What is a psychedelic drug?
Psychedelic drug effects the mind, altering perception, emotions & thought process. The resulting experience is called a 'trip'. The content and nature of a trip depends on the person as a trip is essentially the result of the interaction between the psychedelic drug and the character, personality & imagination of the tripper.Effects
Mental. The mental effects of psychedelic drugs are often impossible to define or put into words. It is also important to emphasize the extraordinary variation between different trips. It can involve alterations to patterns and processes in thought, memory & emotion. What these alterations will amount to in a particular trip will depend on the mind of the person. The mental effects involve an alteration of the mind. There are many kinds of alteration and many kinds of mind.
Visual. The visual hallucinations of psychedelics are usually distinguishable from reality - they are recognisable as hallucinations. Especially at low and moderate dosages. The hallucinations are usually not perceptions of illusory objects, but a distorted perception of real objects you are seeing. The colors may glow, be enhanced, or change. The shape of the object may appear to change. The effect is comparable to the distortion created by hot air causing rippling of the air when it rises. Everything may shimmer and ripple, as if underwater.
Auditory. Hallucinations in sound perception are common. This can involve the alteration of sounds, such as giving them echo or changing what location they come from. Sometimes users can hear sounds which are not there. There is a strong effect on music appreciation, which can range from sublime and transcendent to alien and strange or even scary.
Tactile. Hallucinations of the touch perception. This can include: buzzing euphoric waves common to many drugs, pins and needles like sensations, feeling the air against your skin as if it were a liquid, vibrating, pulsing, undulating, being swayed by unseen forces or by being in sync with the 'energy in the room'.
Physical side-effects. Sweating, Increased body temperature, dilated pupils, nausea.
What should my mindset be?
Your mindset or mental state can affect your trip. If your mindset is negative, it could affect your trip negatively, and vice versa for a positive mindset.
Mindset is often called 'set'. Your mindset should be positive, happy & content. You should not trip if you are depressed, stressed, anxious, tired, sleep deprived or ill/sick.
It is normal to be nervous about using a psychedelic for the first time, however, if you are too nervous then that can be a bad thing and maybe you should consider not using. It's very hard to say how nervous is 'too' nervous. If your nervousness is outweighing your excitement and positive feeling then perhaps that is too much.
Where should I trip?
Your environment should be one where you feel safe and comfortable. It's generally not a good idea to trip in populated public places. Do not trip where you might come into contact with people you don't want to know about your drug use eg parents or strangers. You should have a free schedule for 2 days after your trip.
Night clubs. The loud music and presence of unknown people can feel claustrophobic and cause sensory overload & negative vibes.
Nature is often tranquil & beautiful when tripping.
A house. It should be a house you are comfortable in, your own home being the best option.
Who should I trip with?
Tripping alone is not advisable for first-time users. You should trip with someone who is experienced with the drug. Having someone to guide you through some parts of the experience can be helpful to your mindset. This person should be sober.
Trip with people you trust and are comfortable with. Your social environment should be friendly and cooperative, not hostile or competitive.
It is not a good idea to trip in a location where you might come into contact with people you don't know or with people who don't know you are tripping. This is frequently reported to result in negative vibes.
Should I take a psychedelic drug?
It's worth thinking about whether you should take a psychedelic drug. Aside from considering the risks, you should also question your motivations and expectations.What are the dangers?
Accidental injury. When on a psychedelic drug, it is easier to accidentally injure yourself. Also because of the disorientating and potentially delusion inspiring nature of the experience, you could be lead to inflict harm on others or yourself. People have fallen off rooftops, run into traffic, attempted to throw people off rooftops as 'sacrifices', drowned, and so on. The best way of protecting against this is to have a friend with you who is sober to look after you and handle any negative situation that might arise.
Bad trips. A bad trip is a negative psychedelic experience. It can range from a mildly negative feeling of anxiety/discomfort to full-blown psychosis. Bad trips usually ruin a psychedelic experience for the tripper and everyone else. Most bad trips are manageable, just very uncomfortable and difficult. Some are extreme and unmanageable, though. It's not uncommon for a bad trip to result in lingering psychological issues. Usually just a few days of negative emotions and anxiety. Sometimes, however, a week or so of serious anxiety, destabilized mental state and impaired functioning is possible. On very rare occasions, a month or two of severely diminished functioning, traumatized mental state, depression & crippling anxiety can occur. More information on bad trips can be found here. The best way of avoiding a bad trip is having the correct set and setting.
Permanent psychosis. Psychedelics are believed by researchers to not cause permanent psychosis, however, they could trigger a latent mental illness in someone who was already predisposed to it. If there is a history of mental illness in your family, you are more likely to be predisposed. Everyone is at some risk, however.motivations for use
Psychedelic drugs are often fun. However, they are often profound, mind-altering and even life-changing. While there is no harm in simply having fun and enjoying the hallucinations, you might have a more profound experience. You cannot choose what kind of experience you have. If you don't want anything except pure hedonistic pleasure then perhaps psychedelic drugs are not the best choice. Experiencing something you don't want to experience or are unprepared for when on a psychedelic can easily lead to a bad trip.
You cannot decide what your psychedelic experience will be like. You can take steps to make it less likely to be a bad trip, however, you cannot choose to have a life-altering or mind-expanding experience no matter how much you might desire it. In fact, such a desire can be a hindrance which could itself even lead to a bad trip. You should go into a psychedelic experience with no expectations or 'goals' for the trip whatsoever. You must let the ride go where it will go. Trying to control or influence it can cause problems for people when they fail.
Read around on the internet and you will find incredible stories about psychedelics revealing the meaning of life and causing people to feel one with the universe and other interesting valuable insights and states of mind. Your trip might be like that. Or it might not. You should not use a psychedelic drug just because you are motivated to have the same experience others have had. Your experience will be your own. Something will happen, and it's likely to be interesting. That has to be enough for your motivation.
"Buy the ticket, take the ride" - H S Thompson.
Dosage & method of use
LSD
LSD usually comes in tabs or liquid. One dose is a good amount for a first time user - either 1 tab or 1 drop of liquid. Take orally on a semi-empty stomach.
The onset is 45-120 mins. The peak lasts 2-4 hours. The aftereffects/comedown lasts 6-12 hours.
The entire experience lasts 8-16 hours, though some very minimal effects can be felt up to 24 hours later.1P-LSD
1P-LSD generally comes in tabs, but can come in liquid. One drop/tab is a good amount for a first time user. As with LSD take orally on a semi-empty stomach.
Onset and peak again are similar to LSD around 30 mins but can be up to 2 hours, with the peak lasting between 2 - 5 hours.
After effects/comedown 2 - 4 hours. Minimal aftereffects can be felt up to 24 hours laterPsilocybin (Magic) Mushrooms
Magic Mushrooms come either dried or freshly picked.
Recreational doses vary from 1 to 5 grams of dry mushrooms depending on the species and will be higher for fresh (wet) mushrooms. First timers should start with a low dose then if wanted can take a larger amount next time.
Onset is usually 30 - 60 minutes it can be longer depending on how recently food has been eaten. The peak lasts 2 - 5 hours with after effects/comedown of similar duration.2c-b
Combinations
Psychedelic drugs should not be combined with any other drug for a first time user. The general principle for all drug combinations is to not combine any two drugs before a user is experienced with each of them. This is especially important for psychedelics. Cannabis is frequently reported as the cause of bad trips. Do not use cannabis during your first psychedelic experience.