Setting - Want to try LSD (or Mushrooms) but I'm scared

[Revolver123]

Swim has read about the psychological benefits that taking psychedelic drugs can result in and this interests Swim greatly.

However Swim is terrified of a bad trip. Swim actually had a bad trip when he took BZP + speed and smoked large quantities of cannabis. He was having mild hallucinations and his house seemed different. He felt like he wasn't even there. Then he felt like he was going to lose conciousness and die. He spent two hours trying to keep himself awake so the drugs could pass through his system. That experience scared him shitless and as a result, Swim can no longer consume cannabis without getting panic attacks.

Swim knows he has alot of insecurities and hes afraid these will amplify x100 on LSD or memories that he's trying to forget about his abusive father will surface.

However, Swim also has a lot of positive experiences as well.

Swim would like the psychological benefit and would love to experience that greater appreciation for life feeling and increased self confidence feeling that people get from psychedelics.

ANy advice for Swim to avoid a bad trip?

[ripdas112]

Jus kick back wid a few friends, smoke a lil bit of bud but not too much if your getting panic attacks from it, maybe just stay away from it. Be in a positive environment possibly outdoors on a nice sunny day or in your room.
Think positive and be in a right state of mind, try not to stress or let issues effect how you feel.. this could result in a bad trip. Be comfortable with what your doing (cant stress this enough) Think of the euphoria.
Hopefully you will have a awesome experience and learn from it!

[julian]

Swim was once in a similar position. This is part of swim's ritual when he ingests substances such as LSD or mushrooms:

Swim likes to "get all his ducks in a row" before consuming psychedelic substances. By this he means freeing himself of any and all responsibilities beforehand. Swim finds that it is not good to have things hanging over his head while under the influence of psychedelics. Swim also turns off his cell phone. He finds that contact with the "real" world can only lead to problems when tripping. Swim will only have contact with close friends who will also be partaking in the psychedelic experience. Swim says that it is a bad idea to be around people who are sober. Swims best advice is to let the trip take you wherever it wants to go. DO NOT try and fight the trip. It could get scary at times (usually it doesn't), but fighting it will only make it worse. If it gets scary just go with it and it will turn around.

Oh yea, the BEST advice is to educate yourself about the substance you will be consuming. Read EVERYTHING there is to know about it. Read trip reports (good and bad), read the history, read about the local laws, read about its chemical structure, read until you know everything there is to know about the substance. This will help you decide if you really want to have the experience. You will feel a lot more comfortable taking it if you prepare yourself with knowledge beforehand.

[Revolver123]

Swim has read bad trip reports of people doing violent things to their friends because they hallucinate them as something else. Swim is scared he may violently do bad things or his friends will do bad things to him.

QUestion is does this happen in low doses?

Also, if how does one go with scary-ness during a trip if it's overwhelming and causes a panic attack? My unicorn has heard that hallucinations on LSD seem real.

[ripdas112]

Nah it wont happen on low doses, even though swiy is tripping they still know whats real and whats not its just basic knowledge. Things can get scary on lsd/mushrooms but if swim encounters that part of the trip swim will usually do something to take his mind off it, play a video game? watch a movie?

Hallucinations on lsd dont seem that real its more of what ur mind thinks it to be in that split second, kinda hard to describe. You still know your friend is your friend theres no way your gonna think theyre someone else unless youve taken a high dose. Be comfortable and relaxed, dont take lsd if you have big doubts, it could only make it worse.

[Phungushead]

If one is worried about having a bad trip while on psychedelics, it is way more likely to actually happen... it's all about the mindset going into the trip.

Tripping can bring out inner demons and skeletons one would rather have left behind closed doors. I have dreams of many unpleasant parts of my life that I thought were buried deep being uncovered and thrown in my face while tripping. The positive is that this allows me to really look deep inside myself, think into the depths of my soul, and finally come to terms with those difficult moments from the past.

This is one example of where just "going with the flow" can prevent a difficult trip... fight these thoughts, and end up caught in the thought loop. Go with them, analyze, work it out, and potentially ease some painful memories... which will most likely benefit SWIY in the "real world" as well.

I have some crazy dreams, ya know

Ultimately, the decision is up to SWIY... but advice from the lab rats would be to take a small dose, do not do it alone (sober, experienced, trusted sitter or trip with a good friend who has experience), and above all - be positive!

[Songcycle67]

Originally Posted by Phungushead

If one is worried about having a bad trip while on psychedelics, it is way more likely to actually happen... it's all about the mindset going into the trip.

