3 ms·

When reading advice before my last trip, it occurred to me there's a lot of fear-mongering around psychedelics due to judgment. People judging experiences as p

When reading advice before my last trip, it occurred to me there's a lot of fear-mongering around psychedelics due to judgment. People judging experiences as positive/negative distracts from what's going on. Simply labeling challenging-to-accept experiences as "bad" and large doses as "heroic" is enough to establish a distracting delusion. It was upon realizing this that I decided I understood how to approach the mushrooms for my last trip: 4g of the mushrooms were measured out by someone. Another unknown and (visibly less seeming) amount was gifted to me by someone else. At first, I was torn on whether to take just the amount measured out or to take more. Upon reading a bit of advice to remind me about how to navigate mushroom journeys, I remembered we can't KNOW anything (like how much mushrooms by weight was in front of me) and also taking the unknown amount was completely in line with my values of courage, embracing uncertainty, and deep analysis. Most of the harm reduction guidelines seem to be designed for people who are living in a society that's automated judgment of experience and haven't unlearned that, yet.

sedibles 5y ago
Fair enough, but I would disagree on the point about taking an unknown amount (unless I misunderstood?). In my view correct dosing is one of the best ways to achieve a safe experience. One of the biggest issues with such substances is that most users will have no idea how strong the dose is, or if it is even what it says it is. Courage is one thing, but overdosing is not a pleasant experience, even if it is usually not (physically) unsafe. Cannabis edibles are famous for this since most people have no idea how strong their brownies even after they make them. It was one of the main reasons I made an online calculator as a side project (http://www.scientificedibles.com http://www.scientificedibles.com) to help people to estimate dosage, rather than "take one" and end up on the floor.
- crawfordcomeaux 5y ago
  I agree. It really depends on the substance, of course. 5g+ (for the species I was visiting with) is considered the high end. I was also not necessarily seeking a pleasant experience. I was seeking to uproot violent urge within me that kept rising up from chronically not being heard (and that includes not hearing myself). A high dose of mushrooms is way way different than a high dose of LSD or cannabis.

sedibles 5y ago

Fair enough, but I would disagree on the point about taking an unknown amount (unless I misunderstood?). In my view correct dosing is one of the best ways to achieve a safe experience. One of the biggest issues with such substances is that most users will have no idea how strong the dose is, or if it is even what it says it is. Courage is one thing, but overdosing is not a pleasant experience, even if it is usually not (physically) unsafe. Cannabis edibles are famous for this since most people have no idea how strong their brownies even after they make them. It was one of the main reasons I made an online calculator as a side project (http://www.scientificedibles.com http://www.scientificedibles.com) to help people to estimate dosage, rather than "take one" and end up on the floor.

crawfordcomeaux 5y ago
I agree. It really depends on the substance, of course. 5g+ (for the species I was visiting with) is considered the high end. I was also not necessarily seeking a pleasant experience. I was seeking to uproot violent urge within me that kept rising up from chronically not being heard (and that includes not hearing myself). A high dose of mushrooms is way way different than a high dose of LSD or cannabis.