Ah yes, through all of my experiences and growth, experimenting with psychedelics, I have over the years made a mental note of all the things I wish someone had told me before trying it… I now finally share these thoughts [long overdue] so as to give you some sort of guidance but more importantly, give you confidence when tripping for the first time, and if you’ve already tripped before, maybe some tips for your future trips.
Who
The one ingredient that everyone recognises is a curtail element. “Make sure you’re with people you are comfortable with”. Yes this is heaps important, for multiple reasons. Obviously you’re trying something new and exciting, which can also mean vulnerable and uncomfortable, which can sometimes also cause some anxiety and stress depending on your personality. You want to be around people you are comfortable exploring new thoughts with, people you can be around WITHOUT JUDGEMENT. Really you should be surrounding yourself around people of this certain breed anyway but that’s a conversation for a later date [and something you might even contemplate during a trip]…
If you have friends or family who have done psychedelics before, invite them along [if you’re comfortable with that] and if you have people who like you, who also want to try it for the first time then I would suggest still having someone who has done it before with you if that is available to you. Just to answer any questions you may have. This is also what this post is about, so I hope that this and my other posts about my experiences will help guide you along anyway.
What
Mushroom/mushies/shrooms or LCD/acid/tabs. There are obviously other types of psychs but these are the two most common, similar to each other and what I have experience in. So take your pick but if you have the options then I would suggest a small dose of mushrooms to start. How much you take is probably the most important detail out of everything in this post for a first timer. A rule of thumb I like to tell people is “you can always take more but you can never take less”. Something I did not acknowledge for my first time and went in too deep. If it is your first time, its best to try it small and controlled, get acquainted with the feeling, learn to love it and then come back another time to increase the amount. Whatever you feel will only be magnified when the amount is increased so that’s the best way to really understand and be comfortable with it.
Specifics? Okay I would suggest 1 gram of mushrooms. Super light, still a beautiful buzz and a good time. You still get the euphoria, vibrance and mindfulness, all controlled enough and at a level where you can still have a normal conversation. Then built up to 2 your next time and then 3, and so on if you want a stronger feel. If 1 is enough, then stay at that level until you’re comfortable. If you can’t do mushrooms for whatever reason, allergies, access, etc., then you can also try LSD. I DO NOT recommend a full tab for your first time [they usually come on a paper strip about the size of a pinky nail – they can also come in sugar cubes where someone has dropped the liquid on the cube instead of a paper [this was actually how I consumed acid my first time]. I would suggest grabbing some scissors, cutting it into quarters and taking that 1/4 for your first time. Built up to 1/2 next time, etc, etc.
Again, I would recommend shrooms over tabs for your first time because although the effects are virtually the same, mushrooms are natural and they last a shorter amount of time so generally speaking, this would work best for the majority of people. LSD is just a synthetic make up of the same chemicals found in mushrooms so the effects are the same but the potency is higher and the effects last wayyyyy longer.
When
Plan it out. If its your first time, actually think about all the details of your trip [no pun intended]. Pick a day where you don’t have to be anywhere later at a certain time. The come down is as enjoyable as the trip. Start when its still day light and if you can plan in advanced, choose a time when the weather is nice out, so you can take a wander outside at some point.
Honestly, you will enjoy the beauty of it no matter what the weather BUT one thing I highly highly recommend is to go out into nature. Walk around, sit on the grass, watch the clouds, anything of the sort. There is this deep connection you feel towards nature, you can almost hear/feel it like its an animal in your presence. I know that sounds super hippie dippie but it is true. There’s something about it that makes you really appreciate what’s around us and funnily enough, more understanding of animals. I remember the first time I tripped and a dog walked past me. I swear it felt like time froze. This dog has its tongue out, huffing and puffing and I could honestly feel how happy he was like he was trying to tell me! Again, I know I sound weird but you’ll understand when you understand.
