What is it Like to Have a Psychedelic Experience?

How Does it Feel to Have a Psychedelic Trip?

Many psychonauts, casual users, and professionals on the topic of psychedelic drugs alike, will agree that hallucinogenic inebriation can drastically change one’s perspective and entirely transform worldview. Sometimes this transformation is temporary and only lasts for the duration of the trip, or a short while afterwards. Other times this transformation can be extremely life-changing, often being referred to as “having an epiphany.” Although each psychedelic drug offers a range of very different effects, and each one will be experienced differently from person-to-person as well, the general consensus is that all psychedelic drugs (like most psychoactive drugs) have the ability to change mental state, as well as physical state. Even though the limitless possibilities in the range of effects that are experienced is enormous, it is still possible to explore what common psychedelic trips are like for most people who partake in any particular psychedelic drug.

What it is Like to Have a Psychedelic Trip

Psychedelic experiences are different depending upon countless variables. Some of these variables can be identified ahead of time, others cannot. Some can even be identified in retrospect, while others cannot. It is possible for a psychonaut to have a hallucinogenic experience and not realize its meaning to them for years to come. Sometimes psychedelic trips create life-changing perspectives that are never realized and only assumed. Psychedelic trips have caused total delirium and permanent psychosis for some people. Admittedly, most of these cases involve a history of pre-existing mental illness and/or substance overdose. However, using psychedelic drugs for exploration or recreational like, always means accepting some risk. No matter how safe a substance may seem, no matter how trusted a source material may be, and no matter how much research one has done, there is always the chance of an adverse reaction when inviting foreign substances into the body.

Defining what it is like to have a psychedelic experience, would mean taking into account the many different ways hallucinogens and psychedelic drugs can affect the mind and body. It also means understanding how psychedelic drugs affect people differently.

How Are Psychedelic Experiences Different From Person to Person?

Everyone is different when it comes to how a psychedelic drug will alter their state of mind and body. With that said, it is easier to discuss how psychedelic trips are different from person to person in terms of two categories: mental state changes and physical state changes. Mental state changes would refer to the influence a psychedelic drug has over one’s mind, mostly meaning their thoughts, and how they perceive the world around them. Physical state changes would refer to the influence a psychedelic drug has over one’s body, mostly, how someone feels (physically, i.e. nausea, relaxed, etc) after they take a psychedelic drug and how their body responds to it (did they get sick, vomit, have terrible dreams, cold sweats, seizures, or maybe they fell asleep and had positive dreams, got a lot of energy, felt aroused, etc.). Separating the effects into these two influence categories helps one better understand how a psychedelic drug can vary between users.

Changes in Mental State

It is important to understand that psychedelic drugs can influence one’s mental state. A serious change in mental state during a psychedelic experience can have a strong influence over how someone is feeling. Not only does the brain use chemicals to create these feelings under certain circumstances, but it is also able to create these chemicals when certain drugs tell it to. Without adequate understanding of what a drug is doing in the brain, a psychedelic drug user is almost playing Russian roulette. An experienced psychedelic drug user begins to understand that certain psychedelics create certain types of feelings and thoughts.

Important Tip: Having an understanding of the expectations of a psychedelic drug can often help a skilled psychonaut counteract any negative affects, leading to an overall better experience.

Examples are sometimes easier to understand. Here are some examples of effects that two different people exploring the same psychedelic drug might experience. Note that the experiences are totally opposite of one another, though, the same dosage is not presumed to have been applied to each individual:

• Mescaline has been able to make one user extremely anxious (even experiencing extreme social withdrawal), while their friend had an itch to go exploring.
• DXM (dextromethorphan) can create visual hallucinations with the idea of understanding the universe better for one person, but make another person with the same dose believe they are dying.
• Ayahuasca has given some people a total life-changing epiphany, but sometimes reveals evil spirits to others.
• LSD sometimes creates an idea that everyone is connected (allowing one to experience a sort of singularity during a trip), but for others, everything looks distorted in a scary sort of way.
• Mescaline has been known to create depression in one person, but giddiness in another.
• LSA can make someone feel the same connection to others as LSD, but give another person using the same source and dose a sense of doom.
• Magic mushrooms are notorious for giving extraordinarily entertaining visuals for some people, but the bad experiences typically involve visual distortions which look evil or threatening.
• Salvia has been known for sending people into magical worlds and making the walls melt right before one’s eyes…for some anyway; for the rest of the users, a terrifying underworld and panic await.

*Note that many of the negative effects of hallucinogens have been worked out, with the right preparation, dosing, and circumstances.

Changes in Physical State

It is important to understand that psychedelic drugs have a powerful influence over one’s physical state. This means heart rate can be increased, some drugs are vasoconstrictors and should never be used by people with certain types of circulation, heart conditions, or other disorders. Some people experience allergic reactions to some drugs and many experience psychonauts suggest small trials to begin with. Some physical state changes are simple or even harmless, such as a little itchiness or pupil dilation. For some, there is a burst of energy or other stimulation, and for others there is sedation and spiritual journey. Simply understanding whether eating beforehand, during or after a trip is wise for a particular drug, can make a world of difference. Taking the time to see how it has affected others, from a physical standpoint, always offers an upper hand. Sometimes there are tips which can eliminate things like nausea, panic attacks, cold sweats, or even hangovers.

Important Tip: Knowing what a psychedelic drug does to one’s body and mind can help foster a better trip, and can eliminate many of the negative effects.

The way a psychedelic drug effects the physical body is admittedly different for each person, but it is still possible to explore the possibilities of things which could happen, in an effort to eliminate the negative physical effects. Again, examples are sometimes easier to grasp. Here are some examples of experiences that two different people exploring the same psychedelic drug might experience, within the physical state of the body. Please note that the same dosage is not presumed to have been applied to each individual:

• Ayahuasca makes some people feel super happy while leaving others sicker than they have ever felt in their entire lives.
• Datura has created euphoric empathy for some experiences, but has been known to be fatal for others.
• Morning glory seeds (known for their LSA content) have been able to provide a burst of energy that makes one want to explore the simplest things for some people; but for others, it feels like a painful stomach sickness.
• DXM can give one person lots of energy and make someone feel like they are walking on the moon, while another person may not be able to move at all (experiencing complete dissociation during their trip).
• Magic mushrooms have manifested in a couch lock kind of feeling for some people, while making others feel like they no longer have control of their hands.
• Salvia can make someone feel like they are very warm (flushed) and pleasantly melting into the floor, but for others it may seem as though the shadows are coming to life (even creating panic attacks).

*Note that many of the negative effects of hallucinogens have been worked out, with the right preparation, dosing, and circumstances.

Final Notes on Psychedelic Tripping

There are very man reasons that psychedelic trips are not the same for everyone and so many things should be taken into account before going into a psychedelic experience. The food that was consumed within the last 24 hours makes a big difference, especially food consumed within the last six hours. A person’s regular diet and nutrition makes a difference; and if someone is deficient on a particular vitamin which is necessary to induce all or part of a psychedelic experience, they may or may not experience what was expected. Sleep deprivation, energy levels, metabolism, mental state, stress levels, environment and setting, experience, hydration, as well as countless other factors are important to consider in achieving a positive psychedelic experience. Some of these factors are also keys to having a safer trip. There are many other tips as well for avoiding negative hallucinogenic effects.

Bottom line: Doing adequate research about a psychedelic drug before using it can sometimes eliminate some of the unpleasant effects.

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. Botanical Shaman is not suggesting that any hallucinogens or psychedelic drugs should be used by anyone.