Why Can Bad Trips Cause PTSD While Difficult Ones May Treat It?

[SensoryArchetype]

There's been a lot of talk about MDMA or cannabis helping with PTSD. My understanding is with MDMA people can expose themselves to the trauma in a safe environment to become habituated and come to terms with it; while cannabis lowers anxiety and bad memories, respectively.

At the same time, I know many people find consensus in the fact that bad trips on Mushrooms or LSD can cause PTSD. You could even look at trouble integrating the cognitive dissonance or perceptions from DMT as a form of PTSD.

But at the same time, you don't hear as much about Ibogaine or Ayuascha causing PTSD.

I guess my question has a few parts. But even MDMA could be described as overwhelming from a pyschoactive standpoint subjectively at high dosages or the come-up.

So what is the difference in the experiences? Is it the aspect of reliving experiences that is helpful, rather than percieving new ones?

MDMA or Ibogaine may cycle you through life-stories as a character of effects, but LSD shows you new things. Can the way these substances act help us understand treating PTSD better naturally?

I guess basicially, does this mean that bad trips create bad memories while difficult trips give meaning to the reasoning behind hard times?

If the mods could place this appropriately I'd really appreciate it. I know this sort of jumps around.

 

[SensoryArchetype]

sorry, i forgot to mention; can one of the mods send this over to "MAPS discussion"? Thanks.

 

[herbavore]

I guess my question has a few parts. But even MDMA could be described as overwhelming from a pyschoactive standpoint subjectively at high dosages or the come-up.

So what is the difference in the experiences? Is it the aspect of reliving experiences that is helpful, rather than percieving new ones?

I would think the reason that it is effective is because it is an integrated therapy. You are choosing to enter into the traumatic memory with a complete support system around you. You have a guide in the form of the therapist and you also have your own willingness and intention going into the session to confront the trauma with the aid of the drug and the therapist. By contrast, when you suffer recurring trauma from the original trauma it usually comes at you seemingly out of the blue in the form of panic attacks etc. so there is a sense of being completely out of control or maybe a better way to put it is the trauma is in control of you.