Learning and insight on Psychedelics

[Riuqback]

hi BL! I am both a novice here and to psychedelics! and I wonder, how do you learn Psychedelics? Through enhanced thinking? Moments of revelation or insight? Seeing things more clearly? Do you llearn from or "realise" afterwards in introspection?
I ask because during trips I have quite few profound "insights" or a-ha moments of insight from trips that ppl tend to describe describe. From my 7 sessions with varying compounds, 2C-E, psilocin n miprocin, I have learned a great deal, mostly emotionally (getting closer to ) from these fantastic compounds but it's mostly from reflection and thinking about the experience, integrating my feelings as mental barriers broke down and giving me a much more transparent view of my feelings. Not from insight derived from the altered state.
The reflection and experience has however been very helpful by significantly alleviating my clinical depression, hopelessness and increased hope which I lacked during these years!

Im very greatful for this that I have experienced the fluidity of consciousness and opening up to the greater possibilities of the world! But still I feel knowledge I am not experiencing the full potential of these compounds. Maybe this has to do with my limited experience, as it is hard to focus or think coherently because so many thing are going on during the experience! Is what I gain limited by my cognitive capability or intelligence or can I take steps to increase insight and learning gained from Psychedelics?

 

[paridiso]

Read up on how psychedelics drugs work and their history. You should also check out some of the material published by Aldous Huxley, Tim Leary & his Harvard crew, John Lilly, and Terrence McKenna. Check out these guys' pages on erowid; there are a lot of links to there writings over there.

I personally don't bother attempting to make sense of the experience while I'm tripping. I just let go and let the drug take me on a psychedelic adventure. I prefer to do all the integration and whatnot when I'm sober the week after.

Meditating daily also helps you develop the coping skills to handle rough trips and gain more insight out of them.

 

[any major dude]

there's a wealth of literature on the subject, some more people worth reading would be Alexander Shulgin, Stanislov Grof, Myron Stolaroff, etc etc etc.

 

[Changed]

Doors of Perception by Huxley is a nice intro that is readily available for your consumption.

 

[Riuqback]

I'll definitely try meditation! And I've read the Doors, some Leary and John Lilly, but they don't seem to detail how to get insight from the Psychedelic experience, they mostly write about their ideas, experiences, theories and some tips for the users. They don't seem to describe how to gain insight, just that it can be very great. Anyone got more tips?

 

[FluoTox]

^
"Realms Of The Human Unconscious: Observations From LSD Research"
and
"LSD Psychotherapy"

from Stanislav Grof

A good read to understand how psychedelics works

 

[Changed]

This is sort of a difficult question to answer. How do you gain insight into anything? you do it.

'Practice makes perfect.'

Take a trip and see what you learn.

 

[Riuqback]

This is sort of a difficult question to answer. How do you gain insight into anything? you do it.

'Practice makes perfect.'

Take a trip and see what you learn.

So insight simply comes spontaneously on you? My insights come from sober reflection upon things and eventually a coherent and consistent understanding is formed, in self knowledge . Sometimes I get a-ha flashes and things make more sense instantly with feelings of insight but not so much on the Psy's. My learning from them has so far been a bit more subtle than immediate. As in expanding upon the implications of my experience, such as the emotional state, why I felt a certain way during the experience possible defence mechanisms and so on. And then relating why I have them in the first place, seeing how to eliminate them to improve myself & so on. I still feel like I could get more so I was

Anyway! :D I've only tried low-medium dose synthetics, might natural Psychedelics fare differently? With all their alkaloids..

And HOW does one practice that on psychedelics? :O In calm awareness it is systematic and reflective, but most Psychedelic experiences have been too intense for me to be able to have such reflections or meditations. I just go with the flow and let the Psychedelic experience carry me as if I was riding a wave and see where I end up. So my ego or consciousness rarely ever intrudes with thoughts. The experience very emotional with occasional insights and effects are a tad prominent too prominent for taking reasoning far.
If I want to learn about myself, my self esteem, my childhood, basically the DEPTHS of my psyche should I pose a few questions that relate to it during the session & reflect? Or should I let go of all goals and expect nothing? (that's what many ppl say)
I will try to be more alert on my next sessions & actually see if my brain can get insights

TLDR; should I have no goal b4 a psychedelic session or have goals and actively contemplate during it? What do? or other tips. I wanna learn more about myself, to heal my long diseased spirit.

 

[Changed]

I've heard both-- go into the trip with maybe one thing you want to focus on, learn about, etc... and I've also heard that that doesn't work.

Personally, I've never gone into a trip expecting anything-- just like meditation, say-- it seems counter-productive. Now, while I've never gone into a trip (and all my trips are for self-exploration and/or consciousness-expansion) with the intent of trying to learn something, I've learned an immense amount in the matter of a handful of trips. Psychedelics have totally redefined my life for the better, and I certainly didn't set out with that intention...

Personally, I write while I'm tripping, then go back the next morning and write a shit-load more about the experience, and expand upon it later-- sometimes years later I'm still writing about the same trip. Posting trip reports on BL is a great way to get input from other people as well; that input may well give you more insight into your own experience.

In the end, learning from psychedelic experiences is a never-ending process. There isn't a point where you say, "Ah-hah! now I've got it!" Once you think you've got it, it's gone, or it changes into something else.

 

[Nateup]

I think the most important insights DO come in the end of the trip, on the comedown, or even the days following, as you integrate more and more. I too am now working on experimenting with adding some "structure" as you brought up. For my next session, I will make an outline of some goals/ideas/questions to take a look at here and there when it feels right. I also plan to have my wife read some scientific or philosophical literature to me on the way up or on the way down. (even after the peak has stabilized.
Some preparative measures are usually taken as well to sort of direct my thinking into the mystical. The days leading up to a session, I will read literature I want to reflect on... watch documentaries about future technology, spiritual subjects, or really anything mind-blowing.
For the most part, I have really looked at it as... I load my mind up with "bait" for philosophical or spiritual insights and basically just hope for a bite! I don't want to get too much into structuring my trips... I just plan to "chum" the waters of my mind a bit to see how that works.

Going outside for a while seems to help too. Oh and watch meaningful movies or documentaries on the comedown. "Waking Life" on the comedown saved an otherwise (strong but) fairly meaningless trip. I mean the experience of watching that film was reeeally powerful and carried over into my life with potency!