Introducing someone to LSD

[Foreigner]

My partner and I have been together for over a year now and living together for 8+ months. We get along for the most part. I've told him a lot about my past LSD exploits, especially heavy dosing in a safe and setup home environment. He is very curious, mostly because he has a personal block he can't seem to overcome in his life and it's been about 10 years of him trying through therapy and whatever else. He really needs a creative explosion in his consciousness and after talking to him about it for a long time I honestly think psychedelics may be the best way, if not the only way, to help him out of this.

Anyway, he wants to do a deep dive with LSD. I do have some experience with this. I've taken very heavy doses before, but in the company of a person or people who have much more experience than I do. I've tripped heavily maybe 25-30 times in my life. I've never been in a position of introducing a raw newbie to it, especially someone I'm this close to. Being the leader, mentor, or teacher in this department kind of makes me nervous.

So I'd like some advice?

Normally what I do is setup a comfortable home environment with food already made, music that's agreeable, and candle light (or just low light), and preferably lots of art things around. Visual art, colourful lights, crystals, entertaining objects, whatever. I also prefer the winter time (in the northern hemisphere) because it gives us lots of night time to do it + no disturbances from random friends dropping by, the mailman, or whatever.

So this time would be different because I'm living in his home and he's very different than I am. I'm afraid that my musical choices, decor choices, and basically everything I have in mind for a good trip would not be something he's into. We have very opposite tastes in some ways. For example, I like "spiritual" kind of environments... religious iconography, symbolism, and organic looking materials and colours. He isn't spiritual at all, he doesn't like religion, etc. I like being on LSD and getting lost in art. There's not much art on the walls in his home so I'd have to get creative. Musically, I like electronica with international fusion, maybe even some spiritual overtones. Him? I don't think he'd go for that. He likes a lot of pop music, bands and singers that... honestly... are not really LSD material in my opinion.

For me, I kind of need these things to feel stable in a heavy trip, so I'm afraid we will be tripping and he'll hate the music and then we'll have to change it, and I might have a bad trip myself. I have to explain to him that, for example, turning off the music and having none at all is not an option for me during a heavy trip. The silence would make me crazy. Going outside and going for a walk is also not okay, unless it's the very tail end of the trip. Heavy LSD dosing makes the world chaotic and I would not want to wander the city in that state.

He's basically looking to me to guide him through this trip, and I'm open to that but I'm not sure anymore how to make the best environment. I have very limited LSD and for me a heavier trip is more worth it than light dosing. I too could benefit from some deeper diving. I'm also willing to toss out my old rule book for how this should be done and let things unfold organically, but I'll need some parameters in place still.

I wish I could describe more what I'm talking about but I hope the above would suffice. I think this could be very good for both of us but I want to do it right.

 

[TripSitterNZ]

his music taste will 100% change after LSD anyway. Leaving the house on any dose higher than 150 ug is never a wise idea. The first trip is always really strong so going into the deep end is not always needed as 100-150 ug is more than enough to induce a massive cosmic experince the first time. Though my first trip was on 3 hits of powerful WoW 330 ug + and i will never regret it but i was lucky i was locked into my dark room by the flat mate as i did lose complete control and ended up outside causing a scene but lucky by the grace of the universe the cops where not called. the 300 ug owesly hits were a total rebirth experince in the 1960s but alot of people had hopstial visits on there first trips aswell from tripping so hard at that level. There is no reason to dose over 200 ug for the first time. 250 ug had hofman believe he was going insane and was going to die .granted in fact a trip sitter and experinced person can help guide a person through the higher the dose the first time they greater risk of tripping so hard he ends up screaming at the top of his lungs.

I would play acid trippy chillout psybient songs.

