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LSD - Recurring bad trip of uncontrollable manic laughter

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psychexplorer

Greenlighter
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Mar 21, 2013
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Ok, needing a little advice, looked this up and haven't really found anything on it.

Did LSD with a friend, it was his second time, the music stopped for what seemed like an age, and a very random song came on that we found hysterical. We laughed and laughed, and cryed and laughed and it just seemed like it wouldn't stop, like I was mentally trying to block out thinking about it because everytime I did I would be back in fits of laughter.

My friend had a bit more trouble curbing his laughter than I did, after a while I managed to stop it but he just couldn't stop his brain reverting back to thinking about it and I could tell he was a bit worried, the laughing at this stage lost it's warm tone and adopted the tone of laughing you would imagine to hear at a mental asylum.

It continued for a while and I think we both ended up dropping some benzo's to calm the situation down, which helped.

We embarked on a second trip some months later, and stupidly I mentioned about half way through the trip "how weird was that uncontrollable laughter thing mate" - and it kicked it off again. He was back at it. He would calm down and then I would see in my peripheral vision him trying to battle with the fits of laughter, bottling it up then unleashing again. And once again benzo's were used to calm it down (I gave him a few too many in hind sight as he was passing in and out of consciousness while tripping at this level)

I'm basically worried about tripping with him again, as I thought, for it to happen twice, it may have ingrained the memory.

Any one experienced anything like this or have any advice? I basically know that if I was him then it would be on my mind on the come up next time.
 
I thought the maniacal mad scientist laughter was part of the fun ;) Anyway, of all the problems to run across while tripping this seems pretty manageable.

Lowering the dose by 1/3 to 1/2 might help. A calming agent a little less serious than benzos might work as well. A couple beers or a glass of wine, perhaps kava if you're into the herbal thing. Or you could just go with the laughter & then use a muscle relaxer the following day to deal with the resulting face soreness.
 
I think part of the problem could be related to you using benzos. Maybe the laughter was something that needed to come out and run its complete course. By giving him benzos he might not have gotten everything out of it that was therapeutically necessary, which is why it came back that second time. This is all speculative of course, but I for one am very much against the use of benzos except when the situation is really really life threatening. Difficult experiences usually have a reason and people who come out of it alive, will say that it was an experience in which they learned a great deal.

Also, I agree that deep uncontrollable laughter is one of the greatest side effects of psychedelics. I don't mind them at all. Perceiving how ridiculously relative everything is is a very refreshing experience, for me. Next time, don't fight it, let it run its course and rest assured that you're not mad. It's the outside world that is. :)

And yes, lowering the dose might not be such a bad idea.
 
That is not a "bad" trip. You'll know when you're having a bad trip. It's definitely nastier than laughing your arse off.

It can start to hurt when you get the acid giggles, but it's part of the experience. I think Reverend had it spot on, sounds like your friend needed to get some energy out of his system in the form of laughter. Not to be a dick and quote Martha Stewart, but it's a good thing ;)

Realising the absurdity of your own existence is definitely hilarious. Acid is great for this.
 
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We've all had this trip man. With the group of people I had this with I just couldn't really trip normally for a while because of "it" (the laughter? the reason for the laughter? the psychedelic mind can be really weird). At a certain point in the trip I just went home because it was just too stupid. It felt quite psychotic at the time, but all in good spirits.

It all faded though and now they're just fond memories. Every time I say something I said during that trip often ends up in a sober version of the manic laughter. Just don't worry too much about the weird nature of things like this, it's all part of tripping I feel.
 
ahahhahaahahahahahaha. seriously, this thread made me crack a huge grin at work.

Reminds me of a time my friend got puddled at a festival and proceeded to lay on the floor of our tent for like 10 hours laughing hysterically crying asking us to help her stop hahaha, I went out and explored the festival for hours came back at daylight and she was still in the same fit of laughter aparently. They called her giggles.


