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The Psychonauts’ Guide to Bad Trips
Psychonaut Guide to Bad Trips & Advice to the Permatripper
The realm of psychedelics is a fascinating and profound rabbit hole that has captivated countless individuals throughout human history. These mind-altering substances have the incredible ability to shatter our conventional ways of perceiving reality, propelling us into uncharted territories of consciousness exploration.
For many psychonauts, psychedelic journeys can be deeply transformative experiences, offering profound insights, emotional healing, and even spiritual awakenings. The veil of everyday perception is lifted, unveiling the sublime beauty and interconnectedness of all things. These transcendent states can instill a renewed sense of wonder, gratitude, and appreciation for the preciousness of life itself.
However, it’s crucial to approach this domain with the utmost respect and caution. Psychedelics are powerful tools that should not be trifled with. While they can catalyze immense personal growth, they also carry the potential for harm, especially when misused or taken in unsafe settings.
The cautionary tale that inspired this article comes from a fellow traveler who shared their unsettling experience on Reddit after accidentally ingesting what was likely an NBOMe compound, a dangerous synthetic psychedelic. Their harrowing journey was marred by physical discomfort, terrifying visuals, and lasting perceptual disturbances, serving as a sobering reminder of the risks associated with these powerful substances.
It is stories like these that underscore the importance of harm reduction, education, and responsible use within the psychedelic community. We must approach these sacred medicines with reverence, preparation, and a commitment to safety, lest we fall victim to their darker potentials.
In this article, we aim to impart wisdom and guidance to fellow psychonauts, drawing from both personal experiences and the collective knowledge of the psychedelic community. Our goal is to empower individuals with the tools and understanding necessary to navigate these realms safely and responsibly, minimizing potential harm while maximizing the profound benefits these substances can offer.
It’s crucial to understand that we’re dealing with a vast array of compounds, both natural and synthetic. The psychonaut who shared their harrowing experience serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers lurking within this realm.
The legendary chemist Sasha Shulgin, often referred to as the “Godfather of Psychedelics,” dedicated his life to exploring the fascinating world of psychoactive compounds. Through his groundbreaking work detailed in books like “PiHKAL” and “TiHKAL,” Shulgin synthesized and bioassayed thousands of different substances, many of which exhibited psychedelic properties.
While Shulgin’s contributions have expanded our understanding of these compounds, they also highlight a sobering reality: there are potentially thousands of synthetic psychedelics out there, many of which are legal and can be produced in clandestine laboratories. These substances may resemble classic psychedelics like LSD or psilocybin in their chemical structure, but their effects and potential consequences remain largely unknown.
The classic psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin, and DMT, have undergone extensive human testing and research, albeit often in less-than-ideal conditions due to their legal status. However, with these synthetics, we lack crucial data on their safety, dosage, and potential long-term effects. Ingesting these compounds without proper knowledge and precautions can lead to disastrous consequences, as our Reddit friend painfully discovered.
The age-old adage, “If it’s bitter, it’s a spitter,” is a good rule of thumb when it comes to identifying potential impostors, as LSD is generally tasteless. However, relying solely on taste can be a risky gamble, and we should strive for more reliable methods of substance identification.
One relatively simple and inexpensive way to test for the presence of LSD is to use Ehrlich’s reagent, a chemical solution that changes color in the presence of certain indole compounds, including LSD. By applying a small amount of the reagent to a sample of the suspected substance, a purple color will indicate the presence of LSD, providing a much higher degree of certainty than relying on taste alone.
Moreover, it’s crucial to establish a trusted and reliable source for obtaining your desired psychedelic compounds. Building relationships with reputable individuals within the psychedelic community and cross-checking their credibility can go a long way in ensuring you’re getting what you expect. Additionally, exercising caution and performing thorough research before ingesting any new substance is an absolute must.