Tripping can bring out inner demons and skeletons one would rather have left behind closed doors. I have dreams of many unpleasant parts of my life that I thought were buried deep being uncovered and thrown in my face while tripping. The positive is that this allows me to really look deep inside myself, think into the depths of my soul, and finally come to terms with those difficult moments from the past.

This is one example of where just "going with the flow" can prevent a difficult trip... fight these thoughts, and end up caught in the thought loop. Go with them, analyze, work it out, and potentially ease some painful memories... which will most likely benefit SWIY in the "real world" as well.

I have some crazy dreams, ya know

Ultimately, the decision is up to SWIY... but advice from the lab rats would be to take a small dose, do not do it alone (sober, experienced, trusted sitter or trip with a good friend who has experience), and above all - be positive!

Absolutely agree. SWIY should save themselves the hassle and psychiatrist's appointments and hold off until they know they're ready/know they're source/know they're safe.

[Humanity]

SWIM was faced with the same kind of fear before trying his first psychedelics, only he didn't have the baggage of bad trip(s)... I don't want to push you into doing anything you're not ready for (and you shouldn't let anyone do this) but from my experience all the fears vanish somewhere between dropping the blotter and feeling the first sensations of the drug.
If swiy finds a beautiful location on a beautiful day and brings a trusted friend along to discuss any problems you may encounter during the journey, starts with a low dose (say half a blotter, just to get the jist of what it is you're taking, you can always take more when you're more ready), I can't see how swiy could go wrong.
And lastly... a bad trip is nothing more than a bad trip, however terrifying. They too can be insightful and positive in their own way if you keep an open mind.

[Coconut]

The only truly "bad" part of a bad trip is a feeling of uncontrollable panic or anxiety, which even Cannabis is notorious for.

If this isn't present but one is simply uncomfortable with negative thoughts, it is important not to resist. It is a golden opportunity with which one can analyse their past and their own mind and come to realise things they never knew about themselves and their life.

I know, easier said than done, but Phungushead's post is right on the mark.

[VitaminK22]

Is swiy a violent person? If not then why do you think a small LSD dose is going to change swiys nature? LSD can be a life changing experience but that doesnt mean it changes who you are as a person, it just alters the way you see the world.
Swiy must realize that its not his past thats important to him, he cant change the past, its his future thats important.

Originally Posted by Phungushead

and above all - be positive!

This is very important in swims opinion, use every part of the trip to your advantage (dont sit there trying to find a disadvantage to LSD, always think positive). if you starts to feel scared or anxious, ask yourself why? LSD wont kill you, a small dose wont make you lose your mind, you will always be fully conscious during the trip, what on earth could you be scared of?
Remember - the moment you put that bit of blotter (or whatever) in your mouth you chose to have a psychedelic experience, no one forced you to do it, it was your decision. Theres no turning back but it wont last forever.

If you feel like all is failing read my signature

[Lou1024]

If swiy decides to do it, Do not smoke Cannabis. Swim also gets major panic attacks from weed. LSD+Panic attacks do not go well together. Swim agrees with above posts, research as much as you can, read tons of reports etc.. Figure out exactly what your getting into. Choose a warm day with some nice sunlight. If swiy chooses a low dose, a good friend or two, a nice atmosphere, he will come out fine.

Swim's first trip was not one he decided to take, he did not know he was taking a substance. Basically, it was pretty awful, swim's understanding of pain and fear were taken to a level he did not know existed. He ended up with some HPPD and 24/7 DR, but he is getting by just fine. When swim tripped for the first time under his own discretion, he was indeed, extremely nervous of a relapse to the past experience. He found that once he made the conscious decision he was going to take the substance, the anxiety faded, and he was fine. He feels as though the demons from the first trip from hell were in some sense put to rest. Swiy should only take it if he feels it is the right time, the right place, the right people etc...

LSD is generally a "gentle" drug if the user does not have a mental difficulty or disorder which would interfere.

[Revolver123]

I read in another thread that if you are really tripping out from visuals and hallucinations, closing your eyes helps alot while on LSD. You dont see any visuals and anytihng that comes into your mind is simply thinking or daydreaming.

Wondering if theres any truth to this and if this helps calm the trip down.

[VitaminK22]

Swiy shouldnt need help while on LSD, dont look for things to help you stop tripping, it could cause a bad jolt when swiy finds out there is nothing to stop it. Looking for things to help you is like trying to run away from the effects and will make swiy panic.
Just let the lsd do what it does best.

closing your eyes doesnt stop the visuals, you will still see patterns and colours, this is called closed eye visuals (CEVs) surprisingly
Remember, the visuals are in your mind and eyes so closing your eyes will just make the visuals appear on a black background (which is sure to change colour)

[Songcycle67]

Originally Posted by Revolver123

I read in another thread that if you are really tripping out from visuals and hallucinations, closing your eyes helps alot while on LSD. You dont see any visuals and anytihng that comes into your mind is simply thinking or daydreaming.

