Am I missing something?

[sadbot]

I love psychedelics. I've done mushrooms, LSD, some DOX, DXM, salvia, and mescaline. I think they're a lot of fun, and the day after I feel a bit refreshed, but...

I've never had that moment a lot of psych user talks about. I don't think psychs have changed my life in any way other than giving me a mild case of HPPD. I don't think my head set is wrong. I try not to expect anything from the trips, I don't trip when I'm severely depressed or anxious, and I almost always make sure I have a good setting... I'm not the smartest person around, but I think I'm fairly intelligent. Am I doing something wrong? I've tripped alone and in small groups. I've had 3 ego destroying experiences. I've had a few bad trips, but mostly good ones. I don't have any (and maybe even have less) sense of self, my creativity hasn't increased (I'm a writer, film maker, and garage band musician), and my understanding of the world/collective unconscious/whatever hasn't improved at all as a result of psychedelic use.

I've been reading a lot about the advantages of LSD therapy and techniques they use. From what I've read it sounds like I could gain a lot from it. Too bad its illegal almost everywhere. I'd like to have improve my self-awareness/sense of self. I've also read a bit about metaprogramming, which is something I'm interested in. Should I do something special next time I trip? Or does anyone have any drug-free ideas?

 

[burn out]

You didn't find the ego destroying experiences insightful or thought provoking in any way?

 

[sadbot]

It was definitely provoking and interesting, but I wouldn't say insightful

 

[nearjat]

This is somewhat saddening to hear, I've never heard of someone literally learning NOTHING new from a handful of trips. Even the most hardheaded egocentric friends of mine have had some trips that changed things for them. I'm gonna watch this thread..

 

[malakaix]

I think it has a lot to do with how integrated you are into reality/society. How attached you are to the typical daily life and how much you depend on it.

You note that you write,film and do music work.. so your already quite creatively minded, and live a more abstract life to the typical person who works 9-5, comes home, has a beer and believes everything he see's on tv. My guess is your already quite open minded.. so the psychedelic drugs don't have such a profound impact as they would on someone who is totally dependent on society.

I can relate somewhat.. I had amazing times on LSD, countless ego deaths and solo trips in all types of sets and settings, i gained alot of insight and knowledge about myself and my surroundings.. and they did change my outlook on life slightly and myself as a person.. but never to such an extent that my whole understanding of life itself changed.

Im surprised Salvia didn't do anything for you, as that can be a pretty intense substance if strong enough and smoked properly.

I did eventually get that moment that cracked my world open, but it came from DMT.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Tripping Out & You

Well, here's my take on things.

Some people are inherently sensitive to psychedelics and others are inherently insensitive to them. For example, I'm sensitive to psychedelics, so a normal dose will ensure I trip. Someone insensitive to psychedelics may need to take a considerably larger dose to get the same effects as a normal dose for an average person.

I don't know how much life experience you have had, or what nature they have been, and I don't know how old you are. However, the older you get and the more you experience in life, the more likely you are to have positive, life changing psychedelic experiences. This is not to say they can't happen when you're younger at all, it's based more on total life experience. However, life experience comes with age as well.

Finally, "spirituality" within a trip is present typically with some psychedelics more than others. Also, I find "higher dose" trips tend to provide spiritual experiences more often than not.

Not being the "most intelligent" person doesn't disqualify you from having a life changing psychedelic experience at all. The more you know about who you are, who you want to be, will help.

I've done mushrooms, LSD, some DOX, DXM, salvia, and mescaline.

OK, let's start here.
Mushrooms are one of the best things for spiritual experiences. What doses have you taken? I find 3.5g is typically not enough for me to have a top level "spiritual experience" - this typically happens more around 5 to 7 grams of dried mushrooms.

With LSD (blotter) you don't really get to know the dose for sure without GC/MS or unless you are told how strong it is and it lines up in effects with other known potency acid. Plus the same blotter may not be as potent if not stored properly and all...so knowing this, you may have just not gotten the strongest acid. I have had acid at least a dozen times or so, and every time I only have 1/2 or 1 hit. The potency of my dozen trips has varied extremely by at least 4 or 5 fold.