I would advise a hit of 100-150 ug and that will be deep enough for him and change his life forever nothing more as that carries way to much risk and if you are tripping aswell there any dose higher than that is 100% a no go.

by the time the lsd peaks he is going to be 100% spiritual after that anyway probably will even believe in god finally. i would say both of you just take 100 ug to be on the same wavelength and its going to be powerful eye opening experince for him.

this trippy mix does well to guide the most difficult part of the acid trip the is between the 3 hour mark as you peak.

 

[Gormur]

I don't know. When starting out I always preferred to be alone when I was on a high dose, but on recreational doses (lower, but for me recreational means higher doses like over 1500ug or 10 hits or so); I could be social and enjoy it kind of like a dose of MDMA. I think you should start out with a small amount. I'm used to WoW that gives you a boost with a hit but gives you a feel of what LSD is like (100ug I guess) so if you have liquid maybe a drop or two then on the next session, you can up it to twice that amount. I did this with a friend but in reality we were both just starting out with psychedelics

 

[Higherfocus420]

2 or 3 hits of some good Lucy in the sky chuck some black Sabbath or hendrix dub reagge is pretty chill whilst triping light some incense also some good tunes with trippy videos pre roll some spliffs maybe some a couple of beers llsd is a good aphrodisiac also it will blow his mind

 

[Gormur]

I wouldn't want to start tripping without an idea of what it was like. With my friend, we took a hit each then when I ordered a half-sheet I gave her about 10 hits (I cut out from the half-sheet) and she texted me one day saying she'd had a breakthrough. Meanwhile I'd just had a trip where I had ego death and was seeing X-ray visions through humans. Luckily I was in a safe place, at home in the middle of nowhere in the mountains

I think it's important to establish a mindset, but this is just my experience. Everybody's different after all

Oh wait, my first real trip was in Las Vegas with my parents (sober) but I consider that more of a learning experience rather than a life-long memory. That was only two hits

 

[electronDegenerate]

I have to say it sounds like you have a good handle on what you are doing. Perhaps as the sitter you should not be taking a heavy dose yourself but perhaps you are looking for some kind of joint experience.
Its tough with a limited stash, but I would still try to have a smaller session first just so he can become familiar with what it feels like to start coming up on acid. That unknown factor during the come up seems to be where much of the anxiety lies.
What sort of dose did you consider to be a heavy dose by the way?
As far as the art and music goes, I think you should go for what you are comfortable with in your trip space. You are introducing him to a new realm. I think he will be amazed by the new perspective and see the art and hear the music with new senses. I am not religious but I do feel spiritual while on psychedelics and I think I must have a very similar aesthetic taste to you. I have brought new trippers into "my world" before and in my experience it all worked out great.
Might be good to have an etizolam handy as a possible anxiety cushion if the heavier dose makes him confront his dark side. I don't particularly think it would be a bad experience even if he did, its just a part of the medicine.

 

[Foreigner]

I have to say it sounds like you have a good handle on what you are doing. Perhaps as the sitter you should not be taking a heavy dose yourself but perhaps you are looking for some kind of joint experience.
Its tough with a limited stash, but I would still try to have a smaller session first just so he can become familiar with what it feels like to start coming up on acid. That unknown factor during the come up seems to be where much of the anxiety lies.
What sort of dose did you consider to be a heavy dose by the way?
As far as the art and music goes, I think you should go for what you are comfortable with in your trip space. You are introducing him to a new realm. I think he will be amazed by the new perspective and see the art and hear the music with new senses. I am not religious but I do feel spiritual while on psychedelics and I think I must have a very similar aesthetic taste to you. I have brought new trippers into "my world" before and in my experience it all worked out great.
Might be good to have an etizolam handy as a possible anxiety cushion if the heavier dose makes him confront his dark side. I don't particularly think it would be a bad experience even if he did, its just a part of the medicine.

Yes, you and I sound similar. LSD for me is very spiritual. My friend is not spiritual at all, in fact he hates spirituality. This is due to an early trauma in life. He doesn't believe in God as a matter of spite. Whereas I live and breathe spirituality, so for me LSD just enhances that. I think taking a lighter dose as the sitter might be wise. I need to think about it.

