery methods. By expanding our understanding beyond just set and setting to include the matrix, we create a more holistic framework—one that honors both the internal and external factors that shape our journeys toward healing.

This expanded perspective is essential for those seeking to integrate psychedelics into their recovery in a way that feels authentic, empowering, and aligned with their personal and social realities.

Practices for Engaging with the Matrix: Transitioning from Traditional Recovery to Psychedelic Healing

For those coming from traditional recovery paths like 12-step programs or abstinence-based approaches, the concept of the matrix—the broader social, relational, and cultural web in which we exist—can have a profound impact on how they approach psychedelic-assisted healing. By engaging with this matrix consciously, individuals can create a smoother, healthier transition into psychedelic recovery. Below are practical exercises and practices designed to help people explore and integrate the matrix concept in their healing journey.

1. Mapping Your Recovery Matrix

Understanding how the matrix of relationships, recovery structures, and societal influences shapes your current approach to healing is a foundational step. This practice helps you become aware of the invisible threads that influence your beliefs, behaviors, and expectations.

Exercise:

• Take out a large piece of paper or open a digital document, and begin by drawing a circle in the center. This circle represents you.
• Around this central circle, draw smaller circles for people, communities, and structures that have played significant roles in your recovery. These might include family members, sponsors, friends in recovery, your therapist, support groups, religious or spiritual communities, or cultural beliefs.
• Draw lines connecting yourself to each of these entities and label the lines with the influence or impact they’ve had on your recovery journey. For example, “Supportive but skeptical of psychedelics,” “Encourages strict abstinence,” or “Deeply understanding of alternative healing.”
• Reflect on what you see. Which influences feel empowering and which feel limiting? Are there any expectations or judgments from your matrix that might cause internal conflict with your interest in psychedelics?

Goal: This exercise helps you visualize the broader matrix and identify where tensions or support might arise as you transition toward psychedelic healing.

2. Clarifying Your Values and Intentions

Traditional recovery paths often emphasize specific values such as sobriety, personal responsibility, and community service. These values can sometimes conflict with the exploration of psychedelics, leading to inner turmoil. Clarifying your personal values and intentions can help you align these aspects of your recovery with the new healing modalities you are exploring.

Exercise:

• Find a quiet space to sit and reflect. Write down a list of core values that have been central to your traditional recovery. These could be honesty, accountability, connection, service, or abstinence.
• Now, write down a list of values or intentions that are drawing you toward psychedelics. This might include personal growth, healing from trauma, spiritual exploration, or a desire for deeper self-understanding.
• Compare the two lists. Are there overlapping values that can serve as bridges between your traditional recovery and your psychedelic exploration? For example, can honesty and accountability extend to being truthful about your needs for deeper healing, even if it includes psychedelics?

Goal: This practice helps you align the values of traditional recovery with your exploration of psychedelics, creating a cohesive narrative that integrates both paths.

3. Engaging in Open Dialogue with Your Matrix

The people in your life—sponsors, friends, family members, recovery communities—play a huge role in your healing journey, even when they are not physically present during a psychedelic experience. Engaging in open conversations with key figures in your matrix can help clear misunderstandings, relieve tension, and create a more supportive environment for your transition.

Exercise:

• Identify two or three key people in your recovery matrix who might have concerns, judgments, or misunderstandings about your interest in psychedelics.
• Prepare to have an open and honest conversation with each of them. In this conversation, aim to share your intentions for exploring psychedelics as part of your recovery, and listen to their concerns without judgment.
• Ask for their support, even if they don’t fully understand or agree with your path. Let them know how much you value their role in your life and recovery.

Goal: This practice creates an open line of communication, allowing the people in your matrix to support you or at least understand your perspective, thus reducing the potential for hidden judgments or conflicts during your psychedelic journey.

4. Reflecting on Past Healing Patterns

Part of your matrix includes the broader cultural and familial conditioning that has shaped your ideas about healing, wellness, and transformation. Reflecting on past healing patterns can reveal unconscious blocks or limiting beliefs that may affect your ability to fully embrace psychedelics as part of your recovery.

Exercise:

• Set aside some quiet time to journal. Reflect on past experiences with healing, whether in the context of addiction recovery or other personal growth efforts. Ask yourself:
  • What methods were encouraged or discouraged by my family, culture, or recovery community?
  • How have I been taught to view alternative healing methods, especially those involving substances like psychedelics?
  • Are there any fears, beliefs, or judgments I’m carrying from my past that might influence how I approach psychedelic healing today?
• Write down any recurring patterns or beliefs you uncover. Are they serving you, or do they need to be re-examined?

Goal: This practice helps bring to light the deeper cultural and familial influences that shape your healing journey, allowing you to work through limiting beliefs or fears that might otherwise hinder your transition into psychedelic work.

5. Developing a Supportive Network for Psychedelic Healing

Transitioning into psychedelics from traditional recovery may require you to expand your support network. Finding others who understand and support this new phase of your healing can be an important way to strengthen your matrix in a way that facilitates rather than hinders your journey.

Exercise:

• Research local or online communities that are supportive of psychedelic healing in recovery. Look for groups that value harm reduction, mindful usage, and integration work.
• Attend a few meetings or reach out to individuals who have undergone similar transitions. Ask questions, share your experiences, and see if these groups align with your values and goals.
• Gradually expand your circle to include individuals or groups that support both traditional recovery and alternative healing methods. Consider working with a therapist or guide experienced in psychedelic integration.

Goal: This practice helps you create a new supportive matrix of people who understand and affirm your path, balancing both traditional recovery elements and psychedelic exploration.

6. Mindful Matrix Awareness During Psychedelic Journeys

During a psychedelic experience, elements of your matrix—family dynamics, recovery expectations, societal conditioning—can surface in surprising and sometimes challenging ways. Being aware of these influences can help you process them during and after your journey.

Exercise:

• Before a psychedelic session, take a moment to reflect on your matrix. Which relationships or influences are currently weighing on your mind? Are there expectations or judgments from others that you’ve been carrying?
• During the session, allow any thoughts or emotions related to these relationships or influences to surface. Instead of resisting them, observe them mindfully. What do they reveal about your current healing process?
• After the session, journal about any insights you gained related to your matrix. Are there parts of it that you need to release or redefine in order to heal more fully?

Goal: This practice helps you integrate awareness of the matrix into your psychedelic experiences, allowing you to process deeper relational and societal influences during the journey itself.

By engaging with these practices, individuals transitioning from traditional recovery paths into psychedelic healing can gain a deeper understanding of their matrix, resolve internal conflicts, and create a more supportive environment for their healing journey.