Also, one tried and tested method to avoid trip anxiety is to have benzos to hand. But not to use 'em. Just knowing you have something within easy reach that will mellow (not abort - you need large doses of antipsychotics to actually abort a trip) even the most out-of-control headfuck of a trip is generally enough to ensure it won't happen. GBL is also very handy for similar reasons: you can simply KO yourself and sleep through as much as you may wish to if it somehow does go sour. That and it's a true euphoriant so puts a positive spin on anything. MDMA can be used to similar effect - namely providing a solid bedrock of pure euphoria to nestle your psyche of choice into so all stays very much on the fluffycomfyfunfunfun side of Swirlsville.
So true! Having any real anxiolytic around just seems to ease the mind. If I have GHB/GBL or another potent alcohol like sedative(1-ethynylcyclohexanol was pretty damn amazing....liked it just as much as GHB in certain respects)I have pretty much no fear, if I have a 5HT3a agonist as well, there will be zero fear. Benzos pretty much cut down 75% of the fear especially if I have a quick acting one like Etiz or Alp/Diaz. Really though I just like to have GHB or the alcohol esque sedatives on hand as they take even less away from the trips than benzos do and only last for about 3ish hours mainly, kick in easily within 15-20 minutes usually feeling it really strongly by 30, and their highly euphoric in addition to the anxiety relief it provides. I dunno though, I definitely don't recommend KO'ing yourself(you clearly didn't recommend they do that but just sayin!), at least not right away. Even when the seas where seriously rough I only ever KO'd myself once by accident and rarely need to high of a dose to put a positive spin on things, note though that i'm one of those people who find GHB ridiculously euphoric. Plus its always a weird feeling to wake up tripping and waking from a g-induced sleep can be a bit confounding in its own right. I remember that time when I came to, super confusing, though after I realized what was going on I was laughing pretty hard. I wish I liked stimulants more but unfortunately as time goes on I seem to disdain them more and more. MDMA is one of the few things with a stimulant push i'll use without another sedative in the mix and even then sometimes MDMA gets a bit out of hand, though it rarely lasts more than an hour(i'm sure some of you know what i'm talking about, when that come up literally floors you, I just always seem to never expect it and it always hits me at the wrong time). Though I do have to say bumping or plugging around 15-40mgs does do the trick for me without the overstimulation but I don't think i've tried it to many times for fear that it would only escalate the problem, though I know i've done it when GHB was around(shit if it did turn even more sour its just an excuse to dose GHB, after all who in the world doesn't like MDMA+a little GHB?!?).
Like Shambles as well, I don't have any particular tricks that I use besides one, kinda like Shambles except its just a technique I use to shut up my mind when a hard come up occurs thats me me and my mind on edge/antsy. I just think a nice thought like "Simply relax, float away into the bliss that will soon surely come, relax and let the peace take you away." and i'll repeat the line over and over in my head. As i'm going, I progressively slow the sentence down until it takes me 30 seconds or more to fully finish it in my mind. It probably sounds weird but I started doing it when anxiety first began appearing in my life as a way to quiet my mind and the sometimes persistent racing thoughts. That state can pretty similar to the irky fast/hard come up psychedelics can provide. It can really quiet my mind and then allow me to deal with the dumb thoughts and get rid of them, or simply just sit in peace and let things cool down for a few minutes.
I also like Sham don't really have many problems past the come up but on occasion things might lurch along with me into the trip, but then I use the next best step he pointed out, distraction! Just find anything that makes you feel comfortable. Sometimes during the rough ones, I would just go over and burrow into a soft blanket on my comfortable bed and shut my eyes, and slow down my mind until I felt comfortable trying to get back to things. Almost always after 45 minutes I would be in a better place, if not and I had to much energy to keep laying I would usually put on a favorite show. Video games do work for me, but when in a bad mood on psychedelics they have to be specific ones or else they just annoy me because they don't provide that perfect level of focus without actually focusing to hard, if that makes any sense, haha. Almost always I just chose some absurd comedy or quirky children's show. Adventure Time is a good pretty nonsensical child's show and I would recommend pretty much anything you liked as a child as it has the added bonus of warm cozy nostalgia. Anything that you like that will make you feel more at home whilst in an uncomfortable altered state is a good one. For me one thing that calms me is nature, so when its possible I love to either by myself or with my dog walk into the woods. That or simply just take a walk. I find it pretty hard to focus on the thoughts when there's so many other things going on around you in the outside world. Oh and you could call a friend or jump online and chat with them about anything really. I love just having standard, "So hows everything?" sort of talks with people when things aren't the greatest. As always though the ultimate healer is time. That is also a large calmer to me. I just keep remembering that no matter what this state will end in a matter of hours, this usually actually prompts me to really try to work everything out as who wants to sit in some uncomfortable state for the duration of the trip instead of having a blast figuring new things about yourself and having all the existential ponderings a person could ever want whilst blasting through the cosmos of your mind ?!?
On occasion the negative feelings can be related to body load or the projectile vomiting but I find 9 times out of 10 its down to you, not god or that sort of thing, once again least to me(not trying to trample on someones beliefs even though I doubt it was meant to be super literal!). I mean when I think about I doubt I have a rock hard psyche, maybe a bit stronger than some others but its no impenetrable fortress thats for sure. Oh and its my thoughts that the people that can better deal with psychedelics are just better or more versed with dealing with emotions and that, maybe from the lives they lived or what not. I think its more dependent on that sort of thing rather than having some fearless psyche. Those without fear usually either die quickly or don't, but I can tell you being fearless plays more towards arrogance as everyone in this world has reason to be scared, fear was incorporated into ourselves for good reason, though it like anything is subject to balance. For example as well, someone whos able to realize that fearing death is an irrational concept in many forms would probably be able to handle a psychedelic state better than someone who can't, though thats my opinion of course. I mean psychedelics aren't always puppies, kittens, and rainbows but in my mind the reason people don't really report so many bad trips is as its said, the bad are some of the best most times. While its going on you may despise it but i've know few people who didn't take away quite a bit from a bump ride down the road! All the trainwreck sort of trips i've seen or read about came from people breaking psychedelic commandments like set/setting or binging on other drugs for days without food or much water then arbitrarily chomp down a psychedelic without much thought. As long as you put love and forethought into your trips they should all turn out pretty well, that is if you like the psychedelic state.
For me personally, taking a good dose of LSD feels reminiscent of returning home....especially if its been awhile since its graced my tongue with its sexy presence!