Have you ever experienced a ‘Bad’ Psychedelic / Magic Mushroom Trip? Have you spent minutes, hours, and even days wondering what could have gone wrong? Yet you’re left questioning, not knowing what the cause, trigger, or potential reason may be?
This is for you! So, let’s talk about it!
Magic mushrooms and psychedelics have undoubtedly gained substantial support in recent years, not to mention a remarkable rise in the number of people advocating for its countless potential benefits. However, there is still one powerful factor – a factor that many regard as completely insignificant, while being potentially terrifying to others, and as such, has the ability to raise anxiety and stress levels surrounding the intake and effects of magic mushrooms and psychedelics substantially, ultimately preventing them from taking any psychedelics at all.
What is this all-powerful and vastly influential factor you ask – Well, the potential of experiencing a bad trip from the ingestion of any sort of psychedelic of course.
#The Human Perspective
Fear of the unknown – It’s a human tale as old as time. Most people (whether we’d like to acknowledge it or not) don’t like (or to put it lightly – don’t prefer) being in situations where we have absolutely no idea what to expect. Where we have no control. No say. Instead, we are forced to succumb and surrender completely to the ‘uncertainty’ that lies ahead.
Uncertainty is a big part of the human experience. While some individuals may thrive in uncertain and unpredictable situations, others crumble under pressure and become either physically or emotionally paralyzed (or in some cases both).
When it comes to fear, there is an important aspect to keep in mind – While some fears are based on things you know, concrete information, facts, and deep-rooted experiences, some fears are based on what you don’t know – Something to think about right?
So, what does that have to do with magic mushrooms, psychedelics, and the fear of potentially having a bad trip?
#The link between the human perspective & the effects of Psychedelics?
To be more specific, what is the like between the human perspective, the effects of psychedelics, and the potential ‘fear’ of experiencing a bad psychedelic trip?
Well, the short answer is, quite a lot actually! The longer more intense answer however is a bit more complicated. As mentioned above, humans tend to have an innate fear of the unknown. Most of us are inherently disposed to being anxious about being put in a situation where we have very little to no control or any say in the matter (at least at first).
Now, the question is, how does this relate to psychedelics as a whole, the ingestion of psychedelics, and the potential effects that ingesting psychedelics may have on you and your overall psychedelic experience or journey?
To be completely fair – and lay it all out there as ‘they’ say – It is widely known that magic mushrooms and psychedelic substances have the ability to bring about powerful physical, cognitive, and emotional experiences – a fact that should most certainly not be forgotten or overlooked.
The truth is, psychedelics are not for everyone, and there is absolutely no shame in saying “No, thank you” when it comes to magic mushrooms or any form of psychedelics.
HOWEVER…
The opposite side of the psychedelic spectrum – Ardent magic mushroom users, head-over-heels psychedelic enthusiasts, and die-hard advocates of all things magical and psychedelic.
Irrespective if you’re merely open minded and filled with endless wander and curiosity about psychedelics, a long-time magic mushroom advocate and user, or dedicated and experienced ‘psychonaut,’ bad magic mushroom and psychedelic trips are a REALITY – especially in the vast, wonderful, and vivid world of psychedelics.
Unfortunately, there is no telling when, where or how a negative experience will come about, but there are several things that can make the psychedelic journey more challenging than it needs to be – Here are the Top Reasons Why People Have a ‘Bad Trip.’
#1 Tripping on psychedelics in the wrong setting
If you’ve been interested in magic mushrooms and psychedelics for some time, then you’ve likely heard the terms “set and setting” before. But, before we dive deeper, here is a quick refresher.
The concept of "set and setting" was first introduced by Timothy Leary in 1964. Since then it has become a universal term used throughout the global psychedelic community. Set and setting refers to the interplay between substances, your internal state, and external environment.
If you’ve ever taken the same dose of the same psychedelic drug in two completely different environments, you have likely not only experienced “set and setting” but developed a certain appreciation for it.
Set and setting respectively refers to both the internal and external factors that influence your psychedelic experience. ‘Set’ reflects your inner climate or internal state. It refers to various internal factors such as your beliefs, perceptions, mood, emotional state, and personality.
‘Setting’ refers to your external environment / the environment that surrounds you during your trip, including everything that’s going on around you. Your ‘setting’ can include anything from the physical space that surrounds you, how comfortable you are within that space, the people present in the space, as well as their overall energy / vibe and specific behaviours.
