Advice please - LSD and its effect consciousness and ego?

[Berom]

Like most, before tripping for the first time, I researched LSD and its effects. Sam Harris, one of my favorite modern day philosophers, has unofficially advocated that positive effects it has had on his perception of consciousness and ego. This has intrigued me greatly. So once I found a new friend who experienced with psychedelics, I asked to partake.

He offered to babysit me either at my place or his, however, we ended up going to his friends house. At the time, I felt comfortable enough with this change in plans. But when I began to feel the effects of the LSD, I became anxious about my surroundings and the other people/roommates I didn't know at the home. It wasn't necessarily an extremely bad trip, but it wasn't anything like I'd hoped the experience to be (exploring consciousness and the reality of the ego)

Other than being in the comfort in my own home, is there any advice you could give me in regards to exploring my original intent with using LSD for my 2nd trip?

(I'm comfortable in my own skin and don't have any psychological scars/issues that should hinder me from the 'spiritual' experience I desire.)

Thank you for any information.

 

[CrypticArc]

Set and setting is everything. Try tripping with just the two of you, or maybe one or two more people, in a comfortable place. Also meditation is a must if you want to explore your inner world. Smoke some weed if you have any. Also, try to find mushrooms. Both substances can force you into your own head in completely different ways. Some psychedelics work better for certain people than others.

 

[donvliet]

Set and setting is everything.

This. Also find your personal sweet-spot dose, the dose that works best for you (not too much, not too little).

Smoke some weed if you have any.

I would recommend against this. First get thoroughly familiar with both drugs before considering any combination. Weed does not play nice with psychedelics for everyone. While quite a few people love the combo, a lot of bad-trip reports start with something like "after smoking some weed things went south"

Also, try to find mushrooms. Both substances can force you into your own head in completely different ways. Some psychedelics work better for certain people than others.

Very true. Usually trippers prefer one above the other (shrooms or acid)


Finally, it doesn't work if you try to force a trip in a certain direction. Try to go with the flow and be open to experience whatever your mind comes up with while tripping. After multiple trips you'll get more familiar with the headspace and it becomes easier to gently influence the direction of the trip. But in the first stage of getting acquainted with a new and drastically altered perception, just let it come over you and take you. Try to not have any expectations.

 

[Clocktower]

It wasn't necessarily an extremely bad trip, but it wasn't anything like I'd hoped the experience to be (exploring consciousness and the reality of the ego)

I think you're expecting too much from this drug. Not every trip is an ego-shattering revelation. Next time just relax, lower your expectations, and enjoy the drug for what it is rather than what you're trying to force out of it.

Also make sure you get some Ehrlich's reagent and reagent test a sample of what you take before you dose yourself. Searching for such an extreme experience could become very dangerous for you if you take a bunch of 25X-NBOMe instead of LSD.

 

[Ismene]

I've tripped hundreds of times and never "explored consciousness" or the "nature of the ego" - I've never thought those terms mean anything apart from silly bullshit Leary made up in the 60s. Leary just thought saying respectable things like "exploring consciousness" sounded better than "tripping balls" when he was talking to law enforcement and politicians.

 

[Fug]

Leary just thought saying respectable things like "exploring consciousness" sounded better than "tripping balls"

Can you blame him :D

 

[Ismene]

lol!

I always thought it was kinda sad that acid still got banned anyway - even after they'd gone through this whole charade of claiming it was "like dying dude" and such a deadly serious thing. I wish they'd said how much fun and giggles it is - there's nothing wrong with giggling your ass off is there?

 

[Burnt Offerings]

^ there was a funny part in "The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test" in which the Merry Pranksters went to visit Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert out in (IIRC) Millbrook New York. It was an interesting moment in which two different philosophies about concerning the taking of LSD came into contact with each other...Leary and Alpert were doing "serious work" on psychedelics as they could be related to psychiatry etc, while the Merry Pranksters were mostly just people who liked to take lots of drugs and act ridiculous lol. Leary didn't even come out to meet them and supposedly they got a pretty chilly reception from Alpert et al

 

[perpetualdawn]

There's some great advice in here.

I agree that it's probably not a good idea to mix weed in for your early trips, it just adds extra complications and randomness to the experience that could go either way, and often go sour or just plain weird and paranoid. Personally speaking, after 2+ decades of experience with both weed and psychedelics, it's extremely rare that I mix the two, and if I do it's just the faintest puff of mj, somewhere on the downhill side of the peak of the psychedelic.

I think it's pretty common for your first acid trip to not go super well. It's a bit like loosing your virginity, it won't be the best sex you ever had (luckily). After some practice, it's fantastic

Some ingredients for a good trip I try to remember. I probably never do all these things, but usually wish I did:

-good music, lots of it. Music can shape a trip so much. It's nice to have it organized beforehand because sometimes it can get damn near impossible to figure out how to get the music to come out of the speakers once you're tripping. Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works vol II is one of my favourites for tripping, but everyone has different taste.
-good company
-right clothes (comfortable, easy to move in, layers)
-clean body (shower before)
-sunglasses in the daytime
-stay away from screens and tacky consumerism. Avoid internet
-be well rested and in a good place with the people close to you going into the trip
-be able to go outdoors if you get restless
-be able to go inside somewhere safe and sheltered if need be
-get some excercise beforehand or during the trip so your body feels really good
-have some kind of activity planned for in case you get unsure of what to do. Like a walk, a bike ride, painting, write music, play music, intentive listening to some music, look at some art, visit a botanical garden or a forest or something, look at some flowers, go dancing, stretching, yoga, some people like a movie (not me)
-I don't like to fast leading up to the trip, but some people do. For sure it's not a good idea to be stuffed going into it.
-Have some easy to eat snacks handy, like fruit. Definitely have lots of clean water handy.
-Make sure no one's gonna freak out if you don't answer your phone for about 14h, cause you'll be glad if you just turn it off.
-Not too much caffeine beforehand if you drink coffee etc. Pbly don't want to skip it entirely either if you're dependant.
-I like to have a single beer at the very end to wind down. Always feel like it's cheating a bit though
-It's probably a good idea to set an intention going into the trip. Someone on here put it really well, wish I could find the post. But basically it's not something you have to make really heavy, you don't need to have some serious intention like "I'm going to discover my true nature, and the secrets of the universe". It could be as simple as "I'm going to have some shits and giggles with my friends, and find out what it's like to turn up my brain". Or maybe you do want to try to unlock the nature of space and time... The idea is simply to be clear with yourself why you are ingesting this drug, without getting too wrapped up in needing to achieve a specific result, because your trip WILL take you on an unpredictable course.

Leary and Alpert were doing "serious work" on psychedelics as they could be related to psychiatry etc, while the Merry Pranksters were mostly just people who liked to take lots of drugs and act ridiculous lol.

I know which guys I'd want to hang out with hahaha
Much respect for Alpert mind you..

PS: Everyone has a different idea about what a trip should be like, and how you should use psychedelics. And most of the time everyone thinks their way is the right way, and all the other ways are wrong. It's a bit like religion in that way. Really important to remember that there's no one right way to trip, and take everyone's advice with a big pinch of salt. Especially mine