Drug info - LSD: Scary as H*ll?

[IDealinDreams]

OK, so SWIM has never taken LSD but will probably try it soon. He was very jacked and couldn't wait to hit it, but then he spoke to his friend who scared the bejeesus out of him about bad trips. This is his worry:

SWIM recently saw the Exorcist. While the movie really doesn't bother him too much, he is worried that when he trips, he will experience the movies phenomenon because it is fresh on his mind. Maybe LSD does not work that way, but he doesn't know, and the idea of seeing terrible zombies and shit walking around is indeed a very scary idea.

SWIM would like to know what exactly a "bad trip" entails, if a person can get you out of it, how likely a bad trip is, and most importantly, if this "exorcist" thing is at all plausible.

Thanks in advance.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good question

[Nagognog2]

If SWIM's understanding of the nature of the psychedelic experience is based upon the horror stories of a friend and the movie The Exorcist - then please kindly tell SWIM that he should not go anywhere near LSD - or any other psychedelic drug. Yet. SWIM should be cruising the libraries of the world for knowledge from sources as diverse as Aldous Huxley (The Doors Of Perception) and Ram Dass aka Richard Alpert (Be Here Now). If SWIM's guide to LSD consists of walking zombies and girls puking green-pea soup, gently explain to SWIM that such is interesting and, if SWIM has LSD - go hide it in the back of his/her freezer for a good long time. SWIM need MUCH more information before making an informed decision whether or not to discover a new world. Without the fear of puking zombies from the grave attacking. Blech! LOL!

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Good advise. Up the ladder you go!
	Sensible advice - what I would have said.
	Good advice on LSD

[Dogears]

Bad trips are not scary, they are emotionally unpleasent. Bad trips are caused by psychological issues that need to be worked out. LSD does not cause the kind of hallucinations you describe, not even in large dose.

Both bad a good trips can be very theraputic. The odds of having a bad trip depend on your psychological make up, as well as set and setting.

[IDealinDreams]

OK, maybe SWIM should explain himself better. SWIM's friend didn't tell him the Exorcist thing could occur - SWIM's friend has friends that have tried LSD, and these friends told him it is a very insane experience with a lot of perception changes - to say the least.

The guy told SWIM's friend that he was once tripping, and he closed his eyes and when he opened them, it seemed like he was standing upon the beach, whereupon he saw Jesus walking upon the water. I can't say anything for SWIM's friend's friend, but SWIM's friend (wow, this is getting ridiculous) would not lie about this.

SWIM's fear is something similar will occur - not necessarily the Exorcist or anything even resembling it, but a terrible experience of seeing indescribable horror. However, the second poster has put a lot of SWIM's fears to rest - a bad emotional experience is one thing; SWIM can deal with that. Seeing terrible things so horrible that I will cry when I recall them? No thanks.

If I'm not making sense, I apologize. It's hard for me to explain SWIM's fears properly, as they are pretty insane.

[Dogears]

If you take LSD you will come to the conclusion that the statement about it looking like he was on a beach and seeing Jesus, was at best a gross exaggeration.

Psychedellic hallucingens cause hallucinations that are better described as sensory effects or distortions. Breathing walls, patterns in the carpet, pulsating colors, etc. They also cause an sharp increase in sensory sensitivity. You will see, smell, and hear in much greater detail.

[Alicia]

Not to mention mind eye imagery that can be fun to watch specially when your really focused and flow with the experience.

[redpoppy]

Originally Posted by Dogears

If you take LSD you will come to the conclusion that the statement about it looking like he was on a beach and seeing Jesus, was at best a gross exaggeration.

Psychedellic hallucingens cause hallucinations that are better described as sensory effects or distortions. Breathing walls, patterns in the carpet, pulsating colors, etc. They also cause an sharp increase in sensory sensitivity. You will see, smell, and hear in much greater detail.

Agreed. However, it CAN happen that SWIMs friend who saw Jesus had perhaps not really opened his eyes at all. Sometimes the mind can tell you things that you cannot see and you still believe them.

SWIM did mushrooms once and through the light of one lampost felt SWIM had been exposed to histories of ancient egypt and a journey through time and at one point SWIM felt she had become closer to understanding the nature of God, with God being the light that shone from the said Lamppost.

SWIM did not literally see Pharoahs nor pyramids, but felt (through thought) that she had.

AS for Bad trips, SWIM did LSD quite young with ONLY the knowledge that "you can see what you want to see". SWIM still believes that if you can continue to ease yoru own fears with the simple rational thought of "don't worry, paranoia/ bad feelings are all becasue of teh drug and anxiety" that the "you can see what you want to see" although not exactly true, can be very empowering when in need.

As jefferson airplane said
"Your minds guaranteed, It's all you'll ever need" You have control over your mind (unless you are ill) if you gain awareness and realise life is three dimensional and not all happy happy joy joy.

ALTHOUGH SWIM has NEVER had anything but Happy happy, joy joy on LSD.