Careful though... Wouldn't want to end up like the guy who laughed so hard his nose fell out of his brain.

seriously though, let the man laugh!!!
 
I think the problem is more that you're relying too much on benzos at the first sign of trouble. Maybe you and your friend can try some non-pharmaceutical ways to calm yourselves down, such as deep breathing or meditating. Another trick is to go outside and take your shoes off and stand with your bare feet on the ground; that can be really, uh, grounding. :)

Also, maybe you should ask your friend when you're both sober how he felt at the time, he may not have experienced it as being as bad as you seem to think it is.
 
I've had that same feeling about laughter on mushrooms, while it is 90% of the time amazing, it can go bad in that sort of freakish mental asylum carnival clown laughter than can be terrifying.

Not really sure what else to tell you, maybe lower the dose? Try distracting yourself, I know it's a hard thing to do because you can't force yourself to not think about something because you're thinking about it by trying to (which can lead to some nastier time loops). Go for a walk or something, it's really one of the most effective ways to calm down on a trip if you ask me, it's simple and causes your environment to change slightly which will shift your train of thought.
 
I dont find the laughter thing an issue, I laughed for some time, I felt like I couldn't stop, I stopped myself, it was over. It's my friend, I feel bad watching him when I can see in his face he thinks he's going insan

We spoke about it after the first time and I made the same suggestion, that maybe its because we tried to fight it and we should have let it run its course, which is what we tried to let happen the second time, but like I said, there is only so long you can wait.

And call it what you will, I know what a bad trip is, call it an inconvenient trip. Either way it's not enjoyable when your friend is a laughing, blithering mess when it's just you two. You can't converse with anyone, you can't really enjoy music, and you feel slightly uneasy that your the only sane one in the room.

Either way, Ive only ever had it happen with him, and it was very interesting none the less - the laughter was deep and truly uncontrollable. I was tearing more so than if I was truly crying at how hard I was crying.
 
Well, I'm sorry, but if you put it that way: shame on you. You give him a benzo because you felt bad and couldn't communicate with him? And there's only so long you can wait? Before what happens? It sounds like you have all kinds of expectations that aren't fulfilled. Don't medicate your friend for it. I'm serious, from where I'm coming from that's a very big no no.

And inconvenient and bad are very much not the same thing. I doubt there really even is such a thing as a bad trip, but that's a bit besides the issue (or maybe it isn't). Shutting out things that are inconvenient is not something I would recommend, because they're mostly inconvenient for a reason - that's how psychedelics work most of the time - but trying to cancel something that's inconvenient because you yourself don't know how to deal with it, is something else entirely.

Maybe it's an idea to discuss how you can deal with it the next time it happens. Go outside, go some place quiet where you can have your own trip, and let your friend know where you are so you can still be there for him. And laughter really is a good medicine, so maybe he needed it. Maybe he still does. Take it easy! :)
 
I completely disagree with those saying this isn't a possible part of a bad trip. Any invasive or looping thoughts can be unpleasant while tripping, no matter how pleasant they may appear to outsiders. I imagine in this case it is like being tickled when it is unpleasant. You are not enjoying it, but the laughter is an involuntary response to a stimulus.

That said, I would not have resorted to benzos. Many trips have challenging moments like this, they are what forces us to learn and grow from our experiences and hitting the panic button every time makes us less able to cope when the panic button is nowhere to be seen.

The most useful defence a tripper can have against bad trips is the ability to change the setting. Changing the music, the lighting, the room or just about anything can have a huge influence on the mindset of a person who is tripping and this makes it an invaluable technique.

Consider also that challenging moments in a trip can be an incredible opportunity for the development of one's character and you may come to the conclusion that many others have - that benzos are great but really ought to be a last resort.
You can draw a parallel outside of the context of illegal drug use to those that drink heavily when times get tough. Instead of dealing with the hurdles that life presents they retreat to the bar, and they tend to be very immature as a result.
 