Drug prohibition has undoubtedly made it more difficult to access accurate information and reliable testing methods, but it’s our collective responsibility as psychonauts to prioritize harm reduction and safety. By empowering ourselves with knowledge, fostering community support, and advocating for sensible drug policies, we can navigate the psychedelic realms with greater confidence and mitigate the risks associated with these powerful substances.
Even with the utmost preparation and precautions, psychedelic journeys can sometimes veer off course, leading to unsettling or overwhelming experiences. In such moments, it’s crucial to remain grounded and avoid succumbing to panic, no matter how tempting it may be when faced with hallucinatory demons mocking your every move.
The first step in regaining control is to stop, take a deep breath, and focus on the simple act of breathing. As your mind races at a thousand miles per minute, consciously following the flow of air entering and exiting your body can serve as an anchor, grounding you in the present moment. Relax your body, accept the situation you find yourself in, and let go of any resistance.
One of the biggest catalysts for exacerbating the intensity of a challenging trip is fear and panic. The more you fight against the experience, the more it will fight back. Instead, embracing a mindset of acceptance and surrender can be the key to weathering the storm. Accept that you’re in an altered state, acknowledge that you’re not feeling your best, and simply be present with whatever arises, without judgment or resistance.
It’s often helpful to find a quiet, comfortable space where you can ride out the experience without external distractions or stimuli. Enlist the support of a trusted friend or trip-sitter who can periodically check in on you while giving you the space you need to navigate the inner realms.
Remind yourself of the mantra, “What goes up must come down.” While the intensity of a psychedelic experience can feel eternal in the moment, it’s important to remember that it is a temporary state. The effects will eventually subside, typically within 12 to 16 hours, depending on the dose and substance consumed. In some cases, the journey may extend even longer, but with patience and acceptance, the turbulence will eventually give way to calmer waters.
I once found myself in an extraordinarily prolonged state after consuming a substantial amount of peyote, tripping for an entire month. While challenging, this experience taught me the importance of surrendering to the experience, acknowledging that my body and nervous system were in a heightened state of alert. By embracing a mindset of acceptance and focusing on self-care practices like deep breathing and relaxation, I was able to shift back into a parasympathetic mode and eventually return to baseline.
Relaxing amidst the chaos of a psychedelic experience is no easy feat, but it can be the key to transforming a nightmare into a more manageable, even insightful, journey. By letting go of resistance, grounding yourself in the present moment, and trusting in the temporary nature of the experience, you can navigate even the roughest of trips with greater ease and grace.
While the novelty and excitement of a psychedelic experience can be alluring, it’s crucial to recognize that the true value of these substances extends far beyond mere recreational “tripping.” A psychedelic journey has the potential to catalyze profound internal transformation, facilitate the processing of past traumas, and offer a profound sense of connection to the universe and the very fabric of consciousness itself.
However, millions of individuals approach these substances with the sole intention of “tripping out,” treating them as little more than a means to an entertaining high. This mindset inherently disrespects the sacred nature of the psychedelic experience and increases the risk of encountering its darker aspects.
Throughout history, shamans and visionaries have been the true stewards of psychedelic wisdom, navigating the turbulent waters of these realms with reverence and purpose. They understood that these experiences were not mere “trips” but profound journeys, undertaken with the utmost respect and intention.
One of the quickest paths to encountering the more challenging aspects of psychedelics is to approach them casually, dismissing their power and treating them as a source of mere pleasure or entertainment. This disregard for their transformative potential can lead to harrowing experiences, as I discovered firsthand during a month-long peyote journey. Afterward, a shaman imparted the wisdom that the “Spirit of Peyote” had prolonged my trip as a lesson in respecting these sacred medicines.
Since then, I have adopted a stance of humility and reverence, patiently waiting for the invitation of the plant allies before embarking on a psychedelic experience. I cross-check that all factors align – set, setting, timing, and intention – before proceeding. When the conditions are right, I approach the experience with the understanding that I am undertaking a transformational journey, one that demands my utmost respect and dedication.