READ more and realise that LSD is an experience. That you will lose control in a basic sense as you will see things that you are not used to and that it will last for up to 12 hours. If you are with people you trust and like and know it can (and always has been for SWIM) a wonderful experience. Also the knowledge that LSD for over 99.9999999999999999% of the time has no bad effects and SWIM feels that the other tiny percentage is at times dubious.

SWIM thinks that there is safety in knowing that you will not be ill or physically unwell with LSD.

SWIM REALLY wishes that LSD could be lagalised in small communities or controlled environments (Dream!) and feels it would be magnificent to be a LSD Guide as a professional.

[quantumbrujo]

Why don't you start with a low dose,see what it's like a bit,wait at least a week for any tolerance to be gone and then go for the biggie.If seeing entities scares you by the way I suggest you don't touch DMT cause unlike LSD,With DMT you hallucinate for real open eye visuals are out of this world.But I'm off topic so getting back to LSD,it's child's play compared to DMT.I've done twenty hits of acid back in the 80's when I was an acid head and even twenty hits doesn't compare to a 60mg DMT dose.

[IHrtHalucingens]

AS with any psychadelic your mood before tripping is what is going to be amplified by the drug. If you go into a trip nervous or anxious thinking its going ot be bad then most likely it will be. If you go into the trip thinking wow this is going to be the greatest experience of my life and is going ot be soo much fun, ect then you will have a great time and enjoy every minute of it.

The main rule for tripping, according to SWIM, is to be in a comfortable stress free environment, without any responsibilities or people who you wouldnt want to know your tripping and you will have a great trip. After a few times you can learn to control your trips in any environment and around anybody and thats when things get really fun and interesting!

[rxbandit]

SWIM has also experienced real hallucinations with azurceans. SWIM told me that after purging for two hours assuming he poisoned himself and begging mercy from the mushrooms he had ingested SWIM stood up and was hit with a head rush that when his vision returned was no longer in his room but in the center of the universe staring down upon the heavens.

i believe the worst trips serve as the best teachers. it is all emotional but SWIM reports only 15% of his trips have been bad. so SWIY either has a blast or learns something deep and inciteful about himself. win win in my opinion.

[grandbaby]

"The worst trips serve as the best teachers." So true.

No fun, but still, so true.

[quantumbrujo]

Entheogens are not toys to be used recreationally,they are tools for self exploration and other purposes.They are not supposed to be fun.

[grandbaby]

You're partially right, mon frère. However, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. (All play and no work is almost as bad.) Everything in moderation, including moderation. Excelsior! To the moon, Alice!

Changing the subject: Has the OP's monkey ventured out into the waters of psychedelic experience yet?

[desolated000]

Originally Posted by Dogears

If you take LSD you will come to the conclusion that the statement about it looking like he was on a beach and seeing Jesus, was at best a gross exaggeration.

Psychedellic hallucingens cause hallucinations that are better described as sensory effects or distortions. Breathing walls, patterns in the carpet, pulsating colors, etc. They also cause an sharp increase in sensory sensitivity. You will see, smell, and hear in much greater detail.

I'm going on a limb here, I've never tried LSD personally, but I think what is trying to be said is that LSD will distort your reality, not create a completely new one.

And I suggest starting with LSA, it has basically the same effects, but is 100 times less potent. This way it would be much easier to control doseage. Buy a few morning glory seed packs and eat less than 200 seeds.

[none of this is first hand info so please check my facts if you put them to use]

[Nagognog2]

I would say start with yourself. Take your whole (gestalt) being into hand and see where you are. Are you worried about some dreadful aspect of your peronality that you can't control? STOP. Are you afraid that you might find out something that you were utterly unaware of? STOP. Do you have a certain anxiety-riddled situation you are having to deal with now or soon? STOP. Did you just fuck the neighbor's dog? STOP! STOP! STOP!

If everything is clear to yourself, then you may wish to embark on such a journey. Check your baggage at the door.

In the immortal words of Herman Hesse from his book Steppenwolfe: "Magic Theatre. For Madmen Only."

Reputation Comments on this post:

good quote,what about mad women?

[als5555]

it also depends on how much you take. if you're scared about having a bad trip then start with one or two hits, and be with people you are very comfortable with. swim was worried about a bad trip his first time. swim and his friends all took it and sat around for about an hour and walked into the woods as it began to hit. swims friend puts on a jester cap and starts running up the path blowing a kazoo. none of us could stop laughing for atleast five minutes, and that set the mood for the entire trip. if you are in a good happy setting and good company you'll have a blast and a half.

[desolated000]

Does this personal life thing effect everyone? I mean, looking on my life there are alot of messed up things about my life, but I don't really care about it or think it negative. Will LSD make me fucked about this?

[Myzrael]

Originally Posted by desolated000

Does this personal life thing effect everyone? I mean, looking on my life there are alot of messed up things about my life, but I don't really care about it or think it negative. Will LSD make me fucked about this?

