Is it bad to read about bad trips?

[Gianluca]

So I've taken psychedelics for about a year, finally broke through on DMT and the last week or so I have been running into way too many stories about horrible trips.

I am curious, if I keep filling my head with the horrible trip stories can that maybe lead to a bad trip? So far I have been lucky, every single trip that I have had has just been nothing but amazing.

I wanted to try another round with DMT but now I think I worried myself off of it from reading all these horror stories from others.

 

[TheIdea]

Whether you think it will , or think it wont , your probably right :thumb_up:

 

[obliguhl]

It does not matter, because these experiences do not apply to you. I've read tons of "bad trip reports" where i thought "Man, what a interesting trip, what is he complaining about?" What you may deem horrible, is thrilling to another person.

Then, it also depends on how trusting you are. I trust DMT to deliver what is good for me. And if thats a "bad trip" then be it...i know that it was necessary.

 

[CatchThirtyThr33]

Then, it also depends on how trusting you are. I trust DMT to deliver what is good for me. And if thats a "bad trip" then be it...i know that it was necessary.

I've found this to be more true with DMT than with other psychedelics. The few times that I've had uncomfortable or frightening experiences, I've always felt like that is what was needed at the time. Whether it be caused by overuse or turmoil in my personal life, I've found that whatever trip that's presented to me is the one that I am supposed to have.

 

[hug46]

I think it very much depends on what sort of person you are and how easily influenced you can be. There are some folk who feel that reading trip reports before partaking can lead to certain expectations, whether it be entity contact, self dribbling basketballs or a bad trip.

I say wait till you are in a good headspace, relaxed and go for it. Those bad trips that you read about belong to other people. They are not your concern (although quite interesting to read i have to say). I also agree with Obliguhl. One persons bad trip maybe another"s interesting interaction.

There are also plenty of stories about wonderfully exuberant trips.

 

[○]

It does not matter, because these experiences do not apply to you. I've read tons of "bad trip reports" where i thought "Man, what a interesting trip, what is he complaining about?" What you may deem horrible, is thrilling to another person.

Then, it also depends on how trusting you are. I trust DMT to deliver what is good for me. And if thats a "bad trip" then be it...i know that it was necessary.

bam

 

[brokenChild]

Depends on how detached from the information you can be. if you're easily influenced, as mentioned above, then it can certainly play on your own fears and paranoia, making your own trip not as grand as it could have been. But, if you have the capacity to read from a detached, informational standpoint without letting it affect you on a personal level, then it shouldn't create a problem

 

[Gianluca]

Thanks guys. I guess I'll just have to wait to see what happens next time I try it. So far I held off today, might just wait till this weekend to make sure my mind is clear.

 

[Aviator]

That's pretty much all you can do.

One journey will be mild and leave you wanting more. Then ten minutes after you come back you go again and end up meeting god, lose your mind, and sob like a baby for 15 minutes after. Happened to me :lol:

One of the things that makes it so fascinating is that it's not predictable. Whatsoever.

 

[Aviator]

I wanted to share this with you.

Maybe, it could put you more at ease.

 

[universecannon]

You can learn a lot of useful things from reading peoples experiences, bad trips included. I've read many rough trips that have helped me a long the way...things to watch out for...things to try out..tips and tricks...etc. I think By pooling together our experiences we together undergo a kind of collective learning, in some ways. And after a very intense, confusing, and challenging experience it also is very comforting to hear that many others have been in the same boat, and that they turned out just fine.

I also think it can be important to realize that there is some very serious risks involved, and horrific experiences beyond just the typical rough/bad trip can and do happen to some. Most people though, even after reading about bad trips and experiencing them first hand, assume that a truly train-wreck freakout experience will never happen to them. Not to frighten people off but these ones can be like enduring an infinite of hell IME (for me its only happened when combining cannabis with a high dose of lsd or mushrooms) and people should know that they exist and can happen before just thinking that it will never happen since they're already a seasoned journeyer.

But reading about bad trips too much doesn't sound like a great idea to me. It goes without saying that your mindset going into the experience plays a massive role so it might not be the best idea to have a head filled with accounts of people having rough experiences.

 

[Metanoia]

I find the 'bad' trips often more enduring than the good ones. Sure, it's fun and pleasant to feel euphoric and experience something really positive and uplifting. But the bad ones, the really terrible experiences, those are the ones that have stuck with me. And I've learned A LOT from them, which is something I want from psychedelics; learning.

Maybe I'm being too judgmental here, but I feel that if you're not ready for a hellish type experience, you may not be ready for something as powerful as DMT. Because with repeated use eventually you're bound to have a negative experience. Don't be afraid of it. Use it. Learn from it. We often learn much more from all the negative aspects of life than the happiness and joy.

 

[Gianluca]

Ahh Alan Watts, I alway's love videos like the ones you posted,thanks!