DOX - nice, I have yet to try the DO_ series. How was it?

DXM - I hate DXM, I hope you enjoyed your time on it. I can't stand it. I think Ketamine is widely preferred by most, if you can find that it would be better worth your time.

Mescaline - I have also not tried this phenethylamine as of yet.

Salvia - I have had a break through "top level" experience, and I do consider it spiritual, but salvia is not always the most "spiritual" experience. It can be, but you have to be in the right set/setting for it.

I would save salvia for every now and then, rare occasions in between or with other psychedelic adventures. Since I haven't tried mescaline or DO_, I will not say much on those. However, I would stick with LSD and mushrooms.

As for other psychedelics to try, I would say MDA or MDMA are definitely worth trying at least once. The best trip I have ever had was when I IV'd 100mg MDA. Ketamine is also something nice to try.

I would also try out meditation and exercise.

Furthermore, it sounds like you need to spend some time getting to know yourself better. Having a good hold on your self identity is crucial for getting through extreme psychedelic experiences. I would spend as much time getting to know yourself as well as you can. Think about what you want for your future, think about what you want to do in life for yourself. Think about who you want to become as you grow older, and talk to your close friends and/or relatives about your life plans, outlook, etc.

I don't know if you've tried tripping with a friend before, but sometimes tripping with someone you are good friends with, or love, can really get a nice psychedelic trip going. Then again, tripping by yourself may be a better scenario if you are still gaining a sense of who you are. I guess it's really a preference.

There's really a lot of fun things you can do while you're tripping, but really I don't want to tell them to you. What's fun is discovering something that would be fun to do on psychedelics by yourself, then doing it and enjoying the great reward for your discovery.

Finally, if you haven't gotten to the top level of mushrooms, I would definitely try larger doses. Make sure you space out LSD and/or mushrooms (they are cross-tolerant) by at least 3 days, ideally a week.

 

[nearjat]

Captain Heroin covered a very helpful range out possible occurances, but I'd like to add a few things.

Malakaix has a good point, it sounds "floaty" and hippie-ish yes, but It's definitely a real possibility that you're comfortable enough in the traditional world/society that tripping on some psychedelics doesn't really break that mold you fit into. This isn't a bad thing, it doesn't make you some kind of "sheep" or any of that bullshit some people seem to throw around.

If you're determined to see what all us PD'ers are on about, I'd suggest going with a real heavy sided dose. Choose an aesthetically pleasing, safe and comfortable setting, and I'd suggest doing it alone or with one other person.

And although they definitely can, psychedelics won't automatically just start "showing" you shit. Next time your tripping, look around you. Look at people going to work, look at trees pointing up from the soil, look at how a guy flirts with a female near him in public. And then you just think about it, whatever you care to think. "Why are they going to work, why does everyone do that?" "What exactly is that tree doing right now, what is its role in the environment here?" "What is that guy doing to catch that ladies attention? Is it different from others?".

Just little seemingly pointless things, just ponder shit. It might now come naturally to you to do these things. It always did for me, because as a kid I was always an outsider, so analyzing things is in my nature because being a "nerd" I didn't really do the things my peers did.

I hope that makes some sense to you, haha.

 

[PippUK]

Many of the substances you have tried have given me 'spiritual' experiences in the past. However I once read a post by someone who compared using a psychedelic to putting a bad line into a computer program. They said that it only takes a couple typing mistakes in a computer program to make the visual display go crazy. This way of interpreting intoxication is a rational and determinist viewpoint. I have to say, a dose of skepticism is not a bad thing most of the time, and perhaps you are quite hardwired in that direction. It is usefull to help you keep things in proportion.
I think you should give DMT a good crack sometime though. There is enough power to make many atheists at least a little bit more agnostic. The experience is such a powerfull and vivid one that most 2cx, dox and the other trypts do not put you in anywhere like the existential free-fire zone that DMT does. High dose mushrooms, 4HO or 4AcO-DMT can do this to a lesser degree also.
Peace and godd wishes _ Pipp

 

[Solipsis]

What about trying to read more philosophy / spirituality books? Krishnamurti has written many wise words for instance that are meant to be detaching from the known religions - it is supposed to be universal wisdom and IMO it works to get you thinking and helping to free you, even free you from conditioning philosophies.

