Safer Psychedelics

The Summer is here.  You're enjoying the sun and want to make some memories.  

You may find that you want to take a trip. I'm not talking about your usual staycation or holiday, but a psychedelic trip.  

Drugs like Magic Mushrooms, LSD, and DMT are powerful psychedelic substances that cause a change in a person’s perception, thinking, and emotions. They can create a whole mind and body experience, which can be deeply meaningful or go profoundly wrong.  

So, whether you're just curious or a recreational user, a quick review of the effects and the experience could be a sensible way to help prepare you or someone you know for a trip.  

Do you know how they work? Is it as dangerous as it's made out to be? Does a trip bring about ego death? Do people turn into lizards?!  

How do these substances produce what is known as a “Trip"?  

(A Trip being where the drugs desired effects bring about a unique and extraordinary mental state, which some describe as an expansion of consciousness.)

First, a bit of history!

Psychedelic Drugs had their renaissance in the 1960’s across the western world, they became synonymous with the hippy and counterculture movement. Legal at the time, they were also important proponents in the mental health field. Drugs like LSD and mushrooms were used within psychiatric studies and exploration or treatments for Mental Health issues.  

Psychedelic Drugs were then criminalized the late 1960’s, pushing the culture underground and driving the criminalization of people using them. Despite the criminalization of psychedelics across the globe, many people still continue to use psychedelics recreationally, for the effects users describe as expanding consciousness, promoting wellbeing and feelings of internal guidance. They are used within a variety of different cultures and used by a wide range of people. The medical field are now re-exploring drugs like Magic Mushrooms and LSD in medical trials to treat a variety of mental health issues, such as treatment-resistant depression, trauma, and addiction.  It could be argued we are in a second renaissance of psychedelics; therefore, the public are gaining interest.  

So, how do psychedelics affect my perceptions, thoughts, and mood?  

Although there are different psychedelic drugs, they work in similar ways. Firstly, people tend to notice that their perceptions are impacted. Smell, taste, sound, touch, and sight can all become a lot more intense, and you may notice details that you have never noticed before. A plant, for example, can change from just a plant to something extremely detailed, a part of a jungle that has a life of its own. If you’re on a beach, it may turn from just a beach into a never-ending desert, next to a sea that also goes on to infinity. A friend of yours may turn from just being a person into a living creature – an example of biology.  

You may eat some fruit and think to yourself, "How did I never notice how complex and incredible its taste and texture is until now?" A cloud may cover the sun, and the change in light seems like you’re on a film set or theatre show.  

Your thoughts can take on profound change as well. You may feel that you are able to detach from your everyday thoughts and observe, as opposed to being overly associated with them. During a trip, personal narratives about either you or others may be challenged, turned on their head, or their importance dissolved.  

Due to your change in perceptions, your thoughts may change about your surroundings. You may have the experience of ego death, where you become so connected to your environment, that you become part of the environment itself, and lose a sense of your individual being.  

This all can have a profound impact on mood. You may find this extremely pleasurable and exciting, or overwhelming and therefore how people respond can can vary widely. You may also have fun in the beginning and then experience a really difficult part of the trip, where things can be frightening or difficult. When the trip is good, everyday things become an event, and when the trip is bad, they can become an ordeal.  

Whether you’re thinking of taking them yourself, or you’re an experienced user, or just curious, here are some things to bare in mind when taking psychedelics below, which can help keep everyone a little safer, whilst exploring things in their own way.

Plan it Out. 

Taking a psychedelic has a profound impact on you and can last a long time. Magic Mushrooms can last between 4-6 hours, and LSD for 4-12 hours. It can be helpful to have a plan. What will I be doing when I come up? And what about the coming down? Am I going to stay at home and take a walk? Listen to some music. Anything, but sometimes having structure can help an experience that will be very varied and hard to predict.  

Check the Set and Setting.

Before taking a psychedelic trip, check in on how you’re feeling, and what your environment is like. Both of which can have a profound impact on your trip and being in an environment that is safe and with people you can trust can make all the difference. A Trip can always happen another time, if you’re not feeling it, and you’re not any less explorative for saying no if the time is not right. Also, if you’re midway through a trip and things are getting a bit intense- change the space. Go into another room, or another area. This can lessen the intensity.

Keep Track of the time.  

Sometimes when tripping it can be hard to tell how slow or fast time is passing by. It’s going to keep track of the time you started your trip, this can help you know if you’re coming up, coming down, and if you’re having a difficult time how long you have left.    

Trip Sitters

Having a trip sitter can help keep everything safe. A trip sitter is someone who remains sober or takes a microdose of whatever substance you’re taking. They can then watch over others who are taking a higher dose, and make sure everything is safe. If not using a trip sitter, it can be good to tell someone you trust that you’re exploring psychedelics, and where you will be.

Have a Break  

When the trip comes to an end it can feel like you’ve been on a huge psychological adventure. Make sure that you have some time after your trip to pause and reflect.  

Journal and integration

Often, some of the great insights and experiences get lost, as people do not integrate their experience. Integration is something done alone, or with others where you share and investigate what your trip experience was like, what you have learned about yourself and the world. Is there something that needs to change if you would never do it again, why not?    

Acknowledge the Difficulty.

Often, people have a difficult experience when they’re tripping, and this doesn’t mean you are doing it wrongly or badly.

Having some difficulty during a trip tends to be part of the experience, and it will pass. Sometimes reflecting on the difficult aspects of the trip can lead to personal insights, as well as lessen the emotional weight of a bad time.