I'm also considering just letting go of any ideas about how I think it should go. He is going to have his own experience no matter what. A lighter dose for him to start may be wise so he can get a feel for it. Regardless of what setting we have, he is going to experience mind expansion. I'm just not sure I'm equipped to counsel him through a lot of shadow while I'm also high. I also don't want a bad trip.

I myself haven't done acid since 2014 so I'd have to adjust as well.

There's a lot to consider!

 

[Cabbanis Lifestyle]

When I met my current partner she had no previous experience with psychedelic substances.

I introduced her systematically and today she has total control over the experience. Maybe she is more proficient than I am.

The way to do this is by starting with a slow dose and doing mundane exercised that she feels familiar with.

For us was drawing and watching TV. Also, I bought some kid's clay to play with during the trip.

The place is extremely important.

At home is ideal and in a place that you guys feel confident that no one can interrupt or cause any disturbance.

After the effects start to fade and you guys feel confident enough I think it is a good idea to play with the idea of going outside and walking in the streets.

You must always be safe, so if you can manage to go around the block after the peak when the effects are still on, you will be training yourself and your partner by giving the experience of controlling the trip in a social context, which is important to handle future psychedelic experiences.

 

[Xorkoth]

Yes, you and I sound similar. LSD for me is very spiritual. My friend is not spiritual at all, in fact he hates spirituality. This is due to an early trauma in life. He doesn't believe in God as a matter of spite. Whereas I live and breathe spirituality, so for me LSD just enhances that. I think taking a lighter dose as the sitter might be wise. I need to think about it.

I'm also considering just letting go of any ideas about how I think it should go. He is going to have his own experience no matter what. A lighter dose for him to start may be wise so he can get a feel for it. Regardless of what setting we have, he is going to experience mind expansion. I'm just not sure I'm equipped to counsel him through a lot of shadow while I'm also high. I also don't want a bad trip.

I myself haven't done acid since 2014 so I'd have to adjust as well.

There's a lot to consider!

I think that the suggestion to just take a lighter dose yourself while he dives deep might be a really good one. That ay you will be able to navigate if issues arise. The older we get, the more set our preferences become, so I wouldn't assume at all that he will suddenly love all the prototypical trippy music/décor choices just because people tend to. Particularly if he is opposed to those things because of an early life trauma, it may in fact be very discomforting and unpleasant for him to have electronica on and be confronted with a bunch of spirituality.

Maybe there is some kind of neutral music that you might both enjoy? I tend to agree that pop songs are not going to be very conducive to a thought-provoking trip and would steer away from that. Plus it's good to get out of your comfort zone, without having to go completely outside of it. I tend to enjoy things like classical music and good psychedelic rock, and good folk-style music a lot more than electronica, myself, anymore anyway. I used to go for the stereotypical electronica usually, and it's not that I'm not into it at all anymore, it's just that other sorts of music can be just as good for tripping, and quite different in character and not so forceful in a "whoa bruh so trippy" way. For me it's more thought-provoking and more authentic feeling, at this time in my life. And probably a much easier pill to swallow for someone so outside of that world as it sounds like your partner is.

 

[Shady's Fox]

yo ur brotha check it out, it's easy and yeah stfu it's easy. U take ok, on the yeah tongue bam. Not much to think, just learn to control ur thoughts and u can have some amazing but amazing experiences. Nature it's the best environment for psychedelics.

 

[Bella Figura]

Maybe try this out https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/inside-the-johns-hopkins-psilocybin-playlist

 

[Foreigner]

I've decided that lighter is better for both of us to start with for many reasons:
- he's never done it
- I haven't done it in a long time
- we've never tripped together
- I'm in a new setting
- we have different aesthetic preferences

I like the idea of an easy environment like music + art, and then as the trip fades going for a walk. I want it to feel safe but novel. The novelty is the key factor for both of us.