Dioxippus, well just because I have yet to have a bad trip doesn't mean I should give up DMT. I've followed the main advice of set and setting so many times so that I can hopefully have great trips. I guess for me it just sucks that on these trips there is so much beauty that I see for hours on end, it kind of sucks thinking that at the other end a bad trip can await at any moment.

In all the horrible things I have to deal with daily, and see on the news,etc. It's just a blessing to have nice trips is all...

 

[Felnik]

I think you can learn quite a bit from other peoples bad
Trips . There are consistent themes if you read carefully.
Mostly bad or careless preperation , underestimating the power
Of the stuff , bad mixtures like alcohol and other drugs.
Unmeasured doses or Doing it too much without a break.

In most cases a bad trip is the result of one of these.
Read other peoples bad experiences to learn what not to do .

In terms of the actual content of people's trips I would
Not believe anything . I'm a firm advocate of stripping as much
Human projection out of the whole thing as possible .

There is a transition point in a breakthrough type trip
When the mechanism kicks in and there is clear separation of the self from
"It" .

Also to say that you never know what your gonna get is not necessarily
A truism. If you do it long enough you begin to know what your gonna get
And how to get it .

 

[Global]

I think the beliefs you carry about what that other dimension is and who exactly is there and what their impact on you is can factor in quite heavily to how you interpret a trip as good or not. You may encounter certain phenomena that while they may have normally would have seemed benign could be quite threatening with a different set of beliefs. The way you inform yourself about hyperspace can definitely have a strong psychological impact on the way you react to certain stimuli.

 

[Ryusaki]

I like to read about complete trainwrecks and fuckups. If other people make serious mistakes, i don't have to repeat them.
Also in my personal experience there is no such thing as a bad trip. Difficult and exhausting, yes; but whenever i got one of these, i felt better afterwards, even better then after a positive experience. (its like a trade, i suffer first, but feel better later).

I never had the feeling that the experiences of other people has much influence on my own. The only thing which could get irretating is a strong expectation.

Don't be afraid of "bad" trips. Its like the other side of the medal. For these kind of experiences the saying becomes true: Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.
Important is that you stay humble and acceptant, and that you don't fight it (or it becomes stronger)

 

[universecannon]

Also in my personal experience there is no such thing as a bad trip. Difficult and exhausting, yes; but whenever i got one of these, i felt better afterwards, even better then after a positive experience. (its like a trade, i suffer first, but feel better later).

For me this is often true, but what i was getting at in my other post is that there is also a kind of bad trip that goes beyond that which, when all is said and done, is more like a step backwards than a step forward in your personal growth...You may learn something...but it might not be much more than "well, don't do that again!" :lol:

So for me there can be a big difference between very difficult and rough experiences that are a step forward in the end, and trainwreck type experiences that you wish you had never undergone.

 

[brokenChild]

^^I can quite agree with this logic, when I was younger and dumber I decided to eat mushrooms and play some alcoholic games, mushrooms drowned out the alcohol and at the time felt bulletproof. When the mushrooms trip weened off, I almost died from alcohol poisoning, like literally almost died... physically and actually. Luckily tons of hydration helped me barely miss the train.

In any case, use it wisely and respect the medicine, and don't polymedicate :d

 

[ajscent]

You need some bad trips , need to get some under your belt , like doin a bitta time , get some under your belt . The paranoia afterwards will be the making of you

 

[Metanoia]

Dioxippus, well just because I have yet to have a bad trip doesn't mean I should give up DMT. I've followed the main advice of set and setting so many times so that I can hopefully have great trips. I guess for me it just sucks that on these trips there is so much beauty that I see for hours on end, it kind of sucks thinking that at the other end a bad trip can await at any moment.

In all the horrible things I have to deal with daily, and see on the news,etc. It's just a blessing to have nice trips is all...

I wasn't necessarily saying to give it up. But isn't it true, of most people, who choose not to do psychedelics that they're simply afraid of the power of the experience? That they're afraid of having a bad trip and freaking out? Of losing their minds? It's funny, when I ask people about this, they often say that these trips are all a product of the mind. So then I ask them why they think they may have a hellish experience. If the trip is a product of their own psyche, then they must feel it's pretty dark and scary down there :lol:

In essence it's like being afraid of your own shadow. Everyone has one. It's a part of you. Sometimes we're faced with it and it's frightening. But...

"How can I be substantial if I fail to cast a Shadow? I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole; and inasmuch as I become conscious of my Shadow I also remember that I am a human being like any other."

Also to say that you never know what your gonna get is not necessarily
A truism. If you do it long enough you begin to know what your gonna get
And how to get it .

I cringe at this. It's exactly when I think I know what I'm in for that the tables get turned. This has happened too many times for me to think otherwise. It's tricky business....tricky, tricky.....