Post-Psychedelic Session: Am I Fit to Drive, Cook, or Caretake?

Key Takeaways:

• Psychedelic journeys can lead to lingering short-term effects such as altered perception, mood changes, enhanced creativity, and increased sensitivity.
• Long-term effects may include sustained improvements in mood and well-being, enhanced emotional resilience, increased openness and creativity, spiritual insights, and neuroplasticity benefits.
• It’s important to conduct an honest self-assessment of one’s mental and physical state before engaging in activities post-psychedelic journey, and to prioritize safety and well-being above all else.
• Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic-assisted therapy near you in the United States.

Understanding Lingering Psychedelic Phenomena: Short & Long-Term Effects

Recommended Reading: How Long Do Mushrooms Stay in Your System?

In the aftermath of a psychedelic journey, individuals may experience lingering phenomena that extend beyond the duration of the trip itself. These effects can manifest in both the short and long term, influencing various aspects of one’s mental, emotional, and even physical well-being.

While psilocybin can’t be detected within the body after a couple days using standard testing procedures, the general cognitive and emotional changes require a more nuanced assessment.

Following the conclusion of a psychedelic experience, individuals may continue to experience residual effects for several hours or even days. These short-term effects can include:

1. Altered Perception: Sensory distortions, enhanced visual acuity, and changes in auditory perception may persist for a period after the trip has ended.
2. Mood Changes: Feelings of euphoria, introspection, or emotional vulnerability may linger as individuals process their experiences and integrate newfound insights.
3. Enhanced Creativity: Many individuals report heightened creativity and cognitive flexibility in the immediate aftermath of a psychedelic journey, which can inspire artistic expression and novel problem-solving approaches.
4. Increased Sensitivity: Sensory sensitivity, both to external stimuli and internal thoughts and emotions, may be heightened following a psychedelic experience, leading to a greater sense of interconnectedness and empathy.

While the acute effects of a psychedelic trip typically dissipate within hours or days, the long-term effects of psychedelic use can be profound and enduring. Research suggests that the benefits (and sometimes general effects) may extend far beyond the immediate effects of the drug, with potential long-term effects including:

1. Sustained Changes in Mood and Well-Being: Studies have shown that individuals who undergo psychedelic-assisted therapy often experience lasting improvements in mood, well-being, and quality of life, with reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD persisting for months or even years after the treatment.
2. Enhanced Emotional Resilience: Psychedelic experiences can catalyze profound shifts in perspective and worldview, fostering greater emotional resilience and adaptive coping strategies in the face of adversity.
3. Increased Openness and Creativity: Longitudinal studies have demonstrated that individuals who have undergone psychedelic therapy exhibit sustained increases in personality traits such as openness to experience and creativity, which can contribute to ongoing personal growth and self-discovery.
4. Spiritual and Existential Insights: Many individuals report enduring changes in their spiritual or existential beliefs following a transformative psychedelic experience, with heightened feelings of connectedness, purpose, and meaning persisting long after the initial trip.
5. Neuroplasticity and Brain Health: Emerging research suggests that psychedelics may promote neuroplasticity and synaptic rewiring in the brain, potentially conferring long-term benefits for cognitive function, memory, and mental flexibility.

By understanding the short and long-term effects of psychedelics, individuals can approach their journeys with mindfulness, intention, and a commitment to ongoing personal growth and well-being.

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder, Flashback Phenomena, & Resuming Daily Activities

In considering, however, Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD), in which flashbacks are reported to occur with negative impacts, the condition has been described as a “genuine but uncommon disorder, sometimes persisting for months or years after hallucinogen use” (Halpern & Pope Jr., 2003).

While these phenomena challenge our typical ideas of how long psychedelic journeys last, it is important to convey that these experiences are rare, and when they do occur are even more rarely associated with any negative effects.

The existence of the flashback phenomenon, for instance, was shown to be “occurring in up to 9.2% of healthy subjects” but with only “1.4% of all 142 subjects…report[ing] distressing experiences related to flashbacks,” with the rest reporting the experience as “neutral or positive” (Muller et al., 2022).

Also interesting to note is that, “Over 50% of the participants in this study reported that flashbacks occurred before sleeping, after waking up, or during relaxing. This might indicate that awareness for such experiences was heightened when they were not engaged in activities. Alternatively, these circumstances might be cues for flashbacks as there might be some similarities to the experiences during the study sessions.”

This could have interesting implications on the topic of whether or not it’s safe to engage in certain activities like driving or cooking, considering the potential for cognitive alteration. According to Muller and colleagues’ study, flashbacks more commonly occur during relaxed states.

While flashback phenomena can be disorienting, they usually last anywhere from a few seconds to (rarely) a few minutes, and are far outweighed by the prevalence of significant and enduring benefits associated with intentional psychedelic use. 

In the same study, “None of the subjects reported impairment of daily life due to these symptoms. One of these participants experienced visual alterations and disintegration of the self for a few seconds on four consecutive days while falling asleep.”

Most importantly, the effects can linger, potentially impacting physical coordination, reaction time, and cognitive function after the session has ended. That is why responsible and supported exploration of psychedelics is so important.

So, to summarize, regardless of the statistical data on when psychedelics like LSD, MDMA, and magic (psilocybin) mushrooms leave the body, the experiential effects are less definable and more subjective. 