Wondering if theres any truth to this and if this helps calm the trip down.

SWIM says:

Nah, not true. The only visuals that one gets on low doses are seen with the eyes closed--and they can be quite intense. Opened eye visuals only happen on very strong doses, and they're usually not nearly as intense as the closed eye visuals.

I'd say whoever told you this meant the exact opposite, as one can get quite lost in the visuals if they close their eyes for too long. Opening them drags the person out of that and lets them see that they're still on earth, surrounded by a familiar/safe place and familiar/safe people.

The best remedy for a bumpy trip, for my money, is soft, positive music that the person enjoys. LSD makes people very open to suggestion and destroys the short-term memory, so turning on a song that makes the tripper happy will most-likely put them in a good mood and make them forget about what ever has them hung up.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Originally Posted by songcycle67

SWIM says:

Nah, not true. The only visuals that one gets on low doses are seen with the eyes closed--and they can be quite intense. Opened eye visuals only happen on very strong doses, and they're usually not nearly as intense as the closed eye visuals.

I'd say whoever told you this meant the exact opposite, as one can get quite lost in the visuals if they close their eyes for too long. Opening them drags the person out of that and lets them see that they're still on earth, surrounded by a familiar/safe place and familiar/safe people.

The best remedy for a bumpy trip, for my money, is soft, positive music that the person enjoys. LSD makes people very open to suggestion and destroys the short-term memory, so turning on a song that makes the tripper happy will most-likely put them in a good mood and make them forget about what ever has them hung up.

Totally agree, SWIM always finds what flashes infront of his closed eyes way more intense than what was happening out there.

[FrogEye]

Yeah, if SWIY is confronting a bad trip he should turn on some nice music that he knows the songs to, that way he can sort of keep track of time in reality, as if your on a bad trip its good to know how much time is passing and you can calm yourself by saying "by the time this album/song is over, i will be thinking about something else" and then just try and go with it.

[Junket]

swim's first couple times with shrooms, he would tell himself that everything was gonna be fine, but in the back of his mind was like "dude, you are just telling yourself that, i dont think you really believe it"

and he would be all mind-fucked and end up even more nervous

then after like the 4th time, he realized it will always end no matter what, nobody is gonna die..

who cares?

now he literally doesn't believe in bad trips..

and thats all that matters

[Frond]

Originally Posted by Revolver123

I read in another thread that if you are really tripping out from visuals and hallucinations, closing your eyes helps alot while on LSD. You dont see any visuals and anytihng that comes into your mind is simply thinking or daydreaming.

Wondering if theres any truth to this and if this helps calm the trip down.

No. When someone closes their eyes on El Cid, they will experience closed-eye visuals. These are usually quite different from open-eye visuals. It could be said to be relaxing if someone were to focus exclusively on the visuals and not on worrying about having a negative experience - i.e. "living in the moment," "going with the flow," all that sort of thing. However, very often the nature of the images will parallel the thoughts in someone's head. For example, Sir Tokesalot once wandered into a next of ticks while roaming in a forest with a head full of acid. He literally had thousands of ticks covering his pant leg. After verifying with a sober party that they were in fact there, he ditched the pants and spent the next 24 hours pulling ticks out of various body parts. Needless to say, when he closed his eyes, all he saw was ticks, running around amid colored fractals, and morphing endlessly into entropic mutant forms which the Creator never envisioned.

I would strongly suggest reading this thread. Despite the age of the article, it is still without doubt the single best introductory guide for the responsible use of LSD that I've ever come accross (not that I've ever done LSD, but you never know). I showed it to Sir Tokesalot, and man, was he ever pissed that he didn't have this on hand when he started dropping acid. It would have saved him some bad trips.

In a nutshell, the most common things to remember are:

- It's a drug, and it will wear off. Sometimes it feels like someone is stuck in a tripped-out state forever, but that's only time dilation and lack of short-term memory. It will end.

- If someone is worried about having a bad trip, then there is a much higher chance of having a bad trip.

- Keep the dose sane and reasonable, and there is much less of a chance of losing control. Reasonable = <250 mics for a first timer.

- Nothing that goes through a tripping person's head is to be taken seriously while intoxicated. They're tripping. That's why they're thinking all that weird stuff. When they come down, then they can realize and rationalize everything that they came up with. Just because the drugs are saying something doesn't mean that they're telling the truth.

