Sitters, bad trips & San Pedro preparation

[dav-od]

SWIM is wondering if a sitter is required for a Mescaline trip. I haven't came across any mention of this, so it's hard to advise SWIM. (I was also intrigued that Peyote's use in a recent Soprano's episode didn't include a sitter). SWIM asks this as SWIM's friend is visiting his place soon, but considering the length of the trip SWIM is considering that both SWIM and his friend both do it at the same time.

SWIM is also wondering what the likelihood of a bad trip is, and how bad is can possibly be (for such a long trip, you can expect SWIM to not like to have a bad one).

SWIM also wonders if preparing San Pedro by boiling reduces the nausea, as SWIM would rather avoid having to boil it (although he probably will if it really does reduce nausea).

Many thanks.

[Barebonejoe]

Sitters are for precautionary purposes. If someone is mindful, responsible and cautious while consuming mescaline containing cacti, there is no reason to have a sitter.

This would start with a fairly small dose you barely feel, in order to get an idea of how potent the substance is.

If you're too lazy or nervous to go through that step, get a sitter.

[schwing]

SWIM wasn't prepared for his first PT trip (30g-maybe particularly potent sample?), and says that it could have been a frightening experience if he didn't have a friend who was trying it at the same time. SWIM hasn't tried SP but if it's anything like PT then as long as there's another person with SWIY then it should be okay. Sorry to go on about PT when SWIY's about to try SP but presumably the effects should be similar?

In case anyone's wondering, SWIM had experiences with other entheobotanicals such as aya and salvia so his surprise at PT wasn't because he hadn't done psychedelics before...

[jcdjinn]

Sitters are usually for newbies to hallucinagens or for those tripping in a place that's not so comfortable to be alone in.

[The Little White Elf]

What others have said about the sitter is pretty much what SWIM would say about it. As far as boiling it SWIM has read that that method works but SWIM is concerned about the heat destroying the good stuff. SWIM sugests trying and aclohol extraction instead because it uses no heat and is very easy. SWIM has tryed it this way with hardly any bad feelings.

[Bajeda]

Originally Posted by jcdjinn

Sitters are usually for newbies to hallucinagens or for those tripping in a place that's not so comfortable to be alone in.

Or if you are experimenting with high doses or very powerful substances, or if you intend on having a deep and emotional experience and may need psychological support, or maybe just if you want to have someone there so you aren't alone and feel more secure knowing there is someone who can help you if something goes wrong (to help avoid paranoia).

Anyone can benefit from a sitter, even if you don't expect anything to go wrong. It may not be practical at times, but if you are able to procure a trip sitter for your psychedelic experience why not make use of them, regardless of your experience with psychedelics and setting?

[jcdjinn]

I agree that a sitter is always nice, but just not as necessary as when experimenting with something new. Unfortunately for many, especially SWIM, it can be difficult to convince someone to watch him while he's tripping, many people are reluctant to take on this responsibililty.

[meep]

The boiling is worth doing just to avoid the taste of the cactus, believe me, being sick is nothing compared to the taste. Boiling it down is to reduce the quantity of what you need to eat. Until you have a mouthfull of cold snotty bitter slime you cant imagine how vile it is but believe me, its worth it.

Sitters are only worth having but not a requirement. Bad trips are often kicked off by the user not enjoying the feeling or trying to fight it. As long as you have done your research into the drug and are 100% sure your ready you should be fine. Just remember, go with it, let it lead you if it wants to and you will come down. Have fun swiy =)

[schwing]

I don't know about SP but in my dream my friend's dog told me that having to eat 30g of PT was one of the worst experiences in recent memory... and the grumbling in his stomach afterwards and the knowledge that the slushy pile was still rolling around in his stomach didn't help either.

If you can't get a sitter for full-blown trips, it might be worth timing your trip so that you can at least call a close friend (better yet, hang out with for a while) if you ever feel the trip spiralling down to unpleasane places... hearing a friendly, familiar voice in the midst of a chaotic trip can work wonders. The aforementioned dog told me that in his last trip he was convinced that he was going to lose his mind until he saw that his friend (who went on the trip with him the night before, but split so that they can both get some solitary reflections and rest) was doing fine.

For first-timers or for those experimenting with high doses/strong substances, I'd never recommending tripping out in isolation (in a lone hut in the middle of a mountain, etc.)

[mr_rambo]

I think someone would get more out of the trip by themselves - give them more time for introspection and to really focus on how it is affecting you. IMHO a sitter would just be a bummer with something like mescaline. A lone hut out in isolation sounds like a GREAT idea for a moderate mescaline trip - for anyone.

[mr_rambo]

Lazy or nervous could hardly describe it... could take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours JUST TO TAKE OFF, so unless you have multiple days in a row to devote to this kind of potency testing one might not recommend trying just a little - once someone has finished the cactus they might be very reluctant to try it again for a while - so go big when you do it. Never heard of anyone fond of sipping tricho juice all day long.

Not so sure if helps with the flavor, but barely boiling is the way to go - sometimes someone might use a double boiler if one is very cautious. 177C is often cited as the critical temperature at which that you seek degrades. Water boils at 77C below that, so you have plenty of leeway as long as you take your time. An hour or two of boiling the ground matter is sufficient though multiple extractions could be performed if materials are precious. One might wish to filter and squeeze out the brew from the fibers with a rag. It will be difficult to put down either way, but filtering would be recommended.

Should be a smooth vacation but if someone was really worried, some benzos on hand could ease the travel anxiety and bring our tourist back home.