Preparing for an LSD trip after a 22 year hiatus.

[Mister_Niles]

The other day, some LSD found me. I wasn't looking for it. It just showed up. I was gifted 4 drops of liquid on altoids
(1 drop per candy). I gave a couple away immediately and saved two. I may only take one and give the other away. I'm in my mid 40's and I can't see myself taking LSD very often. Plus, I'm more interested in exploring mushroms at this point in my life.
One of the reasons I'm going to take LSD is related to an ongoing problem with intractable headaches. My headache, which has been with me for years now on a pretty much constant basis is only "helped" by opiates, which I can't take, because I like them too much, while simultaneously hating them. I'm in the process of tapering off of amitriptyline. Down from 20 mgs a day to 5 mgs and doing fine. I don't think it helped my headache, jusy made me sleepy at night and groggy in the morning. I plan on finishing my taper and giving the drug a week or two to clear my system before taking the LSD.
My headache has been diagnosed as "classic tension type headache". I've heard that LSD works for cluster and migraine headaches, but I've also been told that pretty much all headaches are actually migraines. I've also been told by my neurologist that no one actually understands what headaches really are. So, after years of different treatments, from massage to nerve block injections, I'm going to try the psychedelic approach.

Any advice on preparing for the trip? I have decided to trip solo. The older I get the less I want to trip with others. I will find a time when my wife and son will be out of the house for a day and I have the next day to recover. Turn off all cell phones and other communication devices. I am starting to really clean my house in preparation for future mycology experiments. Throwing out/giving away some old stuff. Any other advice?

 

[universecannon]

That'll be an interesting feeling to come back to it again after 22 years...i can't even fathom it.

I hope it helps your headaches, I've heard good things about it in that regard. Do mushrooms help at all?

The more I prepare my state of mind the better my lsd trips seem to be. Even just meditating/yoga a bit everyday in the days beforehand can make a really big difference for me, especially if i then do it during the experience...yoga type movements or even just dance helps me deal with the stimulation/tension that can arise. Acid can be "abrasively psychoanalytical", for lack of a better term, so trying to build some calm coherence in my mind beforehand is very important for me in order to soften that aspect of it. Lsd can blow me over pretty good and leave me in pieces but I've found that with the right kind of willpower it is a bit easier to 'steer' than mushrooms, for me at least.

Enjoy :]

 

[Gone-and-Back]

I have heard good things in regards to LSD helping headaches, regardless of their origin. Hopefully it will work well for you.

As far as preparing for the experience, I would say just make sure your tripping space is nicely cleaned and not too cluttered. I have found this to be a bother when tripping on any type of substance. Make sure to have a calm mind too, do some meditation for a while before taking it. Maybe do so for the week leading up to the experience, the clearer your mind the better it will be.

Id suggest having some good music playing too, anything that is mellow yet somewhat spacey and trippy is great to listen to for me. Or even something more on the rock side but not anything heavy, something like the Doors or the Beatles, these have been good choices in the past for me.

Have something around that will help you in a hard time as well. If things get to hectic, its nice to have something from the material world to hold onto and look at to remind you of where you are and who you are, something to ground you. I have even found myself holding onto my two foot acrylic while tripping to hard on mushrooms, thinking that if I let go I would float away and never come back. It helped me relax and realize that I was still here and not going to drift off into some strange place that I couldnt come back from.

Other then that just relax and enjoy the ride LSD can be a magnificent thing.

 

[Mister_Niles]

I've never been very good at meditating. I usually fall asleep. I've been trying it more often though. I will add it to my daily to do list. Thanks for the reminder of how important that can be.

Music too. I once became Another Green World by Brian Eno on a trip in the late 80's. Have to make sure that's around.

And as for things to keep me grounded, pictures of my wife and son should do. Valium on hand for extreme circumstances. For one or two hits that shouldn't be needed... famous last words.

 

[CuriousSeeker]

Hi Mr_N, You and I are similar in situation and psychedelic hiatus. My approach of these tools is much different during this phase of my life than it was many years ago in college.

In addition to the many good set and setting suggestions above, I find that writing down my intentions for the trip can make it more useful (i.e. therapeutic). This is not a one time writing exercise but more like journaling where I'll write a few sentences or paragraphs about whatever things are weighing heavily on my mind, and add to it over several days or weeks prior to the trip. During the experience I write some "field notes," though those that are legible are either of the form, "You had to be there!" or show the utter futility of adequately capturing these experiences with language. Naturally, I do write alot more after the trip, and sometimes find additional insight.

It sounds like you are going to have a great time, good travels to you!

CS

 

[Mister_Niles]

CuriousSeeker: Wonderful ! I will start journaling today. What a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?

My approach is much more cautious and respectful. I don't know how many times I was handed some lsd and just popped it in my mouth with no thought at all to set and setting. With no thought at all most of the time. Just made sure I had access to music and cigarettes. I'm surprised I had so few bad experiences. Most of the negative aspects came in the days after the trip, in the form of anxiety. This was the 80's, during the "Just Say No" days, and all of the literature I had read was negative propaganda or old scientific literature. I think a lot of the anxiety came from fear that I might be damaging myself in some way. The internet can be a wonderful thing. I know so much more now...

But even armed with this knowledge and many full breakthroughs on DMT under my belt I find myself approaching my upcoming trip with quite a bit of trepidation. I guess this is a good thing. It's not outright fear. It's just worry that I won't have all of my ducks in a row. It's also the fear of unknown dosage. I never cared before. I would just eat as many hits as possible in most cases.

Here's the thing: So I was gifted this lsd. The guy who gave it to me had accidentally left the lid off of the bottle and he said that quite a bit of the alcohol had evaporated.... he thinks. So I may be in for quite a ride. He said it was clean and good, but who knows what that means?

Another step I've decided to take is to use a reagent kit. I've been told that this is the real deal stuff. From "the family", but better safe than sorry. At the very least, it will assure me that I do indeed have the real thing.