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When you are in the middle of a difficult trip...

X

X3DFX

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 9, 2004
Messages
219
What are your methods for dealing?

When you are sitting there being shown all of your shortcomings, but compassion is 404 not found. When you are shown the problems and the only solutions that comes with are things like 'stop sucking so bad'. When you are shown problems that are long overdue, and also that every moment, including the one happening right now, is just adding to how bad the problem is. When Time seems to have the upper hand.

I know that this is the point of these materials, to be shown what is important. But sometimes it is like it is being slammed into your face faster than you can choke it down. Grit ones teeth and bear it works, kind of, but it is unpleasant. Sometimes it appears to be the only option.

Obviously one must bow their head and be thankful for experiences like these, because they do point out what is important to deal with, but they sure are tough sometimes.

I'd like you to share whatever you do, or have done, when you find yourself in a place somewhat like I vaguely described.

Thanks in advance for anything shared.
 
Man if only I knew how to deal with these moments when I was enduring them... Instead of dealing with them I became the silent wreck in the corner of the room obsessing over everything that was wrong with me, thinking I would never change.

Yeesh.
 
Doing something physical like yoga has helped me stay grounded in these kinds of situations. Focusing (hard though as it may be when feeling overwhelmed) on the body just seems to keep me from spinning out in negative thought loops. Even something as simple as taking slow, profound breaths helps me take a step back to get a clearer perspective on things instead of getting sucked in.
 
Man, that sucks, and what I do is just try to focus on something else, something as non-related to you as possible, watch tv, a comedy movie or something like that... sounds like a waste of a trip, but it's better than being focused on so much negativity. The problem is that trips are long, and you can't just stop them or go to sleep, you have to deal with it for as long as it lasts. It helps if you're with someone else and talk, maybe talk those issues and then start changing the subject little by little... maybe a silly joke and then talk about something that will keep your mind away from your problems. A positive environment with positive people you trust and you can count on would be a safe bet.

Try to avoid psychedelics if you're going through hard times... stress, problems at work, about to fail in school, problems with your partner, financial issues, etc... all that shit will come after you. Don't risk it. Wait until you're in a comfortable place in your everyday life and your trips will be better.

Peace.
 
ikkyu said:
Doing something physical like yoga has helped me stay grounded in these kinds of situations. Focusing (hard though as it may be when feeling overwhelmed) on the body just seems to keep me from spinning out in negative thought loops. Even something as simple as taking slow, profound breaths helps me take a step back to get a clearer perspective on things instead of getting sucked in.
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these are very good things to remember.
 
Meditate.

Sit with back straight, breath deeply... focus on breathing, and NOT on thoughts. Don't try to "destroy" or end any thoughts, as that is like "trying to NOT think about an elephant". Rather just try to stop any chains of verbal thoughts you are thinking on purpose, and any that DO pop up in your mind, treat them like clouds... gently and easily let them pass and stop being thought... gently and calmly try to blank your mind... imagine a blank screen or an empty sky.. let ALL thought processes evaporate like fog, and just sit, breath, and be mellow and blank. It all the incessant habitual verbal thought loops that are the problem, you just have to know how to control your own mind and stop your thoughts.

Another trick you can try if "being blank" does not help, which really accomplishes the same thing but involves a little bit of active but rather abstract "thinking" and visualization, that can be easier that trying "stop all thoughts" as described above...

I call it the "Step Up A Level" visualization. Try to "step back" a level from all thoughts, feelings, hallucinations you are having... DONT be the person having the bad thoughts... step UP a level and try to BE the inner "All Seeing Eye" that is watching "You" having the "bad thoughts." Dont be "The Inner Watcher"... instead try to "Be The One Who Is Watching The Watcher." Understand?

In other words, our mind and senses project their impressions and thought-loops onto a movie screen inside your head... "You" are a little model of yourself sitting inside a little virtual room inside your head watching this screen. So to get out of a bad trip, try to think about "Me wathching the inner movie of my senses and thoughts on the screen of my mind", and then ask your self, "Well then WHO is having THIS thought? THAT is the real me".

In other words, there is ALWAYS a projection and a viewer. Even the "viewer watching the inner projection" is itself a projection. TRY TO OBSERVE YOURSELF WATCHING AND EXPERIENCING THE BAD TRIP JUNK. BE the "higher level viewer" who is "watching the watcher." This sets you up/back a level and disconnects "you" from the unpleasant stuff... it DIS-identifies the negative ideas and feeling from your "Real Me", and lets you disconnect from them and see them as some malfunctioning thought-loop that got stuck running on infinite repeat...

Now you are no longer like the guy at the end of "A Clockwork Orange" strapped into a chair with his eyes propped open being forced to watch the awful movie of all the negative shit. Now "you" are sitting in a separate higher-level movie theater WATCHING the "little you" in a film up there on the screen enduring all this bad stuff. You are no longer stuck IN the movie BEING the person experiencing all sorts of bad stuff being forced upon his mind... you are WATCHING the guy being forced to watch the bad stuff.. and then you can look away or turn it off!

If the "bad stuff" invades THIS higher-level theater of the mind... JUST DO IT AGAIN AND STEP UP *ANOTHER LEVEL*! In other words, there is ALWAYS a higher-level "you" who is just sitting back and dispassionately calmly observing a screen that contains the negative thoughts, not BEING the negative thoughts... Understand?

If this seems to tough to remeber, make an index card on which you have written with a thick back marker in block letters so it is easy to read if your visual field is wavering:

IT'S ALL IN YOUR IMAGINATION.

