Psychedelics - What if I have a Bad Trip? | letters from Dena

I have a confession for you.

When I was 16, my bestie and I took a spring break trip to visit my aunt and uncle in Galveston, Texas. They lived on some acreage outside the city and loaned us the car one day to drive around.

Somehow, we met some guys who sold us tabs of LSD. Neither of us had experience but it was spring break, and we were teenagers.

I had no expectations.

After dark, we each took a tab. I started having visions of smiley faces, flowers, buildings with neon legs running around the room, and peace signs.

My bestie? She was busy seeing demons and shadow people. She was scared, I was great.

The only verbal memory I have is her pointing out the window into the woods, and telling me a demon was out there..my reply? Nah man...that's a peace sign. That was the best I could do for her at that moment. She spent most of the night crying and rocking in a ball on the floor.

We navigated the night, and I never took a full dose of LSD again.

---

The reality is this - you might have a bad trip on plant medicine, medicine-medicine or any kind of mind altering thing you may engage in.

In part, because you are taking a substance to alter the normal pattern of your brain.

In a coaching or therapy setting, I think it is important to differentiate between "bad trips" and "challenging experiences".

I believe "bad trips" can be avoided for the most part by being honest about your medical condition, where you are sourcing your plant/medicine from, your mental state, by setting purposeful intention and building a relationship of trust with someone who can help you hold space before, during and/or after your experience. These are the most factors you can control or influence.

For some people, the medicine experience can still be challenging.... but it's often those challenging experiences that are most rewarding because they allow us to address the difficult or uncomfortable aspects of our lives.

For many people, psychedelics and therapy can help them to confront and deal with things that they've struggled to address in the past. This is similar to traditional therapy in that it too can be challenging at times!

When used recreationally, without proper attention to set and setting, psychedelic experiences may be scary and/or unsafe - not only because your senses and perceptions are amplified in a psychedelic headspace but because you need to factor in your health history, psychologic history, dose, and sourcing.

Because of this, "normal" environments can be experienced as very overwhelming (ie. at a party, in a public space, with someone you don't know well or have had conflict with, in a space with bad lighting, outside noises, or any space that is unclean or disorganized, etc.).

It's normal to feel nervous about any experience with psychedelics, and those feelings can help you approach these experiences with respect and care.

I welcome you to reach out and discuss any concerns that you may have with me.

Dena