Your environment can also play a major role in whether or not you experience a good or bad psychedelic trip. Some of these environmental factors include the smell in the air, the weather and temperature, cultural forces (which aren’t as readily visible), particular sounds or music playing. For example, if there is too much stimulation it can be very overwhelming and lead to anxiety or paranoia, ultimately resulting in you having a bad trip.
The truth is, there is no perfect setting for a psychedelic experience / journey that applies to every single person.
It is highly personalised and dependant on what makes you feel safe, receptive, and comfortable.
There are however a few things to keep in mind when deciding on your specific setting for your psychedelic experience, these include:
• Safety: If you find yourself in a particular state or situation, can you easily access medical/emotional support if needed?
• Social support: Who are the people you want to be/or should be present during your psychedelic experience?
• Comforts: Are there any items, spaces, food, music etc. that you need to feel more relaxed and comfortable?
• Familiarity: Are you someone that gets anxious easily when exposed to unfamiliar places, people, and experiences?
**Extra Note: Essentially, both your set and setting (your own internal state and external environment / the things you encounter on a daily basis) act as lenses through which you see the world. This in turn has a substantial influence on how you experience and process reality in any situation.
One of the primary reasons why the concept of set and setting are so vital and frequently discussed in reference to the world of psychedelics is because these substances have a way of intensely amplifying those lenses, heightening the specific situation as well as the various internal and external factors surrounding it.
#2 Not Properly Preparing
Preparation is key! This is no different in the world of psychedelics. Proper preparation is one of the most overlooked parts of the entire psychedelic process. Preparation forms a vital component of the set in the set and setting element of a magic mushroom or psychedelic journey / experience.
**For example, taking the time to properly reflect and set a desired and targeted intention for your psychedelic journey before the experience may help you a great deal and enable you to enter the experience with a compassionate mindset.
Similarly, your lifestyle can have a big influence on your set and setting before your psychedelic trip begins.
Lifestyle factors that have the potential to influence / affect your set and setting – and therefore your overall psychedelic experience or journey – include:
• Whether or not you have gotten several nights of good sleep before your trip – AKA: Are you well rested and functioning at optimal physical, emotional, and mental capacity?
• Feeling well nourished.
• Your space can have a significant impact on your set and setting, ultimately affecting your entire psychedelic experience. It is essential that your space feels comfortable, clean, and calming, and that you feel completely relaxed, safe, and content.
These are merely three lifestyle factors (there are of course countless more) that can have a major impact on your set and setting and, as such, influence your overall wellbeing, health, emotional and mental state before embarking on your psychedelic journey.
Taking the necessary time to address some of your current lifestyle challenges before the start of your psychedelic exploration can aid drastically in cultivating an optimised, contented, and comfortable set and setting for your trip.
#3 Tripping on psychedelics with the wrong people
The late Anthony Bourdain said it best In Netflix’s ‘Have a Good Trip’: “Don’t take LSD with assholes.”
Well, one could argue that this infamous quote is not only iconic in its own right but renders helpful and true regarding all mind-altering substances.
While the psychedelic trip / journey is a deeply personal, unique, and intrinsic experience on countless levels, it doesn’t discount the various external and environmental factors that can have a significant impact on your trip.
Despite what many may think, your setting does not simply refer to the physical space (AKA: setting) you are in during your psychedelic trip. As mentioned earlier, your ‘setting’ refers to your ENTIRE external environment / the environment that surrounds you during your trip as well as everything that’s going on around you.
Your setting can include:
• Your physical space & surrounding environment
• How comfortable you are
• The people you surround yourself with and their specific behaviours
• The smell in the air
• The weather and room temperature
• Particular sounds or music playing
• Cultural forces that aren’t as readily visible can have an impact. For example, the social reality or realization that the psychedelics you are taking is illegal, and in many places highly stigmatized, is a prime example of one of the more obvious cultural set-and-setting conditions that may influence your psychedelic experience.
Psychedelics are able to both amplify and heightening your specific situation as well as the various internal and external factors. To put it more descriptively, psychedelics almost acts as a mirror or magnifying glass to its user’s (your) state of mind, directly reflecting what you are experiencing both internally and externally.
For example if you are feeling stressed or anxious, it could easily function as an anxiety-inducing drug. Similarly if you are feeling inspired and creative, it could equally serve as a creativity enhancer. Should it be spiritual, then spirituality will be heightened. It therefore directly reflects and mirrors the state that you are in. As further backing, Hartoghson highlights in her research that psychedelics seemingly takes on a shapeshifting quality.
