A couple weekends ago, I was lying in my bed and a huge starfish smashed through my ceiling. It was bone-white, and it had a big blue eye in the middle of it’s body, and eyes all down it’s arms. This disciple of Hermeus Mora asked if I was ready for “Level 2.” I said yes. A laughing centipede with the face of a clown materialized next to him, and for the next four hours I was their plaything.
Psychedelics are tons of fun and they reconnect you with the universe in your own mind. Every once in a while, you have to pay the piper for your enlightenment, wisdom, and damn good times with a small fee called the “bad trip.”
A bad trip will ruin your fucking day. Imagine a panic attack with pictures which lasts for eleven eons. If you dabble, pay attention. You’ll want to know what to do when beings from a higher plane of consciousness start gang-raping your imagination. Here is my guide. It’s a gift from what’s left of my brain to yours.
Avoid the Bad Trip
You won’t be able to prevent a bad trip 100% of the time, but here are a couple of things that can help:
SET AND SETTING
If you’re dealing with anxiety or depression, then the drug will grab you by the feet and drag you through your sins. Be in a good state of mind where you’re already vibing with life. Don’t drop in an uncomfortable place or with total strangers. Consider tripping with a sitter, who can help guide you through the nonsense.
ABSOLUTELY NO EDIBLES
Smoking weed is great, and can transform your trip into something new and even more beautiful. However, adding weed’s paranoia effects to an already sauced-up noggin is like adding sawdust to a bonfire. It might be really cool, it might burn your house down.
Ride It Out
There is no going back on a bad trip, you just have to ride it out. It’s a very simple mantra that you can repeat to yourself ad naseum, even inside Double Infinity where nothing is real. Check a clock whenever it pops into your head. Wear a watch, even if just to remind yourself that time exists.
Listen to Music
Not that you’ll be able to hear it, because a bad trip is louder than a tornado made of helicopters. Put on an album that you’ve memorized front and back, it helps you gauge how long you’ve been swirling. Relaxing music can improve your mood and calm you down, and also works as an hourglass. Prepare an “In Case of Emergency, Break Glass” playlist.
Distract Yourself
Have some doodads handy to fiddle with or look at to pull your attention away from the trip for a split second at a time. Use these things to keep yourself from slipping down the waterslide of terror:
- Sniff something strong, like aftershave or tobacco
- Drink cold water
- Wash your face !Avoid the Mirror!
- Pinch yourself
- Do a shot
Tip: Switch up your distractions so that they don’t get incorporated into your thought loops.
Using a downer to get out of a bad trip is like stuffing your brain back into the suitcase and getting the hell out of dodge. Bad trips are often the most insightful, so I don’t recommend pulling the ripcord. Better to put in the work and learn the hard lesson. There’s a certain freedom that comes from the ego death that can’t be explained with words, and now you are ready for yours. Godspeed, and happy tripping!
Spud media 