Other - Losing the magic, or "the perils of an analytical mind"

[boredINbuffalo]

On the topic of SWIM:

His first trips were things of pure wonder and joy, stunned by the sheer intensity and quality of the experience. Breathtaking visions, amazing and revolutionary thought, epihanies, and everything that has convinced him that psylocibin is a gift, from whom he is unsure...

Lately, though, his trips have been dull, for the lack of a better word, although he imagines the phrase "losing the magic" would do nicely. It isn't that the effects aren't as intense, but he feels it has become something a bit too familar. The awe factor is nearly gone, and more and more, he finds himself distracted from the experience, thinking in analytical terms. As he is a 'hacker', (although not in the media-fearmongering sense), he finds himself trying to 'beat' the drug, even though he wants to enjoy it. Examples include trying to figure out the mechanisms involved, both chemically and psychologically, (of the experience), and training himself to appear to be in a normal state of conciousness (although that is up for argument) to outsiders.

It isn't so much that he goes into the ritual thinking of how to deconstruct it, it's more that his mind wanders there with increasing frequency. He'd like the magic back, and finds himself growing impatient with the world because of it.

SWIM doesn't take magic mushrooms very often, at the most, once a month, usually with a season or so between trips. His doses range from 1.6 to 3.5g, usually 1.7-1.8g, though....

Anyway, SWIM wants to know if anyone has experienced this kind of over-analytical thinking in their experiences, and what he can do to get the magic back. I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of "wait a while" answers, and I would expect as much, but if that's the answer, how long should SWIM wait?

Also, he usually trips at home, which he thinks might contribute to the effect. The city is settling into winter, though, and SWIM's anniversery trip (He trips on the same night every year, on the same night as his first trip) is coming up in a little under two months. Does anyone have suggestions for settings for the winter? Niagara Falls is the first thing to come to mind, but SWIM likes to err on the side of caution regarding LEOs who would like to arrest him for what he is doing. (Something he adds feels is a vital component of his spirituality *sighs*)

I hate to reply to my own threads, but SWIM wants to add something. He notes that while he is aware he cannot force or expect a 'mystical' experience, he wouldn't mind a few pointers in the right direction.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Good point often ignored
	An important quation to respond to and think about

[CrookedEye]

When an 1/8 doesn't do it, wait at least a week, or more like a month, for best results, and eat 5-10 grams dried.. This will most likely obliterate any hangups and show you another side.. Then, when you figure it all out again, for the first time, it may help restore some of the "magic"..

[Beeker]

5+ go now...

[Nature Boy]

Increasing the dose and decreasing the proximity of the trips would seem like the best idea. Also, a better setting can cause trips to be more awesome. Try setting up a trip somewhere with interesting lighting or artwork. Perhaps looking into trip toys might be an option. Haha! SWIM's starting to sound like a sex therapist.

[MrG]

A good viewpoint on a common affliction for many. SWIM believes that it holds true for many substances not just mushrooms. In SWIM's early years most experiences were revelatory and often spiritual. A healthy dose of harsh reality over many years and a greater understanding of how the brain reacts to stimuli plus a hefty helping of Atheism has left SWIM taking all drug related experiences as nothing more than stimulus-repsonse. SWIM still likes to get high a number of different ways but they are never seen as anything more than simply that - getting off his face for a while.

Many other SWIMers would probably argue that they strongly believe in their own "magical" experiences but SWIM has yet to be presented with any evidence to support any proof of these supposed revelations.

[WrtngCocaineTutorial]

is the loss of magic aspect quite the same with MDMA as with mushrooms?

[bewilderment]

Swim has found that she "loses the magic" on quite a number of substances (she's never tried ecstacy) so she switches up on the hallucinogen she uses quite frequently and tries not to use one in a particular on every trip. This way most of them still stay "magical". But, if swiy wants to stay with the shrooms perhaps look into MAOIs (considering swiy isn't on any meds and doesn't eat anything that will interact, do the research first, as always). Or swiy could try nootropics as they seem to enhance trips possibly by helping the actives cross the blood-brain barrier for efficiently. At least, swim has found this to be true when using Piracetam and DMAE in combination with 2C-e (she did list last night--usually her dose would be about 18mg and the trip would last 6-8 hours. Yesterday she took ~12 mg. It could also be reverse tolerance with the 2C class, but she had about a 6 hour plateau and was still not back to baseline 14 hours later when she took something to sleep a bit). Just look up "piracetam" on the search engines and you'll find some more info. Although, they may also add a bit more clear-headedness, but it's worth a shot.