Where
I actually recommend people to make a full experience out of it, go away for the weekend or a night, stay at a cabin or airbnb situation. Something with friends and completely isolate yourself from your everyday norms. Sure that isn’t an option for a lot of people but if you do have that option, why not go all out!
If you don’t have that option, then sure do it at yours or someone’s home. Just make sure that there will be no one there who will disturb you. Like I said, you want to be completely comfortable and that usually includes not being around people who aren’t tripping with you/know that’s what you’re doing.
You also want to be somewhere that has access to a toilet, to water, to snacks for when you’re coming down and you get hungry, etc. So if you go away or choose someone’s house, try to pick something with either a great backyard or places to walk, or a park or a beach in close proximity that you can explore but also be close enough for necessities. If you choose to go on a hike or somewhere out far for the day, just remember to pack water and things like that. If you do opt for park or places with water, you also want to pick places either isolated or big enough that you can be away from a crowd.
Why
Its like the ultimate spiritual experience. You see the world in a different way. Literally and figuratively. How I describe it, is its like there are no sharp edges. Everything looks softened like theres a smoothness filter over your eye lenses. Everything is bright and vivid like a cartoon. Your senses are all heightened and you really do see the beauty in the world with a magnified class. It’s magical. I could stare at a pile of dirt and through this corrective lens, its almost like I’m looking at art.
On top of that, you can process and understand things in a completely different way. You can see things from different angles you didn’t consider before. Psilocybin, which is the psychedelic compound found in mushrooms can not only repair old neuropathways but create new ones. This is why it has been found so helpful therapeutically. I wrote about my approach to using my trip as a tool for life called ‘Psychedelic Self Therapy’ which has it all in the name. I don’t know if it is just me growing as a person in conjunction to or a direct effect of the multiple interactions with Psilocybin but I have gotten really good at “talking to myself” over the years. Whether something happens and requires an immediate reaction or something I have time to ponder about. But I am able to recognise a lot better how to see situations from different perspectives and not just my own selfish ones.
Your creativity and motivation for life is also heightened. But you can also very well see the flaws of our world in a different way. Be prepared for that also. You start to recognise the “machine” of our systems and we have all fell victim to it in some way.
How
I like to eat my dried up mushies in a grinded up form. I can’t even remember how or why I started doing this but I have been doing this for so long and have recommended it to so many people that it doesn’t make sense any other way.
Benefits of grinding it up first:
1. You don’t have to chew on that sh*t! Its a fungi, it came from the earth, usually covered in dirt before it was dried up so you can bet that it does indeed taste like dirt. Not to mention, it gets all stuck in your teeth and its all grotty so you feel almost forced to swallow it whole… which brings me on to reason number
2. You don’t want to swallow it whole or chew it up because like anything digestible, you are going to have to wait for your body to break it down first. Meaning if you’re tripping with other people, it will hit you all at different times, depending on metabolism, depending on how much people have eaten, who’s had coffee, etc. By grinding it up, you don’t have to wait for your body to break it down first before digesting. You also have to be prepared for this because it can hit in about 10minutes time, so if you were planning to head out outside, have your stuff ready to go
3. Easy to consume. I have actually sprinkled it in my burger before and couldn’t taste a thing other than the burger itself. For times I haven’t had any food on me, I just have a liquid ready to basically shot it down.
Now if for whatever reason you hadn’t planned ahead or you’re alone and don’t care for time, you can just eat it. If you want an entirely different option, you can also put it in tea. I have tried this a couple times. I brewed it like any other loose leaf tea and only drank the watered contents. This method apparently makes the potency stronger that normal consumption but you still get the nasty dirt taste; if anything that too is more potent. I tried mixing it with other tea but still had to force myself to skull it down after cooling because of the taste. Perhaps brewing with coffee could mask the taste better? I am yet to try that but also please prepare and consider being near a toilet if you are skulling mushroom and dirt juices and black coffee in one sitting! Hah.