The true power of psychedelics lies not in the fleeting thrill of the “trip” itself but in the ability to integrate the lessons and insights gained into our waking lives. By approaching these experiences with humility and intention, we can uncover profound treasures within the realms of psychedelia and bring them back to this plane of existence in a functional and applicable manner.
Chasing the trip for its own sake is akin to playing Russian roulette with a bad experience. Sooner or later, the ego will be humbled, and a profoundly challenging journey may ensue. However, even in the face of such adversity, if we maintain an open and humble mindset, these experiences can catalyze significant positive change and personal growth.
Psychedelics are not mere recreational toys but powerful tools for self-exploration and transformation. By honoring their sacred nature, approaching them with reverence and intention, and committing to the integration of their lessons, we can unlock their full potential for personal growth and spiritual awakening.
The harrowing experience shared by our fellow psychonaut serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of responsibility, respect, and caution when venturing into the realms of psychedelia. Through the three lessons outlined in this article – knowing your substances, remaining grounded during challenging experiences, and approaching these journeys with reverence and intention – we aim to empower others to navigate these powerful territories safely and purposefully.
To the courageous individual who inspired this piece, we wish you a speedy recovery and integration of the lessons learned from your ordeal. Your willingness to share your story, no matter how difficult, has the potential to prevent others from falling into similar situations and to inspire a deeper appreciation for the sanctity of psychedelic experiences.
While your journey was undoubtedly challenging, may it ultimately serve as a catalyst for personal growth, wisdom, and a renewed commitment to treading these paths with the utmost care and respect. Your experience has not been in vain, for it has sparked a ripple of awareness that may guide countless others towards more mindful and transformative explorations of consciousness.
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Understanding How The Entourage Effect Works In Psychedelic Mushrooms
Learn fascinating ways about how magic mushrooms work!
Most of us are already familiar with the entourage effect in marijuana. In essence, the entourage effect means that the therapeutic compounds in cannabis work more efficiently with one another, synergistically, to provide health benefits that are more powerful compared to when we take compounds on its own. While there are cannabis products that isolate THC and CBD, the science tells us that taking flower or full-spectrum form, where other cannabinoids and terpenes are present, are much more effective than one compound on its own.
The concept of the entourage effect was discovered in 1999 by none other than Raphael Mechoulam, the famous godfather of THC. Up until recently, most of what we know about the entourage effect has been limited to cannabis plants.
Now, there’s new data suggesting that the same can be observed when medicating with psychedelic mushrooms.
After all, psilocybin mushrooms – just like marijuana – also contain a complex array of other compounds, not just the star compound they are known for. While we do have some knowledge of how psilocybin works in the body thanks to clinical tests, keep in mind they do make use of synthesized psilocybin for research most of the time.
According to a recent study, psilocybin extracts may have more powerful health benefits for treating depression, OCD, anxiety, and PTSD to name a few because of the other psychoactive as well as non-psychoactive compounds in the mushroom. “My colleagues and I are very interested in the potential of psychedelics to treat serious, treatment resistant psychiatric disorders such as depression, PTSD, OCD and even schizophrenia,” explains Bernard Lerer, study author and a psychiatry professor and director at the Hadassah BrainLabs Center for Psychedelic Research at Hebrew University.
“There are many anecdotal and clinical reports which suggest that extract of psilocybin-containing mushrooms may have unique effects that are qualitatively and quantitatively different from chemical psilocybin, and also some preclinical studies. This observation has important clinical implications and we wanted to test it empirically in a laboratory study,” they said. So for the study, the researchers compared naturally-derived mushroom extracts to chemically made psilocybin, with the intention of discovering whether the other compounds within the extract can provide benefits that are not found when consuming isolated psilocybin.
The researchers utilized male adult mice for the trials; they were divided into groups: some were given the naturally occurring mushroom extracts, while the others were given the synthetic psilocybin. Meanwhile, others were given a control solution made of saline. Additionally, the researchers analyzed the heat twitch response (HTR) assay, which is a reputable method for analyzing the impacts of psychedelics on mice. Furthermore, the researchers analyzed the mice in a molecular and biochemical level to understand any synaptic protein expressions within the brain, which are features of neuroplasticity.
