6 ms·

Psilocybin use definitely changed me for the better. The first time I did it was one of the most eye-opening and impacting experiences in my life. Since my fi

by bherms 15y ago

Psilocybin use definitely changed me for the better. The first time I did it was one of the most eye-opening and impacting experiences in my life. Since my first trip, I've tried to work it into my life at least 1-2 times a year. Every time I feel like I learn something new and/or come out a better person by seeing certain aspects of life in a new light. It's something you only want to try in controlled environments when your head is in the proper place (no hidden depression or anything lurking in the back of your mind), but when done right, with the right people, it can be an amazing experience and I highly recommend to everyone with the proper mindset.

WA 15y ago
The emphasis is on: done right, with the right people. There is a reason why drugs are prohibited in many countries. People don't use them "correctly" and can become messed up pretty heavily. I took shrooms when I was 18. After an initial phase of a lot of hardly controllable laughter, I experienced the strongest fear that I ever had in my life. Basically, the fear to remain stuck on this trip - nothing unusual by the way, as I figured out later by reading reports from other people. The main fear for me was to be stuck in this situation where your brain isn't filtering anything anymore. I was literally sitting around UNABLE to do anything. I mean, somehow I knew how to do a more complicated thing (like building another joint), but somehow I was incapable of performing the necessary steps. It was frightening, especially since there was no supervisor who could lead me out of this spiral of fear. The fear lasted only for 2 hours or so, then the trip was over as I fell asleep. But I had panic attacks for another 6 months. Also a very typical time frame for many people. No fun. Stressful places, loud dogs, everything noise sort of made me feel anxious. On the other hand, it was a time where I thought about myself A LOT. I mean, really a lot. After 6 months, I somehow emerged with new self-confidence which grew a lot over time way beyond the self-confidence I had before (which could also be just a side-effect of getting older, I don't know). So, now I wouldn't like to miss that experience. I don't know how it changed me, but I certainly do recommend that people should never try hallucinogenic drugs without supervision - people who can help you mentally to escape states of fear.
- dmm 15y ago
  > There is a reason why drugs are prohibited in many countries. People don't use them "correctly" and can become messed up pretty heavily. Your ignorance of history is affecting your understanding of these circumstances.
  - charlieflowers 15y ago
    Could you elaborate on that for the rest of us? I'd like to hear what you have to say.
- bherms 15y ago
  Ahh yes, I forgot to mention the importance of an experienced "babysitter" for your first trip or three, until you're confident and fully comprehend where your mind will be going for the ensuing 3-6 hours.
- mistermann 15y ago
  >There is a reason why drugs are prohibited in many countries. People don't use them "correctly" and can become messed up pretty heavily. There's another reason they're prohibited as well - users tend to think a lot about interpersonal relations, society, power structures, etc. Sorry to hear about your panic attacks, I've gone through the same thing as well, but likely a decade after I last took drugs of any kind. They're not fun. I sometimes wonder if maybe I had smoked a bit during my stressful times that I would have been able to put things in better perspective without having to resort to real mind altering drugs from the pharmacist. Who knows...
  - mseebach 15y ago
    > There's another reason they're prohibited as well - users tend to think a lot about interpersonal relations, society, power structures, etc. Yes, drugs are prohibited because the government is afraid that it will be brought down by junkies thinking too much about power structures.
    - 15y ago
petercooper 15y ago
(no hidden depression or anything lurking in the back of your mind) Which, by definition, could be rather hard to know about in advance :-(
- wellsaid 15y ago
  That's why you should try meditation a go before you even think of psychedelics imho. Try to get what your subconscious mind is trying to tell you. There is a simple test for that: is there something you don't want to think about?
- bherms 15y ago
  Certainly true, but I feel like you always know when you have some issues lurking in the back of your mind. I once did some hallucinogens after going through a breakup and a small bout of loneliness in which I wasn't entirely happy with myself. Needless to say, it wasn't a fun trip at all. I tried to convince myself I was fine and in a good place, but with any real introspection, I should have known I wasn't in the right mindset going into it.
Hari_Seldon 15y ago
I aslo had experiences which made me a much more open and eclectic person. I was about 23 years old and found the experiences to be overwhelmingly positive. At the time (70's) the counter culture was well underway and there were many fellow travellers who would advise on the importance of the setting and also (sounds kinda corny now) that one should make the whole thing sacred and not treat it as just a buzz. Also there were many apocriphal stories of people who had gone on trips and hadn't come back.
Angostura 15y ago
Is that your perception, or do the people around you, able to give an unbiased opinion concur? Afterall I'm not entirely convinced that my heartfelt conviction of alchohol's beneficial effects on my singing are universally shared.
- GiraffeNecktie 15y ago
  If I feel like my life has changed for the better, I don't have to validate it with other people. It's my life, not theirs.
  - Angostura 15y ago
    Of course, and I wasn't attempting to be antagonistic. I was merely pointing out that when you say you feel it "changed me for the better" in your original post, that could be for one of two reasons. I was simply curious as to whether you could determine whicgh reason(s) applied in your case.
  - shawn-butler 15y ago
    This is where I find this train of thought becomes so unenlightened and bogs down in hedonism. There is no such thing as "your life" seperate or distinct from the lives of other people and certainly not something over which you can claim as a possession.
  - bherms 15y ago
    I definitely noticed myself becoming more open (as mentioned in the article), much more laid back and less neurotic (though the article mentioned this not being affected), and just a calmer, more rational, loving person in general. I also noticed a deeper appreciation of nature and art that stemmed from experiences while on hallucinogens. I also like to think I've grown in creativity, but that may be the result of other experiences and goals in my life. As a previous commenter mentioned, the drugs help you start to explore the ideas of how everything is related, how people all have the same experiences of consciousness, etc and you begin to appreciate how tied together our world and ecosystem is. Those are just a few things I've noticed on my part. I really believe more people thinking in this manner would be highly beneficial to humankind, though I'm biased :)