My main issue is figuring out the dose. I don't have an easy system. LSD does not seem to follow similar parameters as other substances. He is a bigger guy than me, more body weight, seemingly slower metabolism. I'm fast and wiry. The tabs I have are strong in their content. I don't know exactly how much. If I take 1 whole tab, it's a heavy trip: I can't move, reality comes undone, in about 2 hours or so I can actually walk and do stuff but it's in a highly altered environment.

So I am probably looking at giving him 1/2 to 1/4 of one of those tabs which is a pain to measure out.

Can someone remind me how to adjust dosing during the trip? I seem to recall there is a 90 minute deadline or something, and if you add more acid after that, it doesn't work as well. I never had to do this in the past mostly because I did psychedelic bungee jumping so any heavy dose was good enough.

 

[ions]

Question me for all lsd related.

 

[Xorkoth]

I've decided that lighter is better for both of us to start with for many reasons:
- he's never done it
- I haven't done it in a long time
- we've never tripped together
- I'm in a new setting
- we have different aesthetic preferences

I like the idea of an easy environment like music + art, and then as the trip fades going for a walk. I want it to feel safe but novel. The novelty is the key factor for both of us.

My main issue is figuring out the dose. I don't have an easy system. LSD does not seem to follow similar parameters as other substances. He is a bigger guy than me, more body weight, seemingly slower metabolism. I'm fast and wiry. The tabs I have are strong in their content. I don't know exactly how much. If I take 1 whole tab, it's a heavy trip: I can't move, reality comes undone, in about 2 hours or so I can actually walk and do stuff but it's in a highly altered environment.

So I am probably looking at giving him 1/2 to 1/4 of one of those tabs which is a pain to measure out.

Can someone remind me how to adjust dosing during the trip? I seem to recall there is a 90 minute deadline or something, and if you add more acid after that, it doesn't work as well. I never had to do this in the past mostly because I did psychedelic bungee jumping so any heavy dose was good enough.

That's a good idea, a nice moderate introduction could be just the ticket. A walk is always a good idea, getting out in nature (or even outside as long as there aren't people all around) is always calming to me.

As far as dosage, LSD doesn't seem to have much relation to body weight, in my experience. Different individuals have different sensitivity and it seems down to differences in metabolism or brain wiring moreso than body weight. I would say that within the first 90 minutes, a redose will have pretty much its full effect, or slightly less. Past that, it will still have an effect, but unless a good bit more is taken, it will just prolong the duration. It's certainly possible to trip a lot harder from taking LSD more than 90 minutes in but it involves taking another full dose or more. You probably won't be fully peaking by the time the ideal redose window is past, but within the first 90 minutes you should be able to tell whether you've underdosed.

For dosing small amounts, one thing you can do is soak a blotter in a known volume of distilled water or a distilled water plus 20%+ alcohol solution if you intend to store it longer than that day, and dose volumetrically. But for a half tab, even a quarter tab, cutting with scissors shouldn't be too bad. Of course parts of the blotter could be slightly more potent than other parts (especially if they dosed it by dripping on a drop on each, but that isn't very common I don't think, usually it's soaked and dried). Volumetric dosing will always be more accurate when dividing something up like that.

Does your partner have any drug experience? Weed experience?

 

[Foreigner]

That's a good idea, a nice moderate introduction could be just the ticket. A walk is always a good idea, getting out in nature (or even outside as long as there aren't people all around) is always calming to me.

As far as dosage, LSD doesn't seem to have much relation to body weight, in my experience. Different individuals have different sensitivity and it seems down to differences in metabolism or brain wiring moreso than body weight. I would say that within the first 90 minutes, a redose will have pretty much its full effect, or slightly less. Past that, it will still have an effect, but unless a good bit more is taken, it will just prolong the duration. It's certainly possible to trip a lot harder from taking LSD more than 90 minutes in but it involves taking another full dose or more. You probably won't be fully peaking by the time the ideal redose window is past, but within the first 90 minutes you should be able to tell whether you've underdosed.