Swim thinks it totally depends on the person. Psychoactive drugs are quite hard when it comes to predicting the effects. In general , if you feel scared when taking them don't do it. Also be in a safe place with a sober friend you are comfortable with. If you do all that I'm sure you'll be fine. Take a small dose to begin with.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good info for beginners.

[CrookedEye]

Originally Posted by desolated000

Does this personal life thing effect everyone? I mean, looking on my life there are alot of messed up things about my life, but I don't really care about it or think it negative. Will LSD make me fucked about this?

In Swim's experience, LSD seems to amplify any feelings one would have.. So if you are anxiety ridden, worried about freaking out, etc, it will be magnified, and you perhaps can have a less than pleasant experience.. If you dose low, though, you will have much more control and be less likel;y to experience this.. Once you get an idea of the feeling, Swim believes any worries would leave you, unless you took too much.. With high doses, one should be very stable mentally, or it can take you for an emotional rollercoaster ride.. Just stop worrying and try, or don't do it.. Drugs are supposed to be fun, and makin it all scary or worryin to death isn't gonna do any good...

[Philomel]

SWIM believes SWIY is wasting a lot of mental energy on worrying about having a bad trip. SWIM did exactly the same thing prior to taking LSD for the first time and irritated her friends very much by asking too many questions about what the experience would be like and by excessively worrying. SWIM regrets that. Once SWIM actually experienced her first acid trip, she found that all of her assumptions and predictions about what it would be like were completely wrong and felt that much of her research and anxiety was wasted time. SWIM ended up having a great time on acid and had nothing to worry about. Ultimately, the experience is something that is just impossible to describe or depict accurately with words. SWIY should just go with it and feel what it is like for himself. SWIM has experienced what she thinks was a bad trip and it wasn’t so horrible after all – it just made very clear to her which psychological issues she needed to work through, namely regarding SWIM’s self-confidence. This bad trip was the result of SWIM’s anxiety, similar to what SWIY displayed in the initial post, and also being around people she didn’t know very well. So SWIY should just chill out, stop worrying, and have a bit of fun. SWIY will probably be fine!

[VictorBorge]

I've dropped acid well over a hundred times and I've never been what I would call "scared as hell" for more than a minute or two here and there. With a little presence of mind (or spirit, if you prefer) one can usually figure out what sensory input is freaking you out (a scary song, some weird shadow on the wall) and eliminate it (change the CD; move to a new location).

I have, however, had many bad experiences, as most trippers do eventually. Paranoia, self-loathing, depression, all that stuff can come up without much warning. You all are 100% correct who say that psychedelics are not toys. They are tools that can be useful, fun, but also (psychologically) dangerous. Would you let the fact that a hammer can, if you're a dumbass, break your finger, stop you from using a hammer? Nope, you'd just use it with common sense (i.e. not be a dumbass).

The time NOT to trip is when you are emotionally/psychologically tired, fragile or weak. Wait until you are feeling good about life WITHOUT the aid of drugs, and LSD will take that feeling and magnify it 100-fold.

Reputation Comments on this post:

That hammer quote holds incredible truth.

[Fantasian]

In SWIM's experiences of Mushrooms which i know are differant to that of LSD however SWIM has taken large doses of mushrooms he has never Visually seen something that isnt there in the sense that a huge green monster has never jumped out a wall at him. IT's so much more about perception, it might appear distances and differant and its alot more about how you feel.

The first time SWIM tried a hallucinagen he believed that he would be seeing all sorts of crazy things and it would all be visual. To his surprise i think the experience was alot more about how he felt and how he felt about himself. Everything seemed so new and exciting and amazing but he was still seeing the same things. ie SWIM would look at a table and find it great.

I hope what i said made at least a little sense to help you along the way

[lostbos]

SWIM took acid like 5-6 times, SWIMs first time to take acid the acid took control of SWIM and SWIM tripped out, SWIM forgot who he was. This was one of the scarriest nights of SWIMs life, SWIM felt like everything that was happening was a plan for SWIMs death. SWIM don't know why SWIM did LSD like 5 or 6 times after this, SWIM tripped out every other time just like the first time, SWIM guess SWIM liked losing control.

SWIM is not trying to scare anybody and different people have different reactions to it, but for SWIM LSD was scarry as hell but now SWIM can say that SWIM lived through hell 5 or 6 times.

[Nagognog2]

In that SWIM lands in a paranoid state from LSD, I would strongly suggest that SWIM stays away from this substance. SWIM may have been very lucky so far. But I would not recommend pushing one's luck.

[lostbos]

SWIM stopped doing LSD a year ago because SWIM think SWIM OD, SWIM went brain dead after eating a sugar cube filled with LSD without knowing how much was dropped on it, SWIM was like a zombie. SWIM guess SWIM got lucky SWIM was with a couple of friends SWIM could fallow around and act like them. It's nights like these that make SWIM think there was something else controlling SWIM while SWIM was out of control.