LSD and Safety

[Wizard of Radical]

Hi,
I've had my fair share of LSD but I recently had my first bad trip. A month or so after I also had my first truly bad cannabis experience. I have decided that cannabis is a no go for me, but I am unsure whether I should make the same decision with LSD. My main concern is, can an LSD experience cause mental problems from a single experience? Obviously after a bad experience t may take a day or two to feel back on top of things, but my research hasn't really told me if its like flipping a switch or a result of frequent use. Can the occasional trip every few months fuck you up? Or are mental issues a result of over use? Or is it a combination of both? Before I am ready to trip again I need to settle my mind on this issue, whether or not that will mean I do not trip again.
Peace.

 

[MaybeHad2Much2fast]

Man i think everytripper has pondered apon this at one point, heres my point of view.
I suffered from a severly traumatizing experience,i saw my brother have a seizure during a furthur show...for a second he stopped moving i thought he died..just for that second i was destroyed..but luckly he came to. tripping balls is an understatement i was so far gone, once i got him to the med tent i was asked if i was ok...this is when shit hit the fan. I didnt believe life was real, i thought my friends were figments of my imagination....i thought i was never going to be the same. but luckly i came back.
My thing is once you open your mind to some idea that you actually believe you always know what you know and no one else could truly understand... I thought i would never trip again..but i put it to the test i went to a phish show with my best friend and he wanted to trip L for the first time, I was so skeptical, but i thought i need to do this and we did...althrough thruout the show i was worried about me or my loved ones having a seizure or worse.. no one did it was a great experience. Except my Sis got arrested...go figure i guess i just have bad luck lol.
and ive only triped once sense but it was a good time.
But i guess what im trying to get at is, life will throw you some twists and turns you just gotta know you will be fine and make it through. It comes to help you know your self i suppose.
Trip when the time is right not to just get fucked up.
Sorry for the superlong post i hope it helped you.
2much2fast
-Peace
"Still got it?Dont step on it "

 

[slimvictor]

LSD is not something to be played with as a toy.
It can mess you up long-term.
If you don't feel confident of your mental/emotional stability (and that is the tone I detect in your post) I would strongly recommend avoiding all drugs until things change.

Anyone who tells you that LSD cannot cause serious problems from a single dose is either ignorant or lying.
However, it is possible to use LSD in a responsible, careful manner.
This involves never, ever using LSD when you are not feeling stable and secure.
It also involves knowing your source, your dosage and how the drug affects you.
Additionally, set and setting are crucial.

If you are thirsting for a psychedelic experience but not feeling very stable, it is better to wait.
If you still insist on taking something, I would suggest looking into mescaline / San Pedro, which seems like a better choice for avoiding freakouts, to me.
(This observation is based on dozens of personal experiences with each, but also on a study of the proportion of "Train Wrecks" and "Bad Trips" listed on Erowid under each chemical. You will notice that the percentage of all experience reports classified as one of these is much, much higher for LSD than for mescaline or cacti.)

 

[SecondPull]

^This. Difficult trips can be legitimately traumatizing.

BUT, these difficult experiences can catalyze some amazing personal growth if you can engage with them in the right way, examining the experience as a manifestation of your internal state going into the trip. They can be a window into your flaws, your insecurities, your fears...being able to face these things directly is important to your self-development.

If you are firmly aware of your emotional state going into the trip, it is unlikely that you will run into anything that you can't handle after a few days of sobriety.

 

[Wizard of Radical]

Firstly, MaybeHad... fuck, thats all I can say.

And Slim, I agree entirely, a psychedelic experience is never something to insist upon. However if I was overly keen mescalito wouldn't be my choice, it is far to deep of an experience to waste messing around.

I was just wondering if people who do have lasting issues as a result of LSD have it due to a single bad experience or from prolonged use. Obviously both are possible, I was just interested to know if anyone had any details.

*Just saw the last post before I put this up, cheers SecondPull.

 

[arohydro]

As important as it is to outline the potential dangers associated with psychedelic use, I'd argue that it might not be as likely as someone would infer from the tone of this thread. Or perhaps this is an attempt at personal reassurance. : P

Either way, I agree that you should only trip if you are confident of the dosage, chemical, your mental stability, and the environment in which the drugs will be affecting you. While I can't say how LSD or another psychedelic will affect any given individual, generally, there is little risk in the lower dosage range of traumatic experiences. You're *grounded* enough that you can most often rationalize your way out of any fear the trip furnishes for you in earnest.