The 4 Most Common Mistakes With Psychedelics
Mistake #1: Letting fear of a “bad trip” prevent you from exploring a potentially life-changing experience
Scientific studies have shown that a single dose of psychedelics can increase openness, bring out positive personality traits, and therapeutic antidepressant effects. Recently, the FDA granted the “breakthrough therapy” designation to both MDMA and Psilocybin for PTSD and depression, respectively.
It’s clear that psychedelics can be one of the most profound, potentially life-changing, experiences in people’s lives, so why deprive yourself of this cornerstone experience simply out of fear of a potential “bad trip”?
First, it’s important to understand what a bad trip is and why we don’t believe in them. A “bad trip” is simply a label we assign to a difficult experience. The differentiation between “good” and “bad” is all based on perception. And generally, people use “bad” to describe discomfort.
This discomfort can arise in the form of feeling out of control through paranoia, psychosis, overwhelming hallucinations, or chaotic and stressful emotions. The specific sensation doesn’t really matter. The common theme here is you are having an uncomfortable experience that you can’t control.
Discomfort is common in psychedelics because you are not in control of what comes up, which often results in facing your fears and confronting the unsavory aspects of ourselves head on. If you ask the most experienced psychonaut if they’ve had uncomfortable trips, 100% of them will say yes.
Why does this matter? Because it means discomfort is part of the experience! Healing isn’t always comfortable, but it is necessary to evolve. Healing requires being brutally honest with who we are and learning to embrace all parts of ourselves—especially the shadows.
Discomfort really means moving outside of your comfort zone, which is what results in growth–like a snake shedding its skin. The vast majority of “bad trips” are simply misunderstood experiences. Ironically, if you are equipped with the framework to work through these difficult experiences, they turn out to be the most rewarding trips.
These difficult trips are most common for first-time users and those who are unprepared. That’s why we emphasize the importance of pre-trip preparation and having a trip sitter present for the duration of the experience. Trip sitters are important because they are able to hold a safe, non-judgemental space for you—reassuring you that you are not alone, and that the discomfort is temporary.
Mistake #2: Thinking that the benefits of a psychedelic experience starts and ends with the “trip”
Many people think that all you need to do is trip on psychedelics and you instantly receive 1,000 years of knowledge and healing (we wish!). But that is simply not the case.
The conversation regarding psychedelics in America today focuses on the “trip”— the period of time after taking a substance where you’re in an altered state of consciousness. In this state, there are various psychological, visual and auditory changes to your perception.
Without integration, the lessons are lost when you shift from an altered state back to your normal state. And frequently we find that the issues brought up during a psychedelic experience can take days, months, even years to unpack, process, and translate into meaningful change.
This is because the lessons aren’t always clear. Your ordinary understanding of reality has changed. You know you’ve changed, but you’re not exactly sure how—or more importantly, what this change means for your life going forward.
Of course a psychedelic trip is a vital part of the journey, but it would be a disservice to assume that it is the only thing needed to achieve the outcome you desire.
To make any meaningful change to your life, it is just as important to consider your thoughts and actions before and after your psychedelic experience.
After all, we must live in our current reality, and a psychedelic experience is only as valuable as what we take back with us and integrate into our everyday lives. Ask yourself: what intentions, if any, did you set before your “trip”? What steps will you take after your psychedelic experience to increase retention and the potential for long-lasting change?
The trip is where the insights, downloads and realizations come from; then it’s up to you to integrate those experiences in your everyday life. This means integration is equally as important as the psychedelic experience itself.
Integration shouldn’t be done alone; it requires another person to help you feel supported and to keep you accountable. That’s why all of our trip sitting services include multiple integration sessions—to help you get the most impact from the experience.
Mistake #3: Pursuing psychedelics without proper support before, during, and after the experience
Research and anecdotal evidence makes it clear that psychedelics are a powerful tool to improve mental health and to heal humanity—and continued research and advocacy will further strengthen this truth.
But with such a huge potential comes the personal responsibility to undergo these experiences in a manner that protects your mental, emotional, and physical health.
Psychedelics cause temporary psychological and physiological changes and these altered states can make you extremely vulnerable. Without proper support and harm reduction techniques, you may be exposing yourself to risks that could be easily prevented.
If you’ve never done psychedelics but want to, you may think your options are limited to a music festival, doing them with a group of friends, asking a friend to watch over you while you have your own experience, or doing them alone (not recommended).
Sure, many of these scenarios can be fun, but if you’re seeking a deeper experience that results in life-long change, unsupported psychedelic experiences fall flat. Why? Because recreational psychedelic use often lacks the preparation, intentionality, support resources, and integration to make a lasting impact. The result? You feel alone, unprepared, and potentially traumatized because of your lack of support.
Psychedelic experiences are already bewildering and sometimes indescribable, making it difficult to unpack and incorporate meaningful lessons into your everyday life. If you are having these experiences without proper support, you lower your chances of making lasting positive change and actually increase your chances of having a “bad trip”.
From feedback within our psychedelic community, we’ve found the most effective and easily accessible way to make the most of your psychedelic trip is to be supported by a an experienced trip sitter—this includes support before, during, and after the psychedelic experience.
This is not a role for peers. These individuals should be experienced practitioners who are classically trained in the use of these substances and can provide you with unbiased support and accountability. That’s why we created Psychedelic Passage’s trip sitting program, to provide you the professional support you need to gain the most out of your next psychedelic journey.
Mistake #4: Keeping your psychedelic experience to yourself
Stigma, social conditioning, judgment, shame, and stereotypes prevent many people from being open about their psychedelic experiences. These substances are seen as deviant and immoral in many communities, so you may be keeping your use a secret because it’s viewed negatively.
It is frustrating to experience firsthand the positive shift psychedelics can activate within you but feeling uncomfortable to share that with your friends and family. However, you must understand that you are doing more harm than good by having these profound experiences and then pretending you didn’t. The psychedelic experience can be alienating and sometimes lonely, but it doesn’t have to be.
Believe it or not, people from all backgrounds and circumstances take psychedelics—not just hippies, tree huggers, satan worshippers and degenerates. In fact, most people in our psychedelic community are entrepreneurs, business professionals, academics, and service workers; all of whom are upstanding citizens looking to optimize their wellbeing.
In our experience, joining an integration circle or seeking active support from a qualified coach or mentor is the best way to integrate these experiences into everyday life. That’s why we offer both one-on-one coaching programs and psychedelic community groups, because we understand some people prefer individualized support over a group container. In these programs, we serve as a trusted guide, provide actionable information, and facilitate safe spaces as you explore and discuss the insights from your psychedelic experience.
It’s not about where you are currently on your journey—it’s about finding support that helps you get to where you’d like to be in a safe and constructive way.
How To Get The Most Out of This Site
We recognize that you have questions regarding psychedelics and you aren’t getting clear answers.
That’s why we started this site: To serve as both a hub for psychedelic knowledge and a platform to connect you to psychedelic-related services and peers who are on their own psychedelic journey of wellbeing.
Self-improvement through psychedelics has the potential to bring about massive positive change to your life; however, the process can often be overwhelming and intense, especially if you’re doing it alone.
We know what it’s like to feel frustrated and unsupported, wanting to explore a potential life-changing pathway but not knowing where to start or feeling like you’re not getting the most value out of your experience.
Information alone isn’t enough unless it’s actionable. And if you’re like us, you want to talk to a real human, not just read an article.
You are unique and there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to psychedelic advice. That’s where we come in. We offer personalized guidance to help you navigate the complex world of psychedelics with ease.
To make the most of our site, we suggest you explore our how-to articles or schedule a consultation with a member of our team with your specific questions.