EVERYTHING IS JUST ANOTHER THOUGHT.​

There have been times I started feeling some extremely aggressive "what a stupid piece of shit I am, etc etc" thoughts, that were also manifesting as sort of threatening and monstrous hallucinations, and I and started doing this, and I kept mentally backing up and backing up faster and farther, so that I actually started having this feeling of falling or flying BACKWARDS IN SPACE... retreating from the negative shit... always flying above that self to the higher-level self, then higher still watching THAT self, etc. The "Self" turns into "just another imaginary thought construction", and you can really start feeling a very Cosmic God-like sort of feeling that seems to be the true inner ground, the ultimate basis of all reality.

Bad trips are just you trying to make things unpleasant inside your own skull, so that you are forced to abandon ALL "Selves", which are just illusions, and learn to experience the One Mind that contains it all, and consists of only Light and Love. Understand? :)

This is a graphic they used to play at peak psychedelic moments of Dead shows.... maybe you can just stare at this for awhile and it will distract your "inner me" from all those negative thought loops, and you will just start feeling really ecstatic and cosmic! (btw, it's spelling out the letters in Sanskrit for the word "Namaste")

NAMASTE-5.gif
 
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There's no doubt that a large part of the anxiety I feel tripping, usually on the comeup, is of a physical nature, ie like taking too much caffeine. However, the mind while tripping is quite suggestive to positive influence, usually. Good music, stuff DH posted like meditation can help. But just remember its a physical manifestation, just overactive serotonin receptors, maybe some NE receptors... just let go, you won't go crazy if that ego disappears for a few moments. enjoy it.

IMO, even the most perfect pharmacologically modified psychedelic will still cause difficulty, because thats what they do, they activate parts of the mind normally off, good and bad.

The generalized anxiety I get usually passes before the peak, and I try to keep this in mind. Anxiety and difficulty about losing your head is kind of different but I treat them both the same way.
 
Has anyone tried singing? It's supposed to promote good mood in sober people according to studies. It might work for a bad trip.
 
Splitz said:
Has anyone tried singing? It's supposed to promote good mood in sober people according to studies. It might work for a bad trip.
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That is a very good point. The ancient and modern shamans have used and coninue to utilize singing along with dancing drumming and rattling.
Was watching national geographic not long ago where a young shaman in the brazilian rainforest was being initiated with his first yopo trip by his grandfather, also a shaman. You can tell just by their singing and rattling how far along in their trip they were. Once they hit their peak the rattling and singing was pretty intense.
My thought is that tripping is just like swimming or flying. The harder you try and force the direction of the trip - the harder you sink. And you have to learn what it feels like to sink before you can swim. Just let yourself go if you have to sink or swim.
The hardest part is letting go.....there is no wonder.......... you have worked your entire being building it up.
This is the one concept in life that keeps people from being truly happy....letting go (tripping or sober). It has taken me seven years after my fathers death to understand this; until this year. Hope this helps guys
 
I agree with the meditation and yoga...

Any sort of movement really helps me feel the flow and my part in it, its as if i start doing tai chi without knowing what im doing, and my body does things i didn't know it could do...My body takes the place of my mind...thought becomes movement...and i disassociate...

Deep breaths also work. breath in strongly and slowly into your diaphragm, feel your abs tighten...hold it for 4 or 5 seconds, and exhale in a forceful yet controlled fashion through pursed lips...one of those and you should be feeling a bit different

Singing would be cool to try, although I have never even tried it sober...
 
I find it easiest to just stand-up, or move your arms in big windmills and then proceed to shake "everything" off, physically.
 
The "difficult trips" FAQ at Erowid recommends, among other things, removing your shoes and socks and allowing the soles of your bare feel to be on contact with the ground/floor.

Sounds like a VERY good idea to me! When I do that totally straight I instantly feel more grounded and oddly calm and reassured. I guess thats why both Hippies and Hobbits always run around barefoot!
 
When things get tough, I turn on the Simpsons. :D

It's an old tripping tradition of mine, and it works every time to calm my nerves. :)
 
Hey,

Others have been spot on with the meditation, mindfulness and such. Focusing on the breath can be incredible. Focusing on all the worldy energy can be awesome.... listen to the sounds of the world... it can calm you because you feel all the Earth's wonderful energy and life.

Singing is incredible... I'm still new to singing. I play instruments all the time... but I'm still having trouble figuring out how to use my voice. I have had a couple of trips where singing was wonderful... I was able to open my voice... sing loudly and clearly.... and with every tone waves of euphoria amplified within myself.

I remember a particular acid trip... where I ended up home around 6 hours after dosing 5 hits with a buddy of mine. I hadn't smoked all night... I took 2 hits of some strong weeds, and my trip was immediately altered and amplified. I remember my friend leaving... as he had things to do. I laid down in bed and was buzzing with energy... and was a bit uncomfortable. I started singing something along the lines of "still tripping really hard, I'm still tripping, tripping really hard." There was some other lines, but I don't particularly remember them... The experience was incredible though. I had a clearer understanding of how to mold my voice. I'm still struggling... but these trips in which I sing in use my voice are very useful in exploring my voice. It gives me an open mind to concentrate on various aspects of projecting tones with my voice.



I've also had trips with people... where we will all sing a different note to form a chord. That can be really fun... A little difficult for people like me who have trouble singing. But it can be wonderful with terrific singers encouraging you.



I know a girl that sings wildly on doses of dmt. She is wonderful.
 
consider that you could only feel bad if you had something to lose, then focus on that aside from the prospect of losing it.
 
Meditation and close loving attention from someone who knows how to hit your love buttons. I havent been tripping much lately due to the fact i have no one to lean on when my mind is going into the unknown.
 
^but thats when its the most exciting! Hurtle my consciousness full speed into the great unknown wilderness between my ears!
 
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