The results were astonishing: they found that the brains of the mice who were given the naturally occurring mushroom extracts showed more significant neuroplasticity markers through the presence of synaptic proteins, specifically GAP43, SV2A, PSD95, and synaptophysin. Since these proteins are required for development, synaptic growth, and neuroplasticity, these findings suggest that naturally occurring mushroom extracts may indeed have a more powerful impact compared to psilocybin isolate.
“Our findings need to be confirmed in human studies but they do suggest that there may be therapeutic advantages to psilocybin-containing mushroom extract over chemically synthesized psilocybin, when both are administered at the same psilocybin dose,” explains Lerer to Psypost.
So Much We Need To Uncover In The World Of Mushrooms
When magic mushrooms are cultivated and extracted naturally, the sub metabolites of the plant remain intact, unlike the isolated versions that are synthetically produced in a laboratory since it only contains psilocybin. There are several examples, such as the Baeocystin tryptamine, which can induce mild hallucinogenic effects. Beta-carbolines have also been discovered in psychedelic mushrooms, which can effectively help metabolize psilocin in the human body, causing a more intensive psychedelic experience.
But Why Is It Harder To Study Mushrooms Compared To Marijuana?
While the entourage effect of cannabis is already widely studied and better understood, the opposite is true when it comes to psychedelic mushrooms. There’s still so much we need to understand and study better; rodent studies are a start but translating them to humans is a whole other ball game. In addition, other experts have already acknowledged the challenges of identifying such impacts of the entourage effect.
For instance, Alan Rockefeller, a renowned mycologist who specializes in DNA sequencing as well as photography of fungi, tells Psychedelic Health: “No one really knows whether the entourage effect occurs with mushrooms.”
He goes on to elaborate the difficulties associated with studying mushrooms: “It is difficult to study because the same batch of mushrooms will have different effects in different people, and the same person on different days,” Rockefeller said. Also, it’s difficult to understand which compounds are active in a plant or mushroom, and how large the impact is for the active compounds. Researchers also need to understand the concentrations of each compound, and how different growing environments or processing can impact it.
“There are a dozen different tryptamines that can occur in mushrooms, plus a few beta-carbolines and hundreds of other molecules – so there is probably more than just psilocybin having an effect,” Rockefeller said. “Studying one compound at a time is hard enough, studying mixtures of hundreds of compounds is much more difficult. Without pure compounds, it is difficult to get repeatable results,” Rockefeller said. “It is possible that the therapeutic potential is different depending on the different compounds in the mushrooms. It’s also possible that psilocybin is the only thing that matters, and the other compounds are mostly inactive,” he said.
Conclusion
There’s so much yet that we need to know about how psychedelic mushrooms work. However, the possibilities that can be brought about by harnessing the power of the entourage effect in magic mushrooms is incredibly exciting. There is so much potential in this field that we can only truly uncover with more studies.
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People in the UK increasingly realize that CBD vaping is quite safe. Even NHS recommends CBD vaping as one of the relatively safer ways to quit smoking. Vaping is not without any harm, but it is much safer than tobacco smoking. Even more, CBD vaping is associated with some good health effects. However, now people are realizing that THC vape pens could be an even more potent way of enjoying CBD’s health benefits.
What is THC Vape?
If readers noticed that in the introduction of this text, we talked about CBD, there is a reason for that. THC vaping is different from CBD vaping, but not entirely. It has much in common with it.
The hemp plant is rich in many cannabinoids. Two major cannabinoids are THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol). It also has many minor cannabinoids in smaller amounts, like CBG, CBC, CBN, THCV and CBDV. CBD vape pens generally have all these compounds except THC.
However, THC vape differ in the way that they also contain small amounts of THC along with CBD, minor cannabinoids, and other beneficial organic compounds like terpenes for added flavour and enhanced vaping experience.