- "Bad" experiences aren't necessarily something to be feared. They do happen, yes, but they usually happen from irresponsibility. Take every precaution, have a sitter, and have no responsibilities for the next 48 hours, and no need to interact with the outside world, and the chances of something regrettable happening are much lower. Scary, introspective, self-confrontational experiences can be very unpleasant while they're happening, but they are almost always positive in their outcome. There is no self-deception on LSD. If SWIY gets into a painful self-analytical trip, well, that's therapy. Not everything that SWIY will come up with while tripping will be true, but some of it could be very helpful, and confronting hidden issues while under the influence can be very cathartic.

- Music can be very crucial to the experience. Psychedelic and ambient music is preferred, though of course it will vary to taste. Tell SWIY to try Shpongle, or just about anything else that SWIY likes. The vibe of the music is going to be much more strongly felt, so stuff like old-school Emperor, Mayhem, Enslaved, and Dissection is probably best left to another day (Sir Tokesalot could talk about his trip listening to Emperor's "In the Night Side Eclipse" but he's not in the mood for that).

- Sleep will be impossible for at least 12 hours, so it's best to take the stuff bright and early, while SWIY is still not tired. Exhaustion + psychedelia = much higher chance of a negative experience.

These days, a lot of acid actually isn't acid and is some sort of DO(x) compound, or perhaps some tryptamine active in the 1-2mg dose. If the blotter is bitter, if it takes too long to kick in (LSD initial effects are felt in less than an hour), and if the duration is too long compared to the intensity (LSD usually lasts 12-16 hours at most, unless someone takes a HUGE dose), say 30 hours or so, then what SWIY took wasn't LSD.

DO(x) compounds have a much more sensitive dose-response curve, and taking 2x the dosage usually more than doubles the intensity of the effects. Therefore, if SWIY is unsure of the nature of his tabs, it is absolutely vital to start with a low dose. Taking 3 hits of DOB has sent many explorers far off the edge of the universe for well over 24 hours.

Oh, and shrooms are generally easier to handle than LSD. If SWIY is afraid of El Cid, the shroom forums are this way ---->.

Errr... I'ma be shut up now.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Informative post, well written, appropriately redirecting to other threads

[EyesOfTheWorld]

Shit, BZP, speed and cannabis? Sounds like a guaranteed bad/panicky experience. No, no, traditional psychedelics are not this terrorizing, so say my friends over on the couch. Firstly, SWIY may wish to start with mushrooms as a lot of what is sold today as "LSD" is anything but, often it is anything from DOxx RCs, to 5-MeO-AMT (yuck) to water. Of course if SWIY can obtain verified real LSD, it is slightly less likely to trigger a "bad" experience than mushrooms, but neither should be bad. SWIY should dose low to begin with, 1/2 a tab for LSD, 1.5 grams or so for dried mushrooms. If SWIY is nor feeling adequate effects by T+2 hrs it is generally accepted that redosing is ok. If upon redosing, no effects appear after another 2 hrs, SWIY got jacked, or was sold/given very inferior product.
Anyway, set and setting is key. SWIM and his friends find that a good place for a first time tripper (God, they remember those heady days.........sigh.....) is a place where one will not be disturbed, with a few close friends and good music. It is best to avoid stimuli such as TV/movies with unpleasant themes, and if one of SWIYs friends is the type to fuck with trippers heads, that friend should not be present.
Do not smoke cannabis during SWIYs first trip. In later trips it may prove a valuable ally but for now is best kept separate. A small amount of nitrous oxide may be preferable as a "trip enhancer" as if it causes bad fx, they will fade very quickly. Keep a supply of beer or benzos on hand, they are basically the only methods (along with gentle talking) to bring down a bad tripper.
Ideally the group should have a sober sitter, someone familiar with the drug and its fx that will not be taking it that night (note, this person does not need to be 100% sober, for their sake they should have access to the cannabis, nitrous, beer etc in the area, just none of the psychedelic in question)
Of course, a sober sitter is not always possible to find, so a good second best is to have one of SWIYs fellow trippers be very experienced with the drug.
A great place for a first trip is for example, a house in the country, away from neighbors, police and other authority/problem figures. Other good settings include camping trips and SMALL rock concerts/raves. SWIM wouldn't recommend SWIYs first experience be at a large event.
Keep hydrated, avoid cannabis for the first experience, dose low to begin with and be in a good setting. SWIY will be fine.
But what does SWIM know? Drugs are illegal and bad, m'kay?