The exact same applies to the people you are with during your psychedelic trip. Many people who take magic mushrooms and psychedelics prefer to experience their psychedelic journey in solitude and view it as their own personal journey of self-reflection and self-discovery. Alternatively, some people surround themselves with others (oftentimes with people they don’t know) during their psychedelic journey or trip. This ultimately results in the person having a bad trip.
It is not only incredibly important, but crucial and highly advised that you only trip around / with people that you know, are your friends, or make you feel comfortable, safe, and supported. If you go into the experience feeling intense anxiety and insecurity due to the people you are around, those uncomfortable feelings may be even further amplified in the psychedelic state. Trust is an essential part of the psychedelic experience.
**Extra Note: In addition to the people you choose to experience your psychedelic journey with, it is incredibly important to consider how you will access and tap into support if the experience becomes challenging or too intense and overwhelming.
For this reason, many people choose to take psychedelics or enjoy their psychedelic journey in the comfort of their own home. Not only is it a safe, familiar, and private space, you know exactly where all your favourite comforts are in case you need support during your experience. If you live with family or a loved one, that will also act as an additional means of support and comfort, thus enhancing your overall experience.
If you however decide to venture outside of the trusted confines and comfort of your home for your psychedelic journey, it is important to think about what you may need that will be more difficult to procure once the psychedelics take hold. Some essentials may include things like water, snacks, phone, wallet, the company of your best friend or supportive partner, and any other safety essentials or comfort items you might want or need, or think will come in handy.
#4 Setting High Expectations
In many ways, journeying with psychedelics and entheogenic plants is journeying into the unknown. When taking magic mushrooms or psychedelics, you may have certain expectations or a preconceived idea of how your psychedelic journey will go, but the truth is, there is absolutely no way of knowing how your experience will unfold. A psychedelic experience is not something you can wilfully control. Regardless of how much you wish you could.
If you go into a psychedelic state with rigid expectations, you may find yourself disappointed or struggling against what the experience can provide. More often than not, people who are worried about having a bad trip may be more likely to experience one. Before even taking any psychedelic substance, they are already in a negative state of mind – Taking psychedelics can exacerbate these negative feelings substantially.
As Stanislav Grof, famed psychedelic researcher and author of LSD Psychotherapy, is often quoted: “LSD is a catalyst or amplifier of mental processes. If properly used it could become something like the microscope or telescope of psychiatry.” All psychedelic substances inspire different experiences, yet Grof’s view of LSD can apply to other entheogens like psilocybin mushrooms and dimethyltryptamine (DMT).
Simply put, the psychedelic substance will essentially amplify what’s there. In unscientific terms, openness is more likely to beget openness, fear is more likely to beget fear, resistance is more likely to beget resistance etc. Although, as a disclaimer, more likely doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed to have any particular experience – It is completely out of your control remember.
#5 Not Coming Back to Your Own Tools for Grounding
Those who struggle with anxiety may know this feeling all too well: AKA PANIC! Feelings of fear, anxiety and discomfort are common during challenging psychedelic trips – and these feelings can become very intense.
A great idea is to make a list of all your “grounding tools” during your preparation phase. These “grounding tools” can act as ‘prompts,’ comforts, and reminders that you can come back to over the course of your experience
“Grounding tools” can be anything from laying down, having a sip of water, doing deep breathing, eating a snack to changing settings, putting on music or headphones – the list is endless and highly personalized to every person.
#Signs & Symptoms of a ‘Bad Trip’
The signs and symptoms associated with having a bad psychedelic trip can vary greatly from one individual to another. For this reason, it is impossible to predict exactly how a particular psychedelic or hallucinogen will affect each person.
The signs and symptoms associated with a Bad Magic Mushroom trip can range from being mild to intense.
Some common signs and symptoms of a bad trip include:
• Extreme paranoia & Negative Reinterpretations
• These feelings can be all-consuming and can cause the person having a bad trip to panic and try and get away from the people around them.
• Time Dilation | A sensation that time is standing still
• This is the experience of time standing still. This can make it feel as if the other unpleasant aspects of the trip will never end.
• Extreme & sudden mood swings
• Your mood can change dramatically when you are tripping, and feelings of sadness and despair can reach new depths, while anxiety can quickly develop into panic
• Vivid hallucinations | Negative hallucinations that may include sensations, sounds or sights
• Most of the hallucinations that people have while tripping take the form of visual distortions – such as walls "breathing," coloured or geometric formations, or illusions.