Determining your capabilities post-journey is really up to you. Do you feel ready to resume and return back to your normal daily routines? If not, some supportive tools will be discussed later in this article.

The Role of Subjectivity: Making the Best Decision for Yourself

Before delving into this section, we want to emphasize the importance of risk prevention and safety measures. It’s pertinent to refrain from driving or operating machinery immediately before, during, and after a psychedelic experience.

It’s essential for individuals to take sufficient time to re-ground themselves before engaging in tasks involving inherent safety risks, such as caring for children, the sick, or the elderly, or operating potentially dangerous machinery or tools.

Now, when it comes to the subjective nature of the psychedelic experience, navigating the period after the journey involves assessing one’s own mental and physical capabilities. While science-based guidelines can provide a safety framework, individual responses still widely vary.

Therefore, the best way to decide if you’re ready to return to normal activities is through an honest awareness of your own mental and emotional states, recognizing signs of residual effects from the session, such as altered perception or mood changes.

We encourage you to conduct an honest self-assessment of your alertness, coordination, and concentration before undertaking tasks like driving, cooking, or caretaking. If you still feel altered or uncertain, it’s best to avoid such activities.

Are you still experiencing significant perceptual changes? Do you feel spaced out or like your reaction time may be diminished? Do you feel like you need to continue resting and re-grounding? If so, we encourage you to take it easy and be gentle on yourself.

Since experiences differ greatly, your personal assessment is key. It’s okay to postpone activities until you feel clear-headed and grounded. Following a psychedelic journey, you will likely have a heightened sensitivity that may need to be honored through rest.

The facilitators in our network generally recommend taking a day off of work (or a week if possible), and having someone available to help care for you, provide support for you, and drive you as needed.

It goes without saying that if you may still be needing real support around feeding yourself, moving around, and communicating, you should avoid trying to provide those things for others for the time being. 

Lastly, open communication with trusted friends or a psychedelic facilitator can offer objective feedback and support. Rushing back into daily routines may impede reflection and integration, so be flexible and willing to adjust plans accordingly to prioritize safety and well-being.

The Protocol for Journeyers With Psychedelic Passage

Following a psychedelic journey within our network, the safety and sobriety of our clients are paramount. Here’s an overview of the protocols we follow to ensure that everyone leaves their session only when they are completely sober and ready.

Sobriety Before Departure

Our facilitators are trained to assess and confirm that all participants are under sound mind before they are allowed to leave the session site. This is a critical measure to ensure everyone’s safety.

Safe Transportation Options

We require that participants either have someone to pick them up or arrange for a ride through services like Uber. It is important to plan these details in advance to ensure a smooth and safe return to your home or accommodation.

Aftercare at Home

If you are journeying from home, we typically recommend that you stay in for the remainder of the day. For those who are hosted by facilitators, an option often available is to spend the night at the location where the session was held, providing a safe space to fully come down from the psychedelic experience without the need to travel.

Assistance with Meals

Recognizing the importance of nourishment after a psychedelic journey, our facilitators will assist in preparing a light meal post-journey. This helps in grounding and offers a gentle transition back to everyday life activities.

Extended Stay and Rest

Clients who have their sessions hosted often have the option to stay overnight, which can be particularly beneficial for a smoother reintegration. This setting allows for an extended period of rest and reflection without the immediate pressures of returning to normal daily activities.

By adhering to these guidelines, Psychedelic Passage ensures that each participant’s journey is concluded in a safe, controlled, and supportive environment, promoting well-being and effective integration of the psychedelic experience.

Post-Session Recovery, Integration, & Psychedelic Care

• Get Supported by a Coach: For more individualized support, we recommend utilizing integration coaching sessions.
• Take a Supportive Class: This integration masterclass will give you a full framework around psychedelic aftercare.
• Read the Handbook: Our streamlined integration handbook helps you know what steps to take during the recovery phase.
• A Variety of Support: There are definitely different types of psychedelic integration that you should know about.
• Learning the Basics: Discover the answer to the fundamental question… What is integration?
• The Psychedelic Podcast: Check out this episode on preserving internal integrity through the process of psychedelic integration.

Find Confidence and Clarity with Psychedelic Passage’s Guidance

Hi there! We sincerely hope that you’ve found valuable takeaways that resonate with your current intentions. To explore research-based education, stay updated with psychedelic news, and benefit from practical how-to articles, we encourage you to head over to our resources page.

If you’re seeking personalized advice and are prepared to take the first step toward a therapeutic psychedelic experience, we invite you to book a consultation with our team of experienced psychedelic concierges.

This consultation is more than just a conversation; it’s an opportunity to be matched with a trustworthy local facilitator. You’ll be seamlessly connected to our rigorously vetted network of psychedelic guides, ensuring potential matches align with your needs.

Psychedelic Passage offers confidence and peace of mind by alleviating the burden of having to guess who’s right for you. If you want to discover how Psychedelic Passage can help you, we empower you to learn more about our services and check out client testimonials from those who’ve gone before you.

Your healing path is uniquely yours, and our commitment is to serve you at every juncture. Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic-assisted therapy near you in the United States.

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References:

1. Halpern, J. H., & Pope, H. G. (2003). Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder: what do we know after 50 years? Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 69(2), 109–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0376-8716(02)00306-x
2. Muller et al., (2022). Flashback phenomena after administration of LSD and psilocybin in controlled studies with healthy participants. (n.d.). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9166883/