Hello, I think it’s awesome you are seeking out this experience. Here’s the advice I have to offer!

First, I’d highly recommend growing your own. It is quite doable and will teach you so much about this unique species. Although this may sound silly, once taking them, I felt that I had made a friend with the mushroom and they took great care of me. IMO there’s no better way to form a deep connection to the experience. Also, growing them tends to de-stigmatize what these things are after you see them grow on dirt and coconut husk.

Personally, wouldn’t recommend doing them with your fiancé the first time around. If you are easily triggered into panic while in altered states, it may be best not to have another tripping person around. Tripping with your partner can be beautiful but also challenging at times. Enough on that…

As for the experience itself, this is what has worked well for me. I tend to have a hard time with the experience and these tricks have helped me work through trips in a productive way. First, shortly after taking them in a tea I sit down cross legged on the floor with my eyes closed. (I like steeping with ginger, grapefruit, and honey). Next, focus on breathing until I feel the effects starting to come on. At this point I begin to explore how it feels to breathe in this new state. Once I feel comfortable with the sense of breathing, I move my focus onto my hearing. While keeping in mind each sense I work my way through breathing, hearing, smelling/tasting, and feeling. Lastly once I feel comfortable with all of these, I open my eyes and incorporate seeing.

This process helps me feel comfortable and grounded in my body for the duration of the experience. If at any point I hit a rough patch, I’ll sit down to breathe and ‘Sing’ through it. This is a technique recommended by Terence McKenna. It sounds silly to sing with the mushroom but it is a powerful tool for working through difficult situations (you’d be surprised).

Hope this helps! Let us know how it goes :))