by bherms 15y ago

WA 15y ago

The emphasis is on: done right, with the right people. There is a reason why drugs are prohibited in many countries. People don't use them "correctly" and can become messed up pretty heavily. I took shrooms when I was 18. After an initial phase of a lot of hardly controllable laughter, I experienced the strongest fear that I ever had in my life. Basically, the fear to remain stuck on this trip - nothing unusual by the way, as I figured out later by reading reports from other people. The main fear for me was to be stuck in this situation where your brain isn't filtering anything anymore. I was literally sitting around UNABLE to do anything. I mean, somehow I knew how to do a more complicated thing (like building another joint), but somehow I was incapable of performing the necessary steps. It was frightening, especially since there was no supervisor who could lead me out of this spiral of fear. The fear lasted only for 2 hours or so, then the trip was over as I fell asleep. But I had panic attacks for another 6 months. Also a very typical time frame for many people. No fun. Stressful places, loud dogs, everything noise sort of made me feel anxious. On the other hand, it was a time where I thought about myself A LOT. I mean, really a lot. After 6 months, I somehow emerged with new self-confidence which grew a lot over time way beyond the self-confidence I had before (which could also be just a side-effect of getting older, I don't know). So, now I wouldn't like to miss that experience. I don't know how it changed me, but I certainly do recommend that people should never try hallucinogenic drugs without supervision - people who can help you mentally to escape states of fear.

dmm 15y ago
> There is a reason why drugs are prohibited in many countries. People don't use them "correctly" and can become messed up pretty heavily. Your ignorance of history is affecting your understanding of these circumstances.
- charlieflowers 15y ago
  Could you elaborate on that for the rest of us? I'd like to hear what you have to say.
bherms 15y ago
Ahh yes, I forgot to mention the importance of an experienced "babysitter" for your first trip or three, until you're confident and fully comprehend where your mind will be going for the ensuing 3-6 hours.
mistermann 15y ago
>There is a reason why drugs are prohibited in many countries. People don't use them "correctly" and can become messed up pretty heavily. There's another reason they're prohibited as well - users tend to think a lot about interpersonal relations, society, power structures, etc. Sorry to hear about your panic attacks, I've gone through the same thing as well, but likely a decade after I last took drugs of any kind. They're not fun. I sometimes wonder if maybe I had smoked a bit during my stressful times that I would have been able to put things in better perspective without having to resort to real mind altering drugs from the pharmacist. Who knows...
- mseebach 15y ago
  > There's another reason they're prohibited as well - users tend to think a lot about interpersonal relations, society, power structures, etc. Yes, drugs are prohibited because the government is afraid that it will be brought down by junkies thinking too much about power structures.
  - 15y ago

petercooper 15y ago

(no hidden depression or anything lurking in the back of your mind) Which, by definition, could be rather hard to know about in advance :-(

wellsaid 15y ago
That's why you should try meditation a go before you even think of psychedelics imho. Try to get what your subconscious mind is trying to tell you. There is a simple test for that: is there something you don't want to think about?
bherms 15y ago
Certainly true, but I feel like you always know when you have some issues lurking in the back of your mind. I once did some hallucinogens after going through a breakup and a small bout of loneliness in which I wasn't entirely happy with myself. Needless to say, it wasn't a fun trip at all. I tried to convince myself I was fine and in a good place, but with any real introspection, I should have known I wasn't in the right mindset going into it.

Hari_Seldon 15y ago

I aslo had experiences which made me a much more open and eclectic person. I was about 23 years old and found the experiences to be overwhelmingly positive. At the time (70's) the counter culture was well underway and there were many fellow travellers who would advise on the importance of the setting and also (sounds kinda corny now) that one should make the whole thing sacred and not treat it as just a buzz. Also there were many apocriphal stories of people who had gone on trips and hadn't come back.

Angostura 15y ago

Is that your perception, or do the people around you, able to give an unbiased opinion concur? Afterall I'm not entirely convinced that my heartfelt conviction of alchohol's beneficial effects on my singing are universally shared.

GiraffeNecktie 15y ago
If I feel like my life has changed for the better, I don't have to validate it with other people. It's my life, not theirs.
- Angostura 15y ago
  Of course, and I wasn't attempting to be antagonistic. I was merely pointing out that when you say you feel it "changed me for the better" in your original post, that could be for one of two reasons. I was simply curious as to whether you could determine whicgh reason(s) applied in your case.
- shawn-butler 15y ago
  This is where I find this train of thought becomes so unenlightened and bogs down in hedonism. There is no such thing as "your life" seperate or distinct from the lives of other people and certainly not something over which you can claim as a possession.
- bherms 15y ago
  I definitely noticed myself becoming more open (as mentioned in the article), much more laid back and less neurotic (though the article mentioned this not being affected), and just a calmer, more rational, loving person in general. I also noticed a deeper appreciation of nature and art that stemmed from experiences while on hallucinogens. I also like to think I've grown in creativity, but that may be the result of other experiences and goals in my life. As a previous commenter mentioned, the drugs help you start to explore the ideas of how everything is related, how people all have the same experiences of consciousness, etc and you begin to appreciate how tied together our world and ecosystem is. Those are just a few things I've noticed on my part. I really believe more people thinking in this manner would be highly beneficial to humankind, though I'm biased :)