Getting over psychedelic induced anxiety

[LicktheShade]

Almost a year ago I had my first overwhelmingly bad trip on 4-ho-mipt, after smoking some weed towards the end. It induced a panic attack which lead to more, and so I put myself to sleep with some benzos and melatonin. Despite waking up fine the next day I was extremely shaken but suffered no sober anxiety attacks. I'm a daily weed smoker and so when I went to a friends house to smoke weed the anxiety came back. This happened almost every time I smoked over the next few months and although logically I should have taken a break I felt that I couldn't since basically all of my friends are weed smokers and I didn't want them to think I was a pussy or whatever.
Anyway, since that bad trip I've only taken psychedelics about 3 or 4 times, each time a low dose but I can't help having anxiety before a trip for the fear of having another one. Last night I accidently took a larger amount of ketamine than intended (I'm usually fine on ketamine as I have alot of experience) and ended up having anxiety and crying and feeling very foolish. I really want to get back into psychedelics like I once was as they helped me so much with so many issues but I can't help but feel anxious sometimes and it can ruin the experience.

What I'm basically asking is how do I get over this anxiety? It seems to be related to fear of dying/having a psychotic break and although I KNOW that these drugs won't kill me and I KNOW that I'm not going to go crazy (because I would have by now, I think lol) I can't help but have these feelings.

Maybe it will just take time, it took me almost a year to be comfortable with taking drugs again so perhaps I just need to be patient until i'm ready

 

[LimaZ]

I had the same and guess what, its all in your mind.. You just have to abstain thinking on it..

Before you smoke, you already have "prepared" your mind to have anxiety, and its inevitable that you don't have..

Take a break so your head can "auto-repair".

 

[LicktheShade]

I understood that with the weed smoking after a few months, I still smoke every day now, but don't get anxiety from weed anymore.

 

[RainbowWarrior]

one word: meditation

for me the only thing that really works (and i have had to face panic attacks that go all the way till the white out/ the void)... i have friends who use benzos for it, but it seems to make it worse in the long term...

your mind is strong, just focus on your breathing and the fact that you are alive and that being alive is the greatest gift you ever got

also don't smoke weed only becuse your friends do... nobody will think any less of you if you don't, and those who do are no friends in the first place but at most "fellow druggies"...

 

[Mr.Slaves]

AS it has been said before its all in your head. Take a break and then smoke for about two weeks and the paranoia will go away.

 

[v6mafia]

Bro I had the same problem when i was doing a lot of psychadelics and such. For some reason hard drugs may interact with the soft ones, being cannabis. Your best option is to not use LSD for a while or if you do, use a compfortable dose. Weed brings back the flashbacks of an acid trip. That can be overwhelming as fuck. I know exactly what you're talking about, I would get panic attacks from doing too much mdma and that made me not want to smoke for a while. Best believe that it goes away in time and you can enjoy being high again. I was at the worst point where I thought I was hopeless but I stopped for several months and feel a lot better, can finally smoke weed and enjoy. Just relax on the hard stuff and lead a healthy lifestyle and things will get better for you man.

 

[Legerity]

I can relate...it's sometimes difficult to snap out of an anxious thought pattern once it develops. First of all like mentioned above, you don't have to smoke weed if it makes you feel uncomfortable. I'm sensitive to weed and no matter how much I try to get used to it, most of the time I just don't feel good after smoking it. It may just be temporary for you, but there's no need to make yourself suffer right now because you feel obligated to smoke with your friends.

Regarding tripping, I find that if my day to day anxiety levels are decent that the trip will be smoother. But you seem to have attached a specific anxious thought to the idea of tripping. I find it helpful to remind myself that anxious thoughts are distorted. They have a very narrow focus and do not provide a holistic perspective of the situation. If you can deconstruct the thoughts while you have them, then they lose power and you can have some relief even if the thoughts are still there.

Also "surrendering" to the trip and accepting the fact that you may experience some anxiety during it might help. That's the nature of tripping, psychedelic drugs do not provide a guaranteed effect. You are very much in the driver's seat and the more you are able to let go and let the trip happen the better it is. My last trip was great whereas the one before was hours of anxiety that I was just hoping would end. But a difficult trip isn't necessarily a bad thing and can teach you a lot about your mind. Being able to work through fears of losing your sanity and returning to a comfortable state of mind is a valuable skill to have

 

[abore]

My solution is preparing myself well in advance with meditation and reflection. Also sort of filling my head with thoughts of letting go and love/appreciation.

Another solution for me is mixing it with a dissociative which really takes the edge off.

Knowing I have a couple xanax around isn't too bad either..

Most of all though, I just don't smoke weed while I'm tripping. It's taken me a while, but I've accepted that as much as I've liked it in the past, weed now gives me anxiety. It doesn't belong in my socializing or my trips because of this.