Dealing with breathing difficulties and anxiety on LSD

[RoguePsychonaut]

Hello everybody, I'm here to ask if anybody else who suffers from anxiety, in any form, has ever dealt with symptoms that begin to manifest physically while tripping?


I'd like to say last night I tripped (about 100ug, but very potent and clean lsd) and for the most part had an amazing time. At a certain point after I had reached my peak and begun to level out I found myself becoming aware of this thick layer of mucus in my mouth and throat, and sure enough that little tiny moment of discomfort lead to a snowballing anxiety that within a few moments had me pacing around trying to "catch my breath" or just feel like there was some oxygen in the air I was breathing. Now in retrospect I realize that the reason the air I was breathing didn't feel like it had enough oxygen in it was because I was actually breathing just fine and perhaps was getting too much and was hyperventilating. Eventually I calmed myself down, but it was then that I realized that everything single time I trip on LSD, near the tail end of the trip I become somewhat uncomfortable, usually in some way involving my lungs, chest or breathing. That discomfort almost always leads to anxiety or panic. I do vape on an Ecig while tripping and occasionally take a dab or smoke some herb, which earlier in a trip is fantastic, not unpleasant at all, but near the end it fucks with the lungs.


I'm going to a music festival this summer, and it would be my first time taking LSD anywhere but my own home, I just really don't want to find myself having a bad time because my anxiety got out of control, or I thought I couldn't breathe or something.


What I would like to know is if there are any strategies or techniques I can use to calm myself down when this happens. Does this happen to anyone else? Any information would be great, thanks!


TL;DR Difficulty breathing caused by anxiety while tripping causes unpleasant experiences near the end of my trips, what can be done to cope with that?

 

[TheBlackPirate]

Keep cool, relax, and this should be a breeze. If necessary low doses of a benzodiazepine could be used.

In my youth I got this moderately while sober during the spring. Other people said that change was allergies during this season. Eventually I grew out of this. I haven't' experienced those symptoms recently and now I am fine.

So yeah, keep cool, relax, and this should be a breeze in th future.

 

[RoguePsychonaut]

For sure, yeah that seems to be key, just staying calm, it sort of snowballs, it starts with some tiny fleeting thought, and ends up being something much bigger, just need to prevent that cycle from starting.

 

[psy997]

Meditate, I'd recommend Vipassana. Your issue is stemming from a mental reaction to the physical sensation of thickness/mucus in your throat. Vipassana is about observing and feeling all sensations in one's body without reacting/judging positively or negatively.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I've had this happen to me as well. It's strange because most of the time those who practice breath work expend concentration and effort to stay focused on the breath. The mind naturally wants to go unconscious about the whole thing. Well, during some trips or some panic attack type situations you actually may find yourself paying unwanted attention the breath and it can transport you a light headed place. There's nothing to worry about. Don't operate heavy machinery is all.

When this happens it can evoke many types of experiences which can be useful to process. you may chose to sit in a meditative posture or lay down on you back and see where it takes you as has already been said. It can get pretty intense but there's no need for fear. Curiosity is a better suited outlook. It's a deep spontaneous experience. Don't force it. Sometimes we're blessed with those. Don't be surprised if your muscles start clenching especially in your extremities, you eyelids pulsate, and strong tingling develops. This has to do with imbalances in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Worst case you go unconscious and your body takes back the breath from you. There's safeguards in place, so relax. Alternatively, if you want to take control of the experience in a different way, try singing or chanting. This forces you to change the breathing pattern and totally changes the experience. Focus your concentration on long, steady notes. It can lead to some beautiful states of consciousness.

If you're interested in breath work I can recommend several books on the subject. You can induce the same exact experience you had deliberately if you want to and there is an empowerment in doing this with intent as opposed to it happening to you It's helped me in my life. there is a profound connection between breath and consciousness

 

[Solipsis]

A surprising way I heard of from someone recently, if the problem has to do with breathing too consciously / too much / not enough, is to stop breathing for a little bit i.e. stop consciously breathing, so that you feel that your body will want to keep doing it automatically. This can be a reassurance that indeed your body will just take care of you / of itself.
I have a similar problem but only with DMT... then I'm so stupefied that I have no idea whether I'm breathing right, how long it's been since I breathed etc... but rest assured it's just the task of your autonomous nervous system, and usually when you think aren't breathing enough - it's a perception / maybe time dilation problem and also one feeding back into anxiety in several ways. While in reality, you are just breathing normally and your 'compensations', your conscious controlling is what makes it tense or hyperventilating.
It's hard - but at the core you must realize that there is no real danger and that having faith allows you to let go and be okay.

I'm not sure the firstmentioned advice is for everyone, as the idea of stopping to breathe can freak people out - but it relies on the safeguards levelsbeyond mentioned.

With acid I don't have issues, but the very first time I did burp every 5 seconds out of anxiety... at least during the comeup.

 

[RoguePsychonaut]

thanks for the great responses, I really appreciate the feedback and advice!

 

[Shaal]

TL;DR Difficulty breathing caused by anxiety while tripping causes unpleasant experiences near the end of my trips, what can be done to cope with that?

I know that feel... It also happens with my swallowing.

Also, I noticed once while tripping that every breath I took, my balls were going up and down. I tried to stop thinking about it, but I kept feeling it and could not ignore it. Also there was a feeling of weird high pressure in my balls and the area between the balls and the arsehole. I tried to cope with it, but I eventually had to take a benzo because I knew where this was going (anxiety attack) and the anxiety was causing pretty bad visuals, like seeing me as a squeleton in the mirror, and I had no buddies to lift me up. It ended the trip, which was a magnificent one.