Hacker News Reader

Comment by 88e282102ae2e5b | Hacker News Reader

> Dr. Griffiths noted that patients received extensive support, which may have deepened and secured their life-affirming transformations.

> “People will take psilocybin at a rave or at Burning Man” — the art and performance desert festival — “but the effect,” he said, “evaporates like water running through their hands.”

It certainly doesn't hurt to have a trip sitter or to discuss the experience with someone understanding, but this is a completely unwarranted conclusion. It seems like Dr. Griffiths needs it to not have an effect outside of a clinical setting, which is just so unfortunate. I would rate doing mushrooms as one of the single most important decisions of my life.

View on HN

I definitely agree that one does not need to be in a clinical setting in order for a psychedelic experience to be very positive and life changing in the long term. However, I do think the proper set and setting helps increase the chance of such a result.

Unfortunately, all too many people take psychedelics (and other drugs) frivolously, to "party", or even self-destructively, in many settings which are not very conducive towards positive transformation, and surrounded by people who wouldn't understand or might even react negatively towards a tripping person. Many people also trip without experienced sitters, and don't have any kind of plan or even intention of integrating the experience after they have it. They also rarely get therapy before or after the experience.

As a result, it is very common for people to have unproductive trips, or have difficulty integrating the really beneficial ones in the long term. So while it's still possible, I think it's less likely than if you are in a very positive, supportive environment, and being guided by experienced sitters who know how to encourage the best experience possible, and will do therapy before and after, and help you integrate what you learned.

Maybe i was lucky that I didn't try shrooms on a party but on my own. Maybe a bit risky, but i have no mental or childhood unresolved issues, and I am fairly well balanced person with rich inner life (yeah, introvert).

What I experienced - the journey inside of me and back, lost of connection with all physical aspects of existence, including all senses (which is funny, because you 'see' amazing things with your whole entity, but when coming back down and slowly plugging back eyes you realize how limited and 'different' they are compared to what you just experienced, same goes for all senses but eyes are most obvious).

I could go on and on for hours how profound the experience is, it's truly some sort of 'higher' state of mind compared to daily existence, but since much more of hte brain is engaged (or with more intensity, dunno), after few hours I am extremely tired mentally, and usually strong migraine comes (that goes away over night). The breakdown of oneself into endlessly small atoms, dance of them in endless whirl of time and space, and slow reconnection bit by bit when the trip fades away (which takes at least an hour or two and is as interesting as going up). After first time experiencing it, I knew I don't have any predisposition for mental disorder, since this breakdown into flawless mist and back would reveal some inconsistencies in my persona. Or the sense of breathing - registering it, but as something very distant, not really that important, pausing it for minutes (or at least it felt like that).

Anyway, for me to get there, I always have to lie down, ideally in comfy bed, with nice quiet shamanic music in the background, curl under the blanket and cut all feed from all the senses. Other people and stimulis would be just interrupting this journey. Party would go in exact opposite direction. I also mixed shrooms with lemon juice - gives it maybe 5x intensity for given amount, and trip lasts maybe 3 hours which is plenty for life-changing experience).

Coming down is experience itself - the sense of endless inner peace and true happiness that brings smile on your face as reflection of state inside your mind, and landing back is very smooth.

It's so strong I never done it more than 1-2x per year (availability is also an issue). Didn't do it for last 5-6 years at all, but the effect will be with me forever. I don't believe in some higher forces or magical wonderland and whatnot, just that our brain can provide us with truly breathtaking experience once we alter the way it's engaged. Did try Salvia divinorum extract few times - similar effect I would say, much shorter and shallower, but same type of setting, cutting of senses and coming back scenario.

I started with hallucinogens recreationally when I was 14 in 1967 and continued on and off till I was 28 or so. But I never was into intense partying. My experiences were usually alone, or in small groups with an occasional concert.

I was lucky to always use Magic Mushrooms that we just picked fresh. I had a friend that was a botanist that helped us with identification.

My most spiritual experiences, and by far most favorite were with mushrooms and once with mescaline. Connections to the natural world and to the people I was with became strong and positive and enduring.

I think all of my experiences have helped me see connections (I can connect the dots on many levels) and to believe in the power of the mind. I am passionate about life, family, work but I am calm and know that the little things are the little things. But I was so young it could be I am who I am and these experiences had no bearing on who I am now. I don't believe that but I am open to that possibility.

