Psychedelics


I've always wanted to try LSD but I'm kinda worried how it will affect me. I have a friend who is really into that stuff and she has promised to be my guide when I try it. Any experiences here? What should I expect?

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Don't do it. I hear you get flashes 10 years after you've done it. Pete Townsend the guitarist of The Who said that he avoided any psychedelic drug.

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From what I understand it's not a drug that is suitable to whoever. But I've also read that even bad trips will open your mind and be good for you in the end. My friend also said that she wouldn't recommend or offer it to someone who she thinks couldn't handle it.

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Flashbacks are mostly an urban legend https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-08/fyi-can-acid-trip-really-give-you-flashbacks/

That doesn't mean go ahead and do it.

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Have you tried it?

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In the 1970s, yes. A few times. Nothing like being a teenager and being introduced to acid and Pink Floyd at the same time. Lots of people have used acid with no ill effects. I don't know the science of a "bum trip" but would say it could be caused by taking too large a dose.

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Cool. I have a lot anxiety and I tend to overthink things and she said that taking lsd could be helpful for me in that. But i also think that it's something that you should try at least once in your life.

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Maybe try microdosing

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Kinda ad to do since it's measured in micro grams.

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Yeah, and? ...you do know you can do percentages of a microgram? Such as: .25 microgram.

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The problem is how do you measure it?

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Are you doing blotters? Just do a section of it.

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That's the thing. Street drugs are a total crap shoot. That blotter could have 5 or 500 or even zero micrograms and unless you have a lab at your disposal, there's no way of knowing.

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Wait...sorry ...just woke up...I thought we were talking about shrooms...you can still microdose lsd though...

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it's a waste (the experience and this term I keep reading)

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Wrong. This is something you should never try in your life...

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I have an anxiety disorder and I won’t try it even though I am an artist and it is easy to get and done pretty often in my circle. I am afraid that I might have a panic attack and wouldn’t be able to get myself out of it. That’s terrifying. I don’t know if you’ve had a panic attack before but if you have, you know exactly what kind of hell that would be.

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Norm Macdonald does a funny bit about LSD flashbacks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY&t=1m8s

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Lol, now I really wanna try it!

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i would absolutely say go for it, especially if you trust your friend & can rely on him as being a guide.

i'm past the age where i'd do such things myself, but i used to do a fair bit of acid when i was younger, and i really value the experiences.

i really recommend sam harris's book waking up & michael pollan's how to change your mind for some good reading on the topic. or try listening to harris's interview with pollan here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0RCYAk0EPc

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I don't know her THAT well, we have been friends for about a year. But I do trust her and she's a very smart and caring person. We had a good conversation about the topic yesterday and she said that whenever I feel ready we'll do it. The plan is to do it at the beginning of 2021, sometime in january.

I'll try to find those books and I'll definetely listen to that interview, thank you!

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Think about it: the potential downside (a scrambled brain) greatly outweighs the potential upside (satisfied curiosity). I would never go near any psychotropic substance.

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I'm pretty sure it won't scramble your brain permanently, momentarily it might do that but it might just be worth it.

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"No changes in negative attitudes, negative mood, antisocial/negative social effects, or negative behavior were attributed to the LSD experience. After 12 months, 10 of 14 participants rated their LSD experience as among the top 10 most meaningful experiences in their lives. Five participants rated the LSD experience among the five most spiritually meaningful experiences in their lives. On the MS and DTS, ratings of mystical experiences significantly increased 1 and 12 months after LSD administration compared with the pre-LSD screening. No relevant changes in personality measures were found."

Conclusions

In healthy research subjects, the administration of a single dose of LSD (200 μg) in a safe setting was subjectively considered a personally meaningful experience that had long-lasting subjective positive effects.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5813062/

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Unfortunately those sound like famous last words.

😎

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'Oh C'mon you guys, there's probably only 5 or 6 Indians down there'

-George Custer

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for people who have potential issues with schizophrenia or forms of psychosis, they should absolutely steer clear of psychedelics.

but for people who've struggled with depression, anxiety, all manner of psychological difficulties, the experience can be incredibly great & deeply improve their mental state.

& in most cases, it only needs to be done once to achieve the benefit. it's not something where you have to do it regularly to get the benefit. one experience is powerful enough.

if/when you get a chance to listen to the harris/pollan interview, you'll hear some really fascinating examples of that. there's one great story he tells about someone who was in end of life care that i think about all the time.

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I was with a good gang of boys many years ago on a big house fix-up project on the Long Island Sound (gorgeous beachfront mansion setting)...the owners were known to us so they kindly let us stay over the weekend while the work was ongoing

I'm more of a drinker than a drug guy but somebody brought those 'magic mushrooms' and I had to convince my favorite cousin not to jump in the ocean and swim towards the moon and my buddy Archie needed a lot of hugs because he was seeing ghosts...
The boys were all crying:/

I felt like a babysitter (and I had taken some tokes of weed and drank 8-10 beers)

Forget that psychedelic stuff, it's mind poison

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I would say that if you are currently of a sound mind and do not have any existing mental health conditions then you should be good to go. If you do have mental health issue and taking other medicines for it, then you're essentially going into the unknown and putting a hell of a burden on yourself which could be a bad thing all round.

Research it, and make a sound decision. Do not be afraid and try and get it into your subconcious that what you experience is due to the drugs and it will end once it wears off. I would worry that fear of it could cause a bad trip.
Of course do it with your guide who will be 100% sober at this point to look after you. You need to trust her with your life.

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If you're going to do it, having an experienced friend by your side is the best way to go about it. At small doses its fun with mild visual distortions, and high doses bring on hallucinations and deep introspective thoughts. My favorite time is when my friends and I took some and went into the woods during the fall season when the leaves were changing. We had a fun time just hanging out and talking about stuff. I haven't done it in many years, but I still have some doses tucked away for a special occasion.

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I’ve had journeys in many different environments and results vary, to say the least. Where you are, what’s on your mind, who your with and how much are VERY important factors.

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Aldous Huxley's Doors of Perception and Carlos Castenada's Don Juan series are both interesting reads for getting ready.

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