LSD

[Guessie]

Anyone ever dabbled before? What were your experiences? I've taken in the past, experienced ego death which was incredibly profound, always felt clear after the come up. Been reading a lot about it recently and find it fascinating how effective it can be for MH issues (been watching how to change your mind on Netflix). Anyone want to share? (I hope this is allowed, sorry if not!)

Really? I always thought that was apocryphal

I’ve done a lot of acid, but stopped after a nasty trip. It left me with panic attacks so that was the end of the road. Loved watching the music.

@TildaK just one more question please... how long does a 3g trip last in minutes/hours roughly? 🤔

I tried it twice in my late teens /early 20s and had a horrendous time on both occasions : I must be really sensitive to it as I saw full on hallucinations/ dream scenes for about 10 hours straight, mainly with quite scary themes as I was quite anxious at the time. So people with devil’s eyes/tongues, people in posters laughing at me, and at one point I was convinced I had died and could hear the resuscitation team trying to bring me back… Ugh, never again!!

About 3-4 hours. Around 1.5 hours / 2 hours to peak then you start coming down.

Please have someone with you.

And it helps to do some reading about 'set and setting' and how to set an intention for the trip. It sounds woo but it gives an aim to what you're doing and not just looking at pretty colours.

There are playlists on Spotify if you want to do it therapy style, which is with your eyes covered and headphones in.

That is exactly the info I was looking for, thank you! @TildaK

I will do lots of reading before I decide and also look out for playlists, which is a great idea. I also have someone who can be with me but wouldn't want them guiding me so the headphones and eye mask idea sounds ideal.

The one time I took LSD I had no concept of a bad trip so it was a great experience for me. But fear increases as we get older so if I do this I want to minimise the risk of it being uncomfortable!

The playlists are the John Hopkins university one, which is used in clinical trials. Or you can do a search for psilocybin or magic mushrooms playlists, a lot of people make their own so there might be one you like.

I prefer playlists with no singing, just instruments, it can get intrusive having words suddenly spring up. I like a mix of classical, world music and contemporary ambient, kind of massage room music. It brings up emotions because you become sort of synaesthetic to the music (not sure if that is the right word, but the images you see with eyes shut are influenced by the tone of the music - sad, uplifting etc).

Yes the other person there is just to keep you safe, maybe walk you to the toilet if you need it, and reassure you that everything is ok if you freak out a bit.

Just a couple more things before I name change out of the thread.

Mushrooms aren't a silver bullet for mental health. You have to put the work in beforehand and afterwards. It's easy to slip back into old ways of operating and not make the changes that occurred to you during and after the trip. It's not a question of taking the mushrooms, looking at pretty colours, and everything is then great.

I've taken them several times, with a gap of a few months between each session. I have a long history of anxiety and depression. Each time involved a lot of crying, and coming to terms with things. Sometimes I was foolish and took a bit too much, and had a fairly gruelling time (throwing up, racing thoughts etc). It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though some people do find it a blissful experience - it depends on a lot of things. But each time I felt I came to terms with a few things, and most importantly felt my resilience build in terms of how I cope with life.

It's also not advised for those with a history of psychosis.

I look forward to the day that this is legally allowed in clinics in the UK, with proper dosage and supervision. hopefully in the next 2-3 years (there are already respected places in Amsterdam, but extremely expensive).

Thank you, that's excellent advice. I would be careful and plan. I think I'm fairly grounded mentally but there's just a few things I need to resolve. There are people though who have a real need for this treatment and I hope it becomes widely available soon and affordable too! Really appreciate your advice 😊

The stuff about mushrooms is so interesting!

I really wish the world would move on from the 'drugs are bad' narrative.

My sister used to do alot of acid in the 90's, she said flashbacks are a thing, is this right ?

Jon flashbacks for me

No not Jon

Took LSD about two dozen or so occasions around 1988-92.

No really bad trips on LSD and only one flashback which was brief and more weird than scary. I found that the contents of the LSD changed to a formula that I hated so I gave up. From more 'traditional' LSD with lots of colour and "Seeing music" etc to a more Ecstacy-influenced type which was rather 'Speedy' and I've always hated amphetamine and the associated jittery, gritty eyeballs, etc effect it has on me.

I used to take mushrooms as well around the same period but began to have more bad experiences than good so gave them up. Lots of paranoia and panic attacks which were probably induced by my social group becoming more and more into heavy drug use. Something I wasn't keen on as it was becoming too competitive along the lines of "Who can take the most of everything all at once."

You can actually get DMT vape pens now, they look really good. 2cb is fantastic for having sex on too.

I took acid and other hallucinogens in the early 70s when I was young and had both the best and worst of times.
The most profound were when I could literally see how space and time were the same thing, met other beings, became a goddess and had wonderful synesthesia. The worst were so bad and full of fear.
I wouldn't take it now as I'm too old and it makes my heart race. I think the chemical composition and effects of modern day stuff is very different, less trippy and more speedy, which I wouldn't want.
I have a couple of friends who swear by micro dosing.

There's another thread here about microdosing: "Could psilocybin cure mental health conditions?" Sorry, I don't know how to link threads. It's fascinating stuff.

Regarding studies in microdosing being disappointing, I believe the reason is that research on microdosing is difficult to do (I forget the reason why, but it made sense).

I've been microdosing on magic truffles for nearly a month. I've noticed it's reduced my stress levels, but im still trying to find the right dose.