Well, kind off. If you're just sitting with a friend it very often ends up in laughter, sober or not. If you take that to the psychedelic experience it's obviously going to intensify. Add to that that it's quite normal to think you're going insane or have loops and you'll end up in a situation like OP's friend. If you start oppressing the laughter mentally then you have a problem, especially if you're just sitting there and looking at each other. (Remember back in high school when a teacher would ask you to stop laughing? but then you'd end up laughing even more? Not laughing is funny by itself)

However, if you get your mind to focus on something you'll snap right out of it. Like suggested, go for a walk or something. IMO it's just not as manic as one might think at first glance because the situation itself is just really funny.

Not that I'm here to deny the experience of others, but it's worrying and over thinking that gets you there (in this particular situation especially)
 
Psychs can bring about things which are suppressed. So maybe it's just suppressed laughter. I'm sure it's good to get out of the system
 
The single most important factor i've come to understand with psychedelics in a group environment is usually what you think is happening with someone else, is really whats happening with you; they act as a mirror to your insecurities.

From my perspective it sounds like your were grappling with the fear of losing control, your friend laughing was the 'elephant in the room', and as much as you wanted to ignore the possibility of being insane it was right in your face with him laughing uncontrollably.

I've been in that situation dozens of times, that when you really break it down.. its all you, in one way or another. And he's likely going through his own process..
 
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malakaix said:
The single most important factor i've come to understand with psychedelics in a group environment is usually what you think is happening with someone else, is really whats happening with you; they act as a mirror to your insecurities.

From my perspective it sounds like your were grappling with the fear of losing control, your friend laughing was the 'elephant in the room', and as much as you wanted to ignore the possibility of being insane it was right in your face with him laughing uncontrollably.

I've been in that situation dozens of times, that when you really break it down.. its all you, in one way or another. And he's likely going through his own process..
Click to expand...

This is so true. Your ego plays lots of tricks. the stuff in blue is definetly the Universe having an absurdly funny time.

And at the risk for sounding a bit hippie-like - In my defense I have just read "Be Love Now" from Alpert.
Stop projecting your insecurities and instead project Love, that's what (I now think that) it's about.
I'm not saying it's easy, I struggle with it everyday, but still, the idea has merit.

I mostly trip alone and have had huge fits of laughter, only later thinking: if someone should see this, they would think I am mad.
That's my ego projecting, I think.
 
Transform said:
I completely disagree with those saying this isn't a possible part of a bad trip. Any invasive or looping thoughts can be unpleasant while tripping, no matter how pleasant they may appear to outsiders. I imagine in this case it is like being tickled when it is unpleasant. You are not enjoying it, but the laughter is an involuntary response to a stimulus.

That said, I would not have resorted to benzos. Many trips have challenging moments like this, they are what forces us to learn and grow from our experiences and hitting the panic button every time makes us less able to cope when the panic button is nowhere to be seen.

The most useful defence a tripper can have against bad trips is the ability to change the setting. Changing the music, the lighting, the room or just about anything can have a huge influence on the mindset of a person who is tripping and this makes it an invaluable technique.

Consider also that challenging moments in a trip can be an incredible opportunity for the development of one's character and you may come to the conclusion that many others have - that benzos are great but really ought to be a last resort.
You can draw a parallel outside of the context of illegal drug use to those that drink heavily when times get tough. Instead of dealing with the hurdles that life presents they retreat to the bar, and they tend to be very immature as a result.
Click to expand...

malakaix said:
The single most important factor i've come to understand with psychedelics in a group environment is usually what you think is happening with someone else, is really whats happening with you; they act as a mirror to your insecurities.

From my perspective it sounds like your were grappling with the fear of losing control, your friend laughing was the 'elephant in the room', and as much as you wanted to ignore the possibility of being insane it was right in your face with him laughing uncontrollably.

I've been in that situation dozens of times, that when you really break it down.. its all you, in one way or another. And he's likely going through his own process..
Click to expand...

QFmuthafuckinT
 
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