So, why do some of the vape pens have added THC in small amounts? After all, THC is known to be addictive and has mind-altering properties. Well, the explanation is simple: the secret is in the dosage. In smaller and legally permitted dosages, THC does not cause a high; it is safe and can have many health benefits.
When small amounts of THC are added to CBD, minor cannabinoids, and terpenes, it results in much more powerful health benefits. That is why some of the CBD-based clinically approved drugs also contain THC.
THC vape pens may also have some distinct benefits not experienced with CBD vape pens. This is due to “the entourage effect.” The entourage effect is a bit different from synergy. Synergy is like two-plus-two equal to five, meaning that using some compounds together results in a more potent effect, yet safety is not compromised. However, the entourage effect means combining two compounds may result in some unique health benefits not seen when those compounds are used in isolation. So, the entourage effect is more powerful and unique than synergy.
Therefore, using THC vape pens means some unique health benefits, although these vape pens contain THC in small amounts.
THC Vape: The Dangers
It is no secret that THC is the main compound responsible for all side effects of the cannabis plant. This substance is addictive and, at higher dosages, causes euphoria, has potent mind-altering properties, and may cause hallucinations.
However, there is one important thing to understand. All these effects of THC are seen at much higher dosages than those in legally produced THC vape pens.
Legally produced/sold vape pens in the UK, like those by CBDoilking, do not contain THC more than 0.2%. This is significantly lower than cannabis indica or marijuana, which may contain 25% or even more THC. So, there is no comparison between legal THC vape pens and marijuana. At these small dosages, THC does not cause euphoria or other side effects and has no addictive properties. It only has mild stress-relief properties at these dosages.
Secondly, THC vape pens sold by CBDoilking follow other important UK guidelines and legal requirements, which means that THC vape pens cannot contain more than 1 mg of THC. Hence, it is not just about low concentration but also about low amounts, thus ensuring its safety.
Safe and Potent THC vape pens
THC vape pens are for health-conscious individuals who would like to vape on a regular basis. It is safe and may have beneficial effects like reduced anxiety, improved mood, and enhanced sleep, and it may also help reduce pain sensation.
THC vape pen is even better than your regular CBD vape pen for quitting smoking. This is because it is better at reducing tobacco cravings.
CBDoilking sells one of the strongest THC vape pens in the market (75-80% CBD plus CBG along with THC in permitted amounts), and yet all pens sold on the platform follow strict legal guidelines. All the products undergo third-party testing and are proven to contain THC, CBD, and other minor cannabinoids within legally permitted and safe limits.
Another good thing about CBDoilking is that these excellent THC vape pens come in many flavours. These flavours are not due to some artificial substances but rather due to their content of terpenes. Terpenes are plant-based aromatic compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
CBDoilking offers vapes that are based on science, combining different natural compounds in the right ratio. This is both about safety and potency. So, these products are really good for those looking for something better, potent, and yet safe.
The Bottom Line
CBD vape pens have been around for some time, and their safety is well-established. They are an excellent way to quit smoking and also enjoy CBD’s health effects. However, some people are looking for something more potent. THC vape pens are good for such individuals. These contain all beneficial compounds present in the cannabis plant but in the right proportions.
THC vape pen is a new way to enjoy vaping. It is unlikely to cause any side effects as these products are made for regular use. Of course, one should not overdose on THC or CBD. It is important not to have more than a few puffs a day. Rare side effects like nausea or stomach issues might occur but are transient and short-lived. Such issues are rarely the cause of concern, except in a very small number of cases.
Thus, if you are looking for something better to reduce stress and overcome pain and anxiety, then a THC vape pen may be the right choice. Choosing something strong like the one offered by CBDoilking may be a good idea. Despite being strong, these vape pens contain THC only in legally permitted amounts and in concentrations proven to be safe and not cause euphoria.
To sum up, if you are already an experienced CBD vaper, it may be a good idea to give THC vaping a try.
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