With Best Intention: Psychedelic Intention-Setting Rituals as Rites of Sacralization
Psychedelic Intersections January 17, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.70423/0001.02
Summary
The Cloud-9 Camp at Burning Man 2023 conducted a night-long ceremony using the psychedelic 2C-B, starting with an intention-setting ritual where participants shared a single word of intention. This practice is common among psychedelic users and often precedes their experiences. The study examines the structure and significance of this ritual through ethnographic observation and interviews with 14 camp members involved in the ceremony.
Study at a glance
| Design | qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 14 |
| Population | camp members participating in a psychedelic ceremony |
| Key finding | The intention-setting ritual is a significant aspect of the psychedelic experience for participants. |
Abstract
At Burning Man 2023, the Cloud-9 Camp’s night-long ceremony with the psychedelic 2C-B (4-bromo-2, 5-dimethoxyphenethylamine) began with one question: “Would anyone like to speak a word of intention? Just one word—for yourself, for this journey.” This question marked the start of their intention-setting ritual and their entrance into the psychedelically altered state of consciousness. Intention setting is a ubiquitous practice among psychedelic users and frequently precedes psychedelic experiences in clinical, spiritual, and personal use settings.i To understand the ubiquity of this practice and its role in the psychedelic experience, this chapter analyzes the form and function of Cloud-9's intention-setting ritual, drawing from ethnographic observation and interviews with the 14 camp members who participated in the ceremony.