How to Survive a Bad Trip – Green Entrepreneur

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April2, 20215 min read

Tripping can be fun, magical, and even transcendental, but it can also be profoundly sad and challenging, filled with tears and confusion. While some prefer the term challenging to bad, psychedelics can cause repressed memories and emotions to bubble up. You may also get stuck in what psychonauts call a negative thought loop: a seemingly endless cycle of anxiety-ridden thoughts and feelings. Yet luckily, there are steps you can take to mitigate this negative headspace, whether youre tripping with your closest friends, an experienced guide, or on your own. And hopefully, by following these steps, the bad experience will result in cathartic takeaways.

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While this may sound simple, remembering to breathe and doing so mindfully is your first defense against a bad trip. If things get challenging, focus on your breath and try exhaling for longer than you inhale, noticing tension release. Some people find that holding onto a small object, like a rock or crystal, can help to keep them grounded as they breathe through the tough stuff. You can also try doing some light yoga or meditation if you already have a regular practice. And if youre not too far gone, its a good time to remind yourself that youve taken a psychedelic and this feeling will pass; its all part of the experience.

In psychedelic clinical trials, guides will often advise volunteers to surrender to the experience, especially if its a challenging one. If you feel like youre dying, melting, dissolving, exploding, [or] going crazy, go ahead and embrace it, says Dr. Bill Richards, who helped develop the psychedelic-assisted therapy model practiced today at institutions like Johns Hopkins University. The important thing is to accept the experience rather than to fight it; show compassion and curiosity to these negative thoughts, feelings or experiencesor as clinicians say, trust, let go, be open. Try repeating a mantra while you connect with your breath. You never know, there may be transcendence on the other side.

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Because psychedelics render you more sensitive to your environment, a change in scenery can have a profound impact on your mood. If youre having trouble accepting a difficult experience, theres no rule that says you have to sit with it for the entire duration of your trip. One of the best ways to change the mood is to switch things up, either by moving from one room to another, or by going from indoors to out (or vice versa), if thats an option. It can also help to change the music or the lighting, making you feel like youve transitioned from one destination of your trip to the next. If most of these tricks sound like way too much effort for your state of mind, try just taking off your shoes and touching your feet to the ground. Stand up and walk around barefoot to shift away from that heavy, negative energy and to ground yourself.

Experienced psychonauts know that negative thought loops are a possibility while tripping, and so they prepare activities or distractions to help if they arise. This can be anything you think youll enjoy on psychedelics, like making art or music, or experimenting with different sights, sounds, and textures. The trick is to prepare everything before you start tripping. So set up some art supplies in your kitchen, put out some musical instruments in your living room, place some art or nature books on the coffee table, chop up some fruit, decorate your house with fresh cut flowers or other pretty things to look at, or download some nature documentaries whatever speaks to you. When youre feeling down or stuck during a trip, get up and seek out one of the distractions youve prepared, and your trip will likely take a whole new direction.

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If youre tripping with other people, dont be afraid to tell them youre struggling. If your friends are also tripping, you dont have to go into too much detail if you think itll bring them down, but you should still reach out. Cuddle up, hold hands, and talk about something else (like how funny your dog is or even the grains in the wood furniture). Human connection or even just physical touch can help lift you out of a negative place. If youre afraid your trip might be dominated by negative feelings or if youd like to work through something particularly tough, you may want to seek out a trip sitter, experienced guide, or psychedelic retreat. It can be beneficial to have someone sober and supportive around, especially if you get confused or scared. If its too hard to breathe through things on your own own, tell your guide or trip sitter, and theyll likely hold your hand and hold space for you. Their presence alone can really help you move through a rough patch.

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How to Survive a Bad Trip - Green Entrepreneur