I had one bad trip on acid. It was snowing so when I closed my eyes everything was white. I was bored for 6 hours. So not a horrible experience just a waste of time.

I will say that I was lucky to experience Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Uriah Heap, Ted Nugent, Jethro Tull, Bob Seger and others live on hallucinogens. And doing acid and listening to firesign theater albums was pretty cool. To this day Pink Floyd is a go to comfort band for me.

Two videos that you might like to see:

https://youtu.be/s182g4vwprA A few scientists talking about mushrooms https://youtu.be/TWnkYkKGzs8 A 61 year old mom taking muschrooms for the first time

I imagine his comments are largely for the sake of appearances; if he says 'just do it' his professional reputation will be shredded.

Since this is not a problem for me, you should Just Do It - that is to say, you should prepare mindfully but you shouldn't wait for some guru/ doctor/ shaman/ who's going to hold your hand and guide you through the experience etc. etc. That can be helpful but you'll get the most out of it by dealing with the existential uncertainty you'll encounter.

Whether a psychedelic experience is merely entertaining or is education or edifying is really up to the person taking it. Dismissing the experience of people who take psychedelics in other contexts than the one the speaker is most familiar with is a very common ego trap among psychedelic newbies.

BTW if you're wondering how to start 'preparing mindfully' and you're not already into esoterica. go watch the Dr Strange movie, which is a truly excellent rendering of the psychedelic experience.

I'm from Amsterdam and every year or so a tourist dies or gets injured from jumping out of a hotel window while under the influence of mushrooms. Probably less than a promille of all users but I would say that the conclusion that support is needed is definitely warranted.

In Spain, several tourists die every year trying to jump from their hotel window in the 5th floor to the swimming pool (balconing, look it up) under the influence of their own stupidity. Some people are just looking forward to dying, they just need an excuse.

A student jumped from the 14th floor of my college dorm while on mushrooms.

While I'm open to trying psychedelics, I've seen too many bad trips to be comfortable with it.

Do you have info on this? I am Dutch and lived a long time in Adam too; The only incident I remember/can find is the one that got shrooms banned in NL (2008). Which was a kneejerk imho. The cases I read about were almost never shrooms alone; alchohol, weed and very often also xtc, speed and cocaine were involved. People on shrooms alone are mostly not that far gone; people on alcohol are less stable in my experience. The combination is just stupid imho.

May I ask what has changed in you?

At the time I felt like I became noticeably smarter. That may have been the arrogance of a 20-year-old, but the perspective shift was so vast that I was forced to think about things in completely new ways (for years after the trip was over). It definitely made my thinking much less rigid, regardless.

I also knew long beforehand that subjective experience is filtered by the brain, but having that fact forcibly shown to me was a whole other ballgame. I was also much calmer and more giving afterwards. I'm not sure why - maybe spending eight hours while super high and with a diminished ego makes you want to revisit that mindset.

Long after the trip and even occasionally today, I still see patterns in trees that are very reminiscent of how they looked while tripping. This may be a bit silly, but it's a nice cautionary reminder that my brain is capable of imposing order where there is none.

Superficially, I went from hating to loving electronic music, and felt euphoria for the first time.

Love hearing about experiences like this. We have no idea the power of the mind.

You might enjoy the experience reports at Erowid. https://erowid.org/experiences/subs/exp_Mushrooms.shtml

This site is so cool. Thank you.

I had basically the opposite experience with acid. It took years for me to get back to being normal, with daily flashbacks for the first year. It was the dummest decision i ever made, taking psychedelics.

>I had basically the opposite experience with acid. It took years for me to get back to being normal, with daily flashbacks for the first year. It was the dummest decision i ever made, taking psychedelics.

Are you sure what you took was actually acid?

It's not obvious that this couldn't have been produced by any other intensely novel experience at that stage of life, eg. foreign travel.

An intense psychedelic trip could be a good shortcut though.

Or both. Not sure if would be bad at a later age either.

> I would rate doing mushrooms as one of the single most important decisions of my life.

Why? I've done mushrooms a half dozen times (but not within the last decade or so) but it definitely doesn't rise to that level of importance.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com