Also, swim has heard that some nitrous oxide enhances the trip. She hasn't tried this herself, but has tried a shroom/ketamine combo and found it pretty interesting. Her shroom dose was a bit low that night, but the trip was definitely different and she wants to do more experimenting in that area later on. And, as swiy mentioned, the environment always makes a difference as well. Maybe get some fun lights and stuff to change the atmosphere. A strobe light could be fun (if swiy isn't prone to seizures or anything)...swim even once had a disco ball in her room with a light that hit it (although this was when she was a teenager and didn't do hallucinogens, but she thinks it would be pretty cool). Also, lighting incense (or sage or anything similar), playing exotic music like buddhist chants or the like. If swiy smokes MJ then smoke a bit of that as well.

And, yeah, and 5+ trip will definitely be a different and more intense experience. They can be completely immersive. Much, much more intense than lighter dosages.

[boredINbuffalo]

SWIM wishes to note that it is not his desire to "stick with shrooms", it is his situation. Mushrooms are the only thing about, and they only come around two or three times a year.

[stoneinfocus]

the best thing in undestanding a trip is letting go and the experience and subsequent `opinion´of your mind will occur without any further foredoing in the later life and situation touching a hallucinogenic touched regfion of the brain.
I see the LSD art, as the description of the trip in reverse, a situation, a trippy one, of course, in review of the conscious mind, expressed in art, a small seed, some single photons in the absolute darkness hitting your minds screen with an suddenly revealing their immense amount of information, froming the description of the visuals and revealed feelings and mechanism of the mind in its comprehension of the enviroment and self-determination.

I alwaly felt like trying to analyze the absulte pure and natural feeling while on coke and when I begin doing this, I usually stop, ´cause then I know it´s not how the drug´s ment to work, it´s tensed and uncool this way so I just stop, until I become tensed and uncool without any drug and feel like the drug could relieve me, vice versa.

[raven3davis]

Wait a while before tripping again. Decreasing the frequency and increasing the dose will help the magic return. There is only so much you can learn from a drug. If you take shrooms too often, you conquer then in a sense. If you find yourself trying to pull apart each an every mechanism of the trip then something is wrong. SWIM thinks 1.8g is a low dose for most people, especially after you have taken shrooms many times. 3.5 grams blew SWIM away his first time, and can still blow his socks off, but only if he takes a long break. SWIM has not taken shrooms for about 8 months so 3.5 would be plenty for him right now. However, if he took 3.5 today and 3.5 a month later, he would feel like the second dose of 3.5 was not enough. You mind just gets accustomed to the trip and you are able to think more clearly during your trips and trick yourself into thinking you are sober.

Try not to think too much about the trip during the trip. Just let it flow and close your eyes.

Reputation Comments on this post:

very nice insights, thank you

[peregrin23]

mushrooms and humans seem to share a symbiotic relationship of great importance,the key swim thinks is the intent swiy has with each and every journey taken,there is a vast intelligence that acts as a teacher,that takes great joy in lessons given and understood,this intelligence seems dualistic in nature as an exterior journey(read bush walk),gives swim a great understanding of the Earths own being,sense and sexuality and shows swim secrets in its working mechanisms,while interior journies inside(preferably for swim at night)show swim the mechanisms of A:his own mind,andB: other dimensions very similar to DMT in their scope.
But again,intent(sacred)is swim thinks, THE most important aspect to bear in mind if swiy does not want to lose the magic......

[psyche]

SWIM is quite analytical during the trip and while he is sober, but it doesn't bother him anymore, he can alter between the analytical and mystical/spiritual mode quite easily, because he feels that they don't conflict. Here are some thoughts of SWIMS that are quite basic but help SWIM.

Even if the experience of human being was produced by only extremely complex electric-chemical process, everything isn't still discovered. Many myths are unreveiled and at atomic perspective everything seems quite random and unpredictable. So everything might be interconnected and there might be some kind of collective subconcious, god if you will. And even if there weren't, there is no reason to dismiss the subjective experience as being based on a false perception of reality(which would be only cause-effect based events, nothing mystical). The subjective experience is just another interpretation of what is the essential part of the reality, rejecting the idea of physical word being the most relevant. Terence McKenna has introduced the idea of reality being primarily consisted of language. Well, then again one might think that the subjective experience is based on a physical realm, so it is the ultimate reality. I think that is not relevant, considering the relationship of those two the physical reality doesn't make the subjective experience any less meaningful or in any way can alter it's beauty or value.

I don't know if these thoughts were of any use, but to make long offtopic short, the best piece of advice is the most obvious: as the others have suggested, keep a pause to return the novelty element of the trip.