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Could Lsd help Ptsd?

T

TrippyHippiegirl

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Joined
Nov 10, 2013
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12
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Boston area
I really want to try lsd but I have bad ptsd however I have been using dxm recreational for years with mostly positive trips and I do just fine with weed I've done shrooms once and had an okay time but It wasn't that intense i want to see color changes and things waving or moving slightly I want to see Abstract patterns and good imagination I'm just concerned of what could happen if I have a bad experience :? I don't want to mess up the progress I've made on my ptsd but I also feel like it might help me relax
 
I don't really think that LSD will specifically help post trauamtic stress disorder if that is what you mean. I'm not sure

What i can think of that might be helpful is after using it memories come back at more vividly at night. Or you may even relive memories while tripping.

otherwise maybe MDMA ..
 
It can help. Set and setting is paramount.

Visuals don't mean anything when it comes to therapeutic benefits. People seeking them generally just want to 'trip balls'. It's in your thoughts and feelings, the rest is just side effects.

LSD has more unpredictability than other things, but if you were okay with mushrooms I think you'd be fine with LSD. Difficult experiences can be beneficial, but there's the possibility of a simply traumatizing experience. Psychedelics have the potential to cause PTSD if things go awry and you fight the experience.

Empathogens like MDMA are the preferred agents being used in psychedelic research for PTSD. They have a much more positive, accepting character. There's much less risk of things going awry, but many people miss the point because they don't challenge people enough. You have to be in the right set/setting and be willing to revisit your trauma.
 
It could make it either better or worse. Try a low dose and see how you feel.
 
It helped my depersonalization in the long run. That and shrooms. And depersonalization spurs from PTSD. But it's different. Depersonalization is when you can't handle the PTSD so badly that you leave your body to forget about the trauma.
 
I have PSTD and trip without issue.

However - every individual is different; everybody's source of - and coping strategies with - traumatic events are different.
Have you received counselling for your post traumatic stress, or are you still? This can make a big difference IME.

As was previously mentioned, set and setting are extremely important. This can't be stressed enough.

One classic symptom of PTSD seems to be a constant state of alertness, anxiety and anticipation. You may want to do some breathing, stretching and/or meditation exercises prior to tripping, in order to calm any pre-existing anxiety.
I find with many pychs, the come-up can be the most difficult, uncomfortable part of the trip. Be aware of this, and the fact that it will pass when you are fully immersed in the psychedelic experience.

Without knowing the particulars of the trauma you experienced, it is hard to know what else to advise - if you are still having flashbacks or struggling to cope with memories of the event/s that led you to suffer this condition, i recommend caution.

An empathetic sitter or trip buddy (who knows and understands your history) could be really helpful - and having some benzos or some sort of non-drug distraction to calm you and redirect your thoughts (should things get difficult) is worth considering. Fruit, art supplies, music - anything that engages your heightened senses is good to have around (in any trip).

I was an experienced tripper before the events that led to my PTSD symptoms emerging - but I've pushed further and deeper into inner space since that time - moreso than anyone i know peraonally - and at no point has the post traumatic stress been an issue in a trip.

We're all different though - my experiences and yours may be completely different ends of the spectrum.

If anything, good, enjoyable trips have been extremely therapeutic for me, and even more difficult ones have been great learning experiences.

But in both cases, I'd say my mental health has (in the short term, post trip, at least) benefited from the perspective gained from psychedelic experiences.

I don't find it unusual to go from uncontrollable laughter, to deep sobbing tears in a trip.

I find neither of these things bad or troubling - crying in a trip can be really cathartic, so long as you are able to let go of the sadness and move on.
Sometimes the emotional extremes can be a release from having been being bottled up so you can cope day-to-day; tripping is a chance to let go of 'the everyday' - and go with whatever is happening inside.
Go with it - but allow yourself to move away from heavy emotional extremes too.

You may not have any negative emotional reaction at all - it could be a blissful escape.

But if you are feeling vulnerable arond time you plan to take acid (beyond the completely normal jitters in the lead-to a new experience) it's worth assessing whether or not to postpone it to a more emotionally balanced time for you.

I agree with the post above stating that "if you were ok with mushrooms, I think you'd be fine with LSD".

I think - from the little you've told us - that I would tentatively (and with the aforementioned caveats) imagine that you should be fine to trip, if you think it's something you want to do. I find LSD brings me a fresh perspective that few other drugs are capable of producng.
You hopefully know yourself well enough to judge - LSD can be a great teacher, a great mental and emotional liberator; when the set, setting and individual mindset is all right.
If you chose to do it, enjoy yourself!
It could be a wonderful way to liberate yourself from the difficult shackles PTSD imposes upon those of us that suffer from it.
Be safe, and approach the trip with as calm a mindset as you can create.
 
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of course there isn't. the human mind isn't something that can be "fixed" so easily with a chemical, it's much more complex and involves various things.
but if it's actually helping you accepting the trauma and you actually feel better after the experience how is it placebo? i think you misunderstood the meaning of the word (or i am wrong and i misunderstood what you mean)
 
Is self-medicating with psychedelics the wisest advice? Aren't these substances (if the intended use is therapeutic and not just recreational) supposed to be useful in a certain setting under certain guidance? We learn that these substances have potential to help people, but does that mean we should all start trying to help ourselves, without implementing the proper conditions (set, setting), such as those in the clinical studies that have shown this to be true in the first place?