 

[sadbot]

Hm. Thanks for all the advice. I want to state that I definitely see the potential in psychedelic use. That's why I keep coming back to them. Also, they're really fun.

I've done a high dose of some DOX thinking it was LSD. And I've done some higher than average doses of LSD. With mushrooms I always stick to 3.5 grams, and a few of you suggested trying a high dose of that. I think I will. I'd also like to try DMT, but I have no idea where I would find that other than ordering a toad. With salvia, I've only done t a few times. It was very intense, but I do it so rarely that Its more confusing and shocking than anything else. Also, I've been meditating (TM) twice a day every day for about a year now, I go to therapy regularly, and of read a lot and watch a lot of movies. I don't think therapy is very helpful (at least not standard therapy). If you have a good therapist maybe, but that's $$$. I think meditation helps clear my head and keep my mood up. I also do some of my best creative thinking post-meditation. And I learn most of the philosophy I know indirectly through movies and books. Writing helps me learn a lot about myself too.

And although they definitely can, psychedelics won't automatically just start "showing" you shit. Next time your tripping, look around you. Look at people going to work, look at trees pointing up from the soil, look at how a guy flirts with a female near him in public. And then you just think about it, whatever you care to think. "Why are they going to work, why does everyone do that?" "What exactly is that tree doing right now, what is its role in the environment here?" "What is that guy doing to catch that ladies attention? Is it different from others?".

This is what I o on psychedelics. And I love it. And I'm not going to say I haven't leaned anything from this, because I've made quite a few interesting little observations. But I do that a lot sober, so that might be why its never seems earth shattering on psychedelics.

I once read a post by someone who compared using a psychedelic to putting a bad line into a computer program. They said that it only takes a couple typing mistakes in a computer program to make the visual display go crazy.

This is close to how I see it. I wouldn't say its a bad line of computer programming, because that has too much bad connotation. Hunter S thompson (I think)has an awesome quote, of which I only remember part. "A whole generation who thought they could buy enlightenment for $2 a hit." That sums up what I think only, ironically, I'm one of those people, just more cynical/skeptical.

I know people who swear by regular psychedelic use. And I'm fairly certain it has helped these people learn a lot about themselves and shape their philosophies. I know there's something bigger there, and often I feel it just around a corner I can never seem to round. Has anyone been in a similar place?

 

[PsyGhost]

Drink Ayahuasca

 

[killo]

You didn't trip hard enough, there's no way LSD won't give you insight if you take a huge dose.

You aren't a guru = P

PS: Try taking psychedelics alone.

 

[TheAppleCore]

I think you should give DMT a good crack sometime though. There is enough power to make many atheists at least a little bit more agnostic.

Definitely agree that the OP should look into DMT. However, I should clarify that it's possible to come out of a powerful DMT experience totally spiritually unchanged. Drugs have never changed my spirituality. Sure, I'll have a spiritual experience when I drop acid or smoke DMT, but I've been a spiritual person long before touching drugs.

Any of my own advancements in philosophy or outlook on life resultant of the psychedelic experience have been derived from logical deductions made by drug-catalyzed thought patterns. This logic can almost always be verified by a sober analysis, and if any psychedelic idea fails sober verification, it is ignored and forgotten. As of yet, none of these ideas have been spiritual in nature.

I don't want a more naive reader to see posts like yours and assume that psychedelics automatically and artificially inject a worldview into a tripper (which would suggest that psychedelic "revelations" are more emotionally founded than logically founded, and therefore irrational), because my experience has been contrary.

I'd also like to try DMT, but I have no idea where I would find that other than ordering a toad.

Start here. If there's one project worth your while, it's extracting DMT.

 

[sadbot]

don't want a more naive reader to see posts like yours and assume that psychedelics automatically and artificially inject a worldview into a tripper (which would suggest that psychedelic "revelations" are more emotionally founded than logically founded, and therefore irrational), because my experience has been contrary.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want it to sound like I get nothing out of my trips. I've had a few logical revelations (although minor) on LSD. But thats about it.

And thanks for the link