To do ~
Well the trip itself is enough. Actually, there is a common term which people say when tripping and its called “getting stuck”. I try and plan out in advanced to avoid this. It basically just means as it sounds, you get stuck where you are. Either the feeling is overwhelming or, a lot of the time, the feeling is just too good. Why change that right? Well quite frankly, you’re going to feel good no matter what. Psilocybin causes high serotonin responses, which is great but there can also be greater and you don’t want to look back on your experience wishing you had experienced more. You can forget what you planned to do, whether it be a walk or have your own “Psychedelic Self Therapy” session. Another reason why having someone who has tripped before to accompany you is a good idea.
Like i’ve already recommended, go out and connect with nature. If it isn’t a clear sky with a blazing sun, look up at the sky. The clouds are a damn show on psychedelics. If it starts getting dark, look up at the stars, boy can that get you to ponder your insignificance. If you’re with someone, speak about the crazy roller coaster of thoughts happening in your mind and visa versa.
If you’re a more experienced tripper or just comfortable being under an influence doing normal things and trust yourself to behave responsibly, then I would highly recommend swimming! My goodness, you don’t just have to be a water baby like me to appreciate it. It is a MAGICAL sensation. Trip near a body of water [again, only if you can do so responsibly and are a good swimmer without pschs] and enjoy the feeling of the silky water glide over your skin.
Another thing I LOVE love to do is micro-dose on psychedelics and go see a visually stimulating show. Like a winter light show or a circus act or even a concert or something – again, you have to obviously be comfortable enough to handle a hectic crowd and everyone else around you not of the same headspace of you which I wouldn’t recommend to newbies, but as your senses are heightened, you can only imagine how much better these things can become.
The honest cautions
Like everything new, its important to be prepared. This entire page is dedicated to that, but you can also do all the things right and I can give you as much help as I think I can, but at the end of the day, it is just you versus your own mind. Know that it is okay to think, its okay to wonder and question things. Know that if you have stuff on your mind that you’re either ignoring or forgetting to deal with, it might bring those topics up and usually for good reason.
Something I like to say is “there is no such thing as a bad trip” and my reasoning why is because even those times when you feel like you’re having a negative experience from thinking of something you might think is negative, it also forces you to process it and hopefully find a solution. So even if those negative thoughts come up, at least you are either forced to deal with them in the moment, or stress about them and leave them untouched and continue living in your head. That’ll be up to you.
I’ve only ever had one experience like this [my first] and i’ll honestly say I don’t regret it. It was definitely because I wasn’t dosed properly [young and inexperienced individuals around me] but I think I needed that experience to have overcome some brooding thoughts anyway. Still wouldn’t recommend that though – starting off small and slow would have been the right way to go about it.
Takeaways
If you’re contemplating it enough to have gotten through this entire piece of writing [yes I can yap for days], then I think you’re curiosity is peaked enough to just try it. You only live once right? Life is all about experiencing the wonders of this world and living life to the fullest. And hey, it might not be for you, but how will you know until you’ve tried it right? You can be comforted in the fact that no one has ever died from consuming psychedelics and they even have an effect on you where you need to take breaks in between trips otherwise they just won’t work, so you also don’t have to worry about getting addicted to them if that’s a concern for you too. I love mushrooms, I think they are literally magic on earth and some of my most beautiful and memorable experiences have been accompanied by them.
A documentary I recommend you watching if you’re apprehensive is “Fantastic Fungi”. It is not only a great introduction to how it works but a beautifully stimulating piece to view – I almost wanted to watch it again while tripping because the visuals were that spectacular and similar to the effects.
Quick recap – pick your company wisely, start small, do it in the day time, be away from a crowd, go outside, grind it up, think, see, talk, and enjoy the comedown [I usually like to ingest some thc at this point – it’ll not only bring up some of the effects of the mushies but turn your comedown into a whole new hybrid of the two, sort of high].
Remember to dress SUPER COMFY.
Happy tripping!
Shaks