There's no such thing as a bad trip
Hang on, yes this is. Thousands will attest to such. The saying goes something like:
"there's no such thing as a bad trip, just a difficult experience that has not been integrated".
Justin Smith-Ruiu wrote in On Drugs: Psychedelics, Philosophy, and the Nature of Reality
At issue, ultimately, is the problem of whether it is more useful to conceptualize psychedelic experience in utilitarian or existential terms.
I prefer the latter approach, as I believe it is vastly more adequate to the depth and complexity of the experience itself. To undertake such an experience is a radical leap, characterized by the fact that you do not know, and cannot know, what you're going to be like when you come out the other side. Will it have been worth it? Will the good have outweighed the bad? If you think you can answer these questions beforehand with any degree of certainty, if you think utilitarianism is entirely adequate to the problem, you may not be ready to take the psychedelic leap.
Difficult Experiences
In a clinical trial in which individuals with major depressive disorder received two doses of psilocybin alongside psychotherapy, 65% of individuals described one of their psilocybin experiences as one of the five most psychologically challenging experiences of their life and 25% of individuals described it as the single most psychologically challenging experience of their life. Furthermore, across their two psilocybin experiences in this clinical trial, 92% of individuals reported that they felt like crying (although note that catharsis-related responses such as crying are more likely to be regarded as therapeutically useful), 79% of individuals reported experiencing sadness, 56% reported experiencing anxiousness, and 77% reported experiencing emotional or physical suffering. Among healthy individuals that were administered psilocybin, 31% of individuals reported experiencing strong or extreme fear and 22% reported that a significant portion or their entire psilocybin experience was characterized by anxiety or unpleasant psychological struggle. Within a nationally representative sample, 40.9% of individuals with lifetime psychedelic use reported having a challenging psychedelic experience. Cross-sectional surveys of psychedelic-induced challenging experiences and so-called “God encounter experiences” have also found that for some individuals (11% and 15%, respectively) these were the single most psychologically challenging experience of their life.
Although challenging experiences are sometimes described as ultimately beneficial or therapeutic, these experiences can sometimes contribute to post-acute distress, functional impairment, and medical attention seeking. For instance, among individuals with lifetime use of a classic psychedelic, 8.9% of individuals reported experiencing functional impairment for longer than one day, and 2.6% of individuals reported seeking medical or psychological assistance, following a challenging psychedelic experience. There are also reports of the emergence of psychiatric diagnoses, suicidality, and harm to self and others during and after challenging psychedelic experiences. Importantly, concerns about challenging experiences and their effects are commonly noted as a reason that health care providers and users are reluctant to suggest or receive treatment with classic psychedelics.
The five most commonly reported set and setting variables associated with respondents’ most challenging, difficult, or distressing classic psychedelic experience were:
· no preparation
· negative mindset
· no psychological support
· disagreeable social environment, and
· disagreeable physical environment
· dose was too large
· major life event prior to experience
The five most commonly reported helpful interventions during respondents’
most challenging, difficult, or distressing classic psychedelic experience
were:
trying to calm the mind
changing location
asking for help from friend
changing social environment, and
smoking cannabis