For dosing small amounts, one thing you can do is soak a blotter in a known volume of distilled water or a distilled water plus 20%+ alcohol solution if you intend to store it longer than that day, and dose volumetrically. But for a half tab, even a quarter tab, cutting with scissors shouldn't be too bad. Of course parts of the blotter could be slightly more potent than other parts (especially if they dosed it by dripping on a drop on each, but that isn't very common I don't think, usually it's soaked and dried). Volumetric dosing will always be more accurate when dividing something up like that.

Does your partner have any drug experience? Weed experience?

Thank you for your great reply!

Yes, he has done mushrooms before, but only twice in his life... and the second time was a bad trip. He smokes weed daily. We have done MDMA together and he has done it a bit in the past. And of course alcohol.

He has never taken heroic doses of anything. I think LSD would be a big deal for him, especially the duration. Even though peak intensity is not as long, we're still talking about possibly an 8-12 hour affair. The more I write about it, the more I think light dosing is best.

I don't think I have the wherewithal to dissolve blotter in water and then do titration. Plus I'd be afraid of screwing it up, and the LSD I have is very limited. I think it's blotter or bust. 1/4 of blotter should not be too demanding. It might not be enough actually. 1/2 would be enough I imagine.

 

[TripSitterNZ]

i assume your acid is probably dosed between 150-200 ug based on your description. do you know what the blotter looks like if its by famous groups with unique custom art then i can tell with pretty much certainty what the dosage is if its just random art then i can't tell.

I would only take half and your friend half that will be more than enough to have a nice trip and a good intro dose.

 

[Xorkoth]

Thank you for your great reply!

Yes, he has done mushrooms before, but only twice in his life... and the second time was a bad trip. He smokes weed daily. We have done MDMA together and he has done it a bit in the past. And of course alcohol.

He has never taken heroic doses of anything. I think LSD would be a big deal for him, especially the duration. Even though peak intensity is not as long, we're still talking about possibly an 8-12 hour affair. The more I write about it, the more I think light dosing is best.

I don't think I have the wherewithal to dissolve blotter in water and then do titration. Plus I'd be afraid of screwing it up, and the LSD I have is very limited. I think it's blotter or bust. 1/4 of blotter should not be too demanding. It might not be enough actually. 1/2 would be enough I imagine.

That's good that he has some experience. I find LSD easier to handle than mushrooms, but of course if it's too much, the duration will be ~3 times as long. If he had a bad trip on mushrooms, I think introducing a light dose of LSD is a perfect way to ease back in. It is unlikely this trip will be a breakthrough for him, but it will get you guys comfortable with the idea and give him some confidence to go deeper next time.

 

[TripSitterNZ]

i always believe 50-100 ug is the best introduction dose to LSD where its pretty much certain a person will not be overwhelmed or freak out and can get a general idea about the shift of consciousness caused by lsd.

Mushrooms are alot more in your face cant escape the introspection, Well on LSD if i get caught in a negative thought train about the general way my life is going as long as i have no added weed to the mix and keep the dose under 200 ug i can pull myself out of it and think about something else change the music up and just sit in nature which makes acid trips really more peaceful.

 

[DrumTripper]

As a daily weed smoker, he might get a surprise at how much more intense it can be while on a psychedelic. So, maybe toke slower until the handle is found. After the peak has hit and you're in hour 4 or 5, the downslope becomes within view, and a toke or two at that point can really bring back visuals. Too much weed on too much acid can get kinda sketchy sometimes. But for others, it can be a calming agent and also helps with muscle cramping (but so does some good stretching!).
I hope you both have a fantastic trip! It'll be good to hear back from you once it's over and he's had a week to integrate.

 

[Foreigner]

You've both made a good comparison between mushrooms and LSD. I find the body load of mushrooms really intense... it can feel death like. And it really does force you inward. LSD can go in or out.