Iâve written earlier about the gear you should bring on a psychedelic trip, and it got a pretty good response, so Iâm writing again now to go a bit deeper into the subject of trip preparation.
In my opinion, you should prepare for a trip as if you were preparing to die. Because, in a sense, you will be, or at least your ego will be, at least partially. To me, whether a classical âego deathâ experience happens or not, all psychedelic effects are ultimately due to a partial suppression of the ego, of the idea of the self (not that one necessarily becomes self-lessâindeed, some trips elevate your sense of self, make you more aware of just how simultaneously insignificant *and* important you are to the universe. But thatâs a topic for another post.)
So, then, begin by acting as if it were your last day. Â
âMake peace with those around you. If you have outstanding disagreements, particularly recent ones, with family or friends, make amends. Of course, not all problems can be solved right away, but if you can, make peace. You will be much more ready to venture out in the void if you know you have minimized any pain youâve cause to those youâre leaving temporarily behind.
âSurround yourself with beauty. I like to spend time outside, if not during the trip, at least before. Your visuals will be based, in large part, on what you saw last. One time I made the stereotypical decision to watch Adventure Time as a trip was setting in, because it seemed nice and safe, and it was, but my initial visuals were all of a myriad Finn and Jake faces swimmming by. Not a bad experience, but not what it could be. On the other hand, plant-visions are literally divineâIâve had some very important encounters with biological forms, which I wonât go into here, but trust me, the beauty of the earth itself is the best basis for a trip. So go for a hike the day before or morning of. Or spend time at the window during the trip and enjoy the clouds. Besides nature herself, I also like to look at artâI have a shelf of big fine-art books that I page through when Iâm tripping. Art Nouveau, the Pre-Raphaelists, and the Decadents/Symbolists are my favorite movements to appreciate during a trip (be careful on the Symbolists though if youâre a new psychonaut!) Listen to good music the day before and day ofâcalm, happy, warm. Avoid music that expresses anger or resentment. Â
âHarmonize with your environment. Tend to your own garden. Clean your house, or room, or campsite. Make sure things are in their proper place. Not only will this make locating things during the trip, should the need arise, easier, but it will also ease your mind. Even if youâre not a 'neat freak,â clean and organized surroundings never hurt any trip. Â
âAvoid the distressing. This is especially important during the trip. Donât turn on TV, donât surf the internet. Too many unexpected and scary things can pop up that you either wonât know how to process or which will dilute your experience. The world can be an ugly place, and we canât always hide from the messes we must confront, but there will be time enough to attend to sorrow when the trip is over (indeed, one of the best things about tripping is that itâs not escapistâit gives you a to-do list of positive changes to make once you come down. I should also add, on this note, to go easy on the porn during the trip, and better to avoid the erotic altogether (unless youâre actually with a partner! That can be one of the most truly beautiful (and revalatory!) experiences of your life!) This seems silly to say, but it happensâIâm a very sexual person, and when Iâm tripping alone and my inhibitions are down, ehhhhhhhh things happen. But the after-effects during the rest of the trip are not worth it. If anything, the ego-dampening of psychedelics shows us how sexuality can be both incredibly beautiful and incredibly corrosive when turned without empathy.
âClear your schedule. You wonât want to do much of anything after your first time on acid. The trip itself will take a good twelve hours, in most cases, so itâs also best to ingest early in the day, so you can sleep (people are often surprised how much acid keeps them awake, as itâs not typically classed as a 'stimulantâ (and it isnât really, itâs more of a disinhibitor, but that, again, is for a future post.)) Your next day should be relatively clear as well. The effects may have worn off, but youâll still be tired, or not tired (provided you got a good rest) but spiritually weak. Even now, having taken psychedelics quite a few times, I wouldnât want to go in to work any sooner than 24 hours after ingestion. A noon ingestion followed by a noon clock-in the next day is doable, but really, you want the whole next day off so you can wander around and think about the things you saw on your trip. Acid is both refreshing and draining; I probably enjoy the day-after more than the trip itself, but it, like the trip, is best enjoyed without pressing demands. Â
âEat well. Eat not too much, but healthily. Hydrate. Empty your bowels. LSD doesnât cause as much nausea as most other psychedelics, but it does happen, and you want to have as many good things, and as few bad things, in your body as possible. Fruits, vegetables, raw, water.
âBe mindful. The best trip of my life was preceded by over 24 hours of deliberate, mindful contemplation. I didnât sit around, I went about my day as usual, but I was always keeping in mind what I was about to go throughâagain, prepare for your trip as you would for death. If you do this well, you may begin to experience threshhold effects before you even ingestâI do. Remember, the psychedelic state is nothing entirely foreign to the 'naturalâ human experience; anything you experience on acid, you can also experience without it. Itâs just a matter of effort and concentration. Itâs a matter of putting down the ego, of being open to the universe. And when youâre on the trip, be prepared to take a serious moral inventory. That best trip of my life also, toward the end, had me in hot, anguished tears as I realized that I hard hurt people and that I needed to do better in the future. Too many people treat revelations as a jokeâoh man, I was all crying and shit, it was crazy, that stuff fucked me up good, crazy man!âbut you should never discount whatâs shown to you on the trip. Acid (or any drug, for that matter) introduces *nothing* new to your brainâif you see something on the trip, itâs because that thing was already inside you, although you may not have been aware of it, or unwilling to think about it. You will probably see disturbing things, especially at high doses. You will probably feel shame. Do not think you are having a 'bad trip.' Personally, I donât think such a thing exists, although Iâve had trips that terrified me and left me weeping. All trips show you something about yourself. Pay attention, even if it hurts.
If you practice this mindfulness throughout, before, during, and after, you will almost certainly have a worthwhile and safe experience.
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