How do I mentally prepare myself for a trip?

[Connor the Alien]

As the title says, I would like to know how one mentally prepares themselves for a psychedelic experience? I have long bee interested in taking some kind of psychedelic, however I feel I am not yet ready for a trip as I feel I would cause myself to have a bad trip. People talk about clearing their head from negative thoughts before engaging in a trip, however I am not sure what this means and how to go about it. It seems people can simply "shut off" their negative thoughts. I know people talk about setting and people etc. need to be very positive which I'm not worried about. But how does one make a positive setting in their own mind? I like most people have wondering thoughts that I can almost not control, so how do people cope with these thoughts while on a trip?

Also I know this question is highly subjective but which psychedelic would be best to start out on? from what I've read a small dosage of acid would be a great start as it posses a less mind-fuck feel to it as opposed to shrooms. I was thinking trying a very small dosage of acid something like a 1/3 of a tab to get an idea of what I'm dealing with and then depending how it effects me call it a day or have the rest of the tab.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to the suggestions

 

[Skeeef]

Don't sell yourself short, take a whole tab and you'll have a blast, 1/3 of a tab isn't going to do much. As for preparing, try meditating before the trip/during the trip. Make a play list to listen to if you are unsure of what you should be doing.
And don't be afraid of your thoughts man, your thoughts cant hurt you, and dont try to run from them, but DO question them. If you are thinking something negative ask yourself why you shouldnt be thinking something more positive... etc... You can't really shut off your thoughts when you're on a psychedelic, they sort of work by breaking down filters in your brain.
these might help: http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/322115-The-Big-amp-Dandy-Trip-Preparation-Thread
http://www.badtripguide.com/

 

[2c-goinsane]

intrusive thoughts are completely normal and will always happen ime just gotta go with the flow and not make anything of the negative thoughts that dont mean anything really. i think of awful stuff all the time automatically sober and i still trip and have been for years now. actually when i trip and have a rewarding experience my intrusive thoughts happen alot less frequent im more clear headed, more calm.

theres always a chance for a trip to go south also, i always ignore words like "good" "bad" and "like" when im tripping thats what leads me into some traps ime. i also like to take the whole experience in instead of being occupied or worked up on something small in my trip.

i also leave a note some where if im really worried that i wrote when sober saying that ill be fine within a certain amount of time etc. never had to look at it but iv remembered that i wrote it while tripping and that calmed me down just knowing that i wrote it. you can use it as a anchor to something you know if your really bent out there.

i like to eat psychedelics when im in the best of moods possible and when im up for the whole duration and when i have plentiful cannabis around of course, your environment is pretty important the only "bad" trips i have had was when i was in environments that wasnt the best, i could have easily just waited to trip some where more comfortable was my fault all the times. you might want to test 1/3rd of a hit just to test your stuff out and see how your body will react to it. after that id move to a full hit maybe have another hit just in case you want a little more.

i recommend all the traditional psychedelics to beginners really all have the potential to be very rewarding, my first trip was vaped dmt then i moved to mushrooms then lsd. no reason behind it thats just the order of how they came along to me. i have yet to try mescaline but from what i gather its the most gentle out of dmt, mushrooms and lsd and it has the longest duration from what i remember similar to the lsd duration.

 

[sekio]

"Trust your nervous system"
- T. Leary, to Ram Dass who was worried about ego dissolution

"But the worst thing is that your nervous system will, for its own good reasons, lie to you. It will tell you that things are alarming or unsafe when in fact they are safe. And yet it will tell you to stay with someone who hurts you, even if you’re actually safer if you leave."
- Blog

"What do I care for your suffering? Pain, even agony, is no more than information before the senses, data fed to the computer of the mind. The lesson is simple: you have received the information, now act on it. Take control of the input and you shall become master of the output."
- Chairman Sheng-ji Yang, "Essays on Mind and Matter"

 

[Visitor Q]

Reading these old threads might prove helpful.

Essentials to have before dropping acid.
Acid VS Mushrooms.
Are psychedelics just not for me?
Things to ponder on LSD.

Happy trails!

 

[Ismene]

The best way is to take a low dose - if you enjoy it, take a bigger dose. Simples. That way you're never going to be overwhelmed with a dose too big for you.

I always found mushrooms far more forgiving, gentler and more enjoyable than acid. Acid isn't as physically nice and you're laid awake for 10 hours after the trip has finished, with mushrooms you get a good nights sleep into the bargain.

As for controlling negative thought - you control them just how you'd control negative thoughts when you were sober. If you're the kind of person who lays awake at night worrying that one day you are going to die and can't control your thought then you may have problems tripping. If you arn't, then you'll be fine.

I wouldn't do anything like "trying to clear your mind of negative thoughts" before tripping - that's a guaranteed method of thinking negative thoughts when you are tripping. It's like telling yourself you definately arn't going to lose your erection. Just go with the psychedelic and let it take you where it wants, trust the mushrooms - they know what they're doing with you.