• Sometimes these distortions are extremely vivid, such as a familiar person's face morphing into that of a demon. Occasionally, hallucinations take the form of seeing beings or objects that don't even exist.
• Dangerous delusions | Can lead to serious and/or potentially fatal injuries.
NOW, ARE YOU READY TO COMPLETELY FLIP THE SCRIP?
Here we go..
IS IT POSSIBLE FOR BAD TRIPS TO HELP YOU GROW?
Let’s be honest…
NO ONE WANTS A BAD PSYCHEDELIC TRIP OR MAGIC MUSHROOM EXPERIENCE.
Point blank. No ifs, ands, or buts about it…
End of story!
BUT, what if bad magic mushroom trips can actually help you grow? Somehow prompt change and insight, instead of damage, despair, and dread? What then? Quite the question, isn’t it?
While no one WANTS to go through a bad trip, contrary to what many people may think or believe, bad magic mushroom trips have proven to be greatly beneficial and insightful – Shocking I know, but true!
A new study from John Hopkins University, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, has in fact revealed that a bad magic mushroom trip can actually increase your sense of well-being.
When diving deeper into the psychology and science surrounding psychedelics and magic mushrooms, along with their specific components, and the effects and experiences they elicit, there is far more to these magical mushrooms than meets the eye. And definitely a whole lot more than people would like to acknowledge and believe – Enter the continuous negative criticism, misleading claims, and never-ending, always-evolving stigmas concerning magic mushrooms.
What if we told you that in most cases bad trips are simply a reflection of your worst fears, deeply-rooted concerns, insecurities, and self-limiting beliefs? Whenever your subconscious is set free / no longer constricted or restrained – AKA what you experience when you take magic mushrooms – these fears, concerns, and beliefs creep their way to the surface, eager to be set free and dealt with. Needless to say, the emotions we undergo during a bad trip usually comes from unresolved experiences and negative events we’ve had in our lives.
As with anything else in life, when we don’t properly and purposefully deal with something, simply sweeping it under the rug, hoping it will just magically disappear, it usually resurfaces and manifests itself in some other way. This is no different when it comes to dealing with our deep-rooted fears, beliefs, and the struggles and battles we fight on a daily basis.
The problem is, when we keep suppressing and ignoring these underlying concerns and issues, they WILL fight back and find a way to manifest themselves – Typically in the form of intense paranoia and extreme anxiety – which is essentially an amplified version of the concern itself. Therefore by ignoring these issues, we are effectively making it a whole lot worse.
While it might seem terrifying (and in the moment, it definitely is), when this concern, issue, fear, or whatever it may be, presents itself during a bad psychedelic trip, you have two choices: Surrender to it, let it consume you, and give it the power to torment you OR stand up, fight back, take control, and seize the opportunity to confront it and do something about it. Two choices, two entirely different outcomes.
By using the come down, emotions, and feelings you encounter during a bad magic mushroom trip as a period for reflection, and an opportunity to dive deeper, rather than a mere recreational pursuit, you can transform your entire psychedelic experience into a moment of profound revelation about yourself, your life, and anything that may be holding you back or keeping you trapped – It instantly becomes a catalyst for change, insight, and growth.
Myron Stolaroff, a researcher and author best known for his work in psychedelic psychotherapy, stated the following about psychedelics, “Their true purpose is to enhance growth and interior development. Used only for pleasure, or abused, the Inner Self is thwarted, which leads to unpleasant experiences and depression.”
When you reflect on it in this way after each trip, diving deeper into your underlying fears and self-limiting beliefs, even the good ones, you’ll take great strides forward and make the necessary changes for a positive transformation. As you make these changes, your trips will also change for the better.
As you continue on your psychedelic magic mushroom journey, each new lesson you learn, perspective you acquire, and insight you gain from your experience, can provide you with important and essential feedback, awareness and understanding about yourself, your life, and any issues and struggles you may be facing.
Thereby helping you face and come to term with them, dissect them, and ultimately deal with them one at a time. Essentially eliminating any possible issues, and areas of concern that may elicit bad psychedelic trips, prevent you from experiencing the complete, liberating psychedelic journey in its entirety, as well as hold you back from reaching your full potential.
The pioneer of the use of psychedelic therapy, Leo Zeff, put it best by saying the quality of a trip is not determined by your experience that day, but by your subsequent growth in the following months.
