(PHR) I learned this so I wanted to share it.

[neversickanymore]

Welcome to the PHR I learned this so I wanted to share thread. This thread is place where people can share wisdom and lessons they have learned that pertain to psychedelic wellness promotion and harm reduction. Please feel free and encouraged to share lessons you have learned the easy way.. or possibly the hard way around harm reduction associated with psychedelic substances. These can do with any subject at all associated with promoting positive results and avoiding negative ones when taking Psychedelic substances. They can pertain to anything.. be it setting up the campsite before starting to trip, testing to make sure you have what you think, tripping with a trip buddy in "foreign lands", or whatever you have learned in regards to harm reduction. Please feel free to include a personal story about how you learned this wisdom. Lets share our knowledge.

 

[Foreigner]

Most of my psychedelic trips are high dose and not in public, but even smaller amounts open me up to such a degree that it's difficult to tolerate too much interpersonal interaction and public spaces.

Aside from that, the most important thing I've learned about doing psychedelics is to make sure my nutritional reserves are up to par for the experience I'm about to have, and that includes neurotransmitter levels. If I've been feeling run down lately, even if I want to do a psychedelic I'll probably avoid it until my body and mind feel more solid. While doing an actual trip, it's important for me to have nourishment already prepared so I can easily access it. The food helps ground me within the trip, and also provides my body with the precursors needed to fuel the experience. I notice that if I'm getting hungry but ignoring it, the visuals start to look less and less magnificent. They get a dull edge to them and a lack of brightness. If I eat, they come back alive again.

I setup my home to be interactive with lots of art, crystals, nice music, candle light, comfy places to relax, etc. I have to feel safe and provided for. Ideally it's better to trip with another person but there are so few people I can handle being around on psychedelics that I tend to just go it alone. The one exception to that is LSD. I'd never want to be alone on that.

 

[Maya]

I would like to extend this thread into noting my experiences with MDMA and MDA. My experiences were bittersweet due to the most amazing euphoria I have encountered during the trips and also, the nasty effects I have gone through due to higher doses and not testing the drugs.

The incredible feelings from ingesting the drugs are incomparable to any type of drug I have taken, but due to careless usage, it also gave me the most horrible experience with my drug use. I have learned that it is very important to first of all, test the product to make sure it is pure. Secondly, proper dosing should always be followed, not only due to my experience but also through the stories that are posted with regards to the effects after the trip. Thirdly would be the spacing of doing the drugs, IME, waiting after a month is much better than taking every week or every two weeks consecutively but I would say that it is safer to take the drugs twice a year.

 

[neversickanymore]

Some of the things I have learned over my time traveling would include.

1) Set the campsite up before taking a dose. Having things in a good place before ignition can be key.
2) Its good to have a trip buddy when tripping at big festivals, concerts, etc.
3) More is not necessarily better.
4) Mixing more than one strong psychedelic can make people eat dirt.. literally, both actually trying to eat dirt and also pass away.
5) Taking a minute to look at surroundings is a good idea before one takes a ticket. I know its amazing to find ones car or campsite after four hours of searching but its even better to never have lost it in the first place.
6) think about when you will likely peak and put a little effort into timing this with a proper setting. Its way better to be peaking begining of second set than just about to when the third oncore is done.
7) I think giving ones self time to integrate what we learn while tripping into our lives is key.. We probably have all been or talked to a cat that needs to do this. Im sure their thoughts makes sense to them, but unfortunately reality is a bitch. So I think its really good to take time to assimilate what we learn back into reality. Spinning ones self is great.. being spun has its drawbacks.
8) nakedness is all good, but around ignorant drunk rednecks it may not be a safe thing to do.
9) I think that preparing for and going into trip with a cleared mind is very beneficial. A little exercise and some meditation pre trip are things I have found to promote wellness and positive outcomes. I do not think that going into a trip with a turbulent mind isn a great idea, unless its advised by a professional who is using psychedelics as a tool in healing.
10) Never fight the trip.. role with it and don't fight what its showing you. When in doubt, its all good.. smile, smile, smile.

Mind set, location and mood, and a little pre planning can go a long ways to ensure our voyages land on sunny white sand beaches.

 

[neversickanymore]

"1. Know your limits. Try not to be that person who gets too fucked up to function at a show. Believe me, it's not fun to be the babysitter when you were expecting to enjoy yourself.

2. On the flip side, if you do make a mistake and go overboard once, learn from that mistake and don't repeat it. If you've had more than one bad experience with a particular substance, acknowledge that it might be time to throw in the towel with that specific party enhancer. Again: KNOW YOUR LIMITS.

3. Try not to buy drugs from strangers. At the very least, try to get a recommendation from a friend. I've met drug dealers I didn't know who sold me quality product with which I had an enjoyable evening, and I've met others selling shit that caused mass freak-outs at events because it wasn't what the dealer said it was. Buyer be-very-ware.
4. Educate yourself. I've talked to party girls spun out of their skulls on pressed molly who were horrified at the offer of a little pot-smoking session, explaining, "I only take pills because they aren't real drugs." Regardless of whether you approve of marijuana, I think we can all agree that stance is ridiculous. Learn as much as you can about what you're ingesting, what it's doing to your brain and body, the risks and the potential side effects. It should go without saying, but just in case: If comes in a pill form -- even if it comes from a pharmacy -- that doesn't mean it's a risk-free substance.

5. Educate yourself some more. You'll make friends at shows -- friends who might offer you free drugs, which is always fun. So know what free drugs might be available to you, and then determine the free drugs you'll accept with a smile and which ones you'll politely but firmly decline, and keep those boundaries crystal clear in your head, because you won't be thinking at your best if someone offers you more drugs after you're already under the influence. And if you are already under the influence and someone offers you more drugs, it's good for your life expectancy to know how those drugs are going to interact.

6. Buddy up. If your plan is to go to a show and take drugs, make sure there are at least one or two people in attendance you can trust and that you're checking in with someone throughout the night.

7. Look out for your friends -- and other people, too. If the girl standing next to you who you've been chatting with suddenly seems disproportionately messed-up, and the dude standing next to her, whom she's given no indication of knowing at all during the evening, is trying to lead her away, you have a responsibility in that situation. Step up. Say, "Excuse me, that's my friend," and wait for an explanation about what he's doing -- even if you just met. That's a lot easier with people you know, because you can identify normal and abnormal behavior more readily, but I think it behooves all of us to make musical spaces safe spaces for everyone and call out creeps.

8. If despite all of your precautions, shit is still hitting the fan, then do the right thing and get medical attention as soon as possible. Even if your religious family will be mad at you, even if you'll have to talk to cops while you're high. There are a lot of things in life you can overcome, including criminal charges and court cases; death, though, isn't one of them, and there's too much beautiful music in the world to leave it early because someone -- maybe you -- lacked a little responsibility and perspective."

Backbeat

http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2014/08/drugs_music_festivals_advice.php?page=2

 

[SnackAttack]

Set and Setting.