I'm not saying that everyone suffering from PTSD (or any other condition currently being studied in conjunction with psychedelics) should refrain from psychedelic drug use altogether, because of course it is possible to maybe benefit from this self-medicating technique as others say they have before. I'm just concerned that, just because we hear of the potential therapeutic benefits, that doesn't mean everyone who suffers from PTSD should start taking acid at home and hoping it's going to help them.

If one day we see psychedelic therapy as a more mainstream form of therapy it will be highly structured in terms of set and setting, far more so than you can create in your own home without the right people with you (trained psychedelic therapists etc). I think trying to help yourself in this way poses quite high risk of making things worse. It's an important part of this form of therapy (or any therapy for that matter) is to have someone there to talk to you and try and understand the deep rooted cause of the condition, otherwise you're essentially just diving into the unknown and hoping for the best, particularly if you have no experience with the drug beforehand.
 
pmoseman said:
There is not any pharmaceutical "cure" for PTSD. When properly tripping, ie 200 mcg, people know they are on something. It has not been confirmed that LSD helps patients. The fallacy is that it is such a strong experience that it must be doing something.
Click to expand...
You are right that no double-blind studies have been performed using LSD and PTSD patients. But the OP didn't as if it 'cured' PTSD, she asked it it helped.

And you obviously didn't look at any of the links. LSD has been shown to be helpful with PTSD...in some cases they maintain it is a cure. In fact, the vast majority of the current human LSD research is being conducted on PTSD patients, you silly goose! I don't know where you have been the past 5 years, but literally just the past few years more human psychedelic studies have been/are being performed than even in the 60s. It is pretty astounding that would actually say it doesn't help when I've provided links showing it indeed does help. Again, what do you think all of the current LSD research is about? Silly goose.

ricardo08 said:
Is self-medicating with psychedelics the wisest advice? Aren't these substances (if the intended use is therapeutic and not just recreational) supposed to be useful in a certain setting under certain guidance? We learn that these substances have potential to help people, but does that mean we should all start trying to help ourselves, without implementing the proper conditions (set, setting), such as those in the clinical studies that have shown this to be true in the first place?
Click to expand...

Ricardo08 brings a valid point about self medicating although the OP didn't say they wanted to self medicate with LSD to treat PTSD. They are in therapy and were curious what affects it could have. My advice would be to bring it up to your therapist. I have always been open about my drug use to doctors and shrinks...if you have one that you do not feel you can be honest with, then I wouldn't see them anyway...or don't use LSD until your RXment is finished.

All the best

MGS
 
Included in the matter of set and setting, a guide could be very helpful. He/she could play a role in helping you get past difficulties that may arise in the trip. This is always true but it could be more important in any persons that have extra sensitivities.

IMO psychedelics may help you 'relax' by helping you come to acceptance, but not before going trough other rough stages. Not by justing making you feel relaxed out of the blue. Then again any kind of transcendence may help feel problems fall from your shoulders.

Also if you are on psychiatric medication, do not just mix them with other drugs. Be careful and research possible interactions.
 
morninggloryseed said:
You are right that no double-blind studies have been performed using LSD and PTSD patients. But the OP didn't as if it 'cured' PTSD, she asked it it helped.

And you obviously didn't look at any of the links. LSD has been shown to be helpful with PTSD...in some cases they maintain it is a cure. In fact, the vast majority of the current human LSD research is being conducted on PTSD patients, you silly goose! I don't know where you have been the past 5 years, but literally just the past few years more human psychedelic studies have been/are being performed than even in the 60s. It is pretty astounding that would actually say it doesn't help when I've provided links showing it indeed does help. Again, what do you think all of the current LSD research is about? Silly goose.
Click to expand...
I looked at the links. Why did you assume I didn't? You did not prove anything with either of those link. You should try reading them for yourself.

You think more research LSD has been given to humans since the first wave? No.

Go light dinner candles and open your chakra around a nice steak instead.
 
First of all, who pissed in your cheroes this morning? Somebody woke up on the wrong side of pleasant.

You made the claim that LSD cannot cure PTSD, and called it a placebo. I suppose it could be a placebo effect but if you really look at the current research you would have to have a pretty closed mind, and a bunch of fingers in your ears to still claim LSD has the same effects as lighting candles when it comes to treating PTSD. The links I provided state differently and give examples of LSD being used to treat PTSD, in some cases claims are made that it 'cured it.' And I don't know what you mean about 'first wave' because there are at least two new LSD studies going on now.

You seem like an angry person and it is too bad you can't be a happy camper filled with glee. :p

Substitute some prime rib for steak, and you have a deal as long as it is you that is buying.

pmoseman said:
I looked at the links. Why did you assume I didn't? You did not prove anything with either of those link. You should try reading them for yourself.

You think more research LSD has been given to humans since the first wave? No.

Go light dinner candles and open your chakra around a nice steak instead.
Click to expand...
 
If I grabbed the wrong links, then egg on my face but that LSD is used to treat PTSD is a reality and that it is more beneficial than lighting candles should not require me to grab any proof. If you want to think differently, I am content to let it be.
 
just my two cents on the concept, not to derail the thread at all, but

if you break down the words, post, traumatic, stress, disorder.

And a large enough dose of LSD, or just a good one like 150 mics, the effects are rapidly changing emotion, and strong overwhelming perception of forces, and increased perception of senses.

I'd say it would cause it. and not help it.

It may change your opinon of feeling stressed. Like, the first time i smoked DMT, i always have really bad anxiety myself, paritially PTSD from quitting benzos, but just doing crazy shit and whatnot, and afterwards, I felt like the anxiety was not me, but within my gut.

A small dose couldnt hurt though, maybe give it a try..
 
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