Psychedelics bring forth both good and bad times, which usually have a good result. But if you aren’t prepared for some of the things that can potentially happen then you might have a bad time.

You never know what you’re getting into when you put a psychoactive chemical into your body, you only have an idea of what is to come; usually, however, those ideas are absolutely demolished. We’ve put together a few guidelines of what-to-do’s when a bad experience comes up.

The bad trip

A frightening experience is generally caused by fear, which then creates a state of confusion. Being utterly confused on a psychedelic feels sincerely hopeless, but there are ways to snap out of these states.

A bad trip isn’t just one global experience, there are multiple experiences one can have to be in a bad trip: a loop of ones thoughts, fear of death, fear of letting go and/or desire for control, amnesia, and so on.

All of these have the same basis: fear. What makes the fear worse is attempting to rationalize what’s happening to you, which just doesn’t work.

You cannot rationalize a psychedelic experience.

The Loop

The Loop is an odd occurrence in which your thoughts will repeat themselves in full. It begins with a question such as, “What is life?” and then the user will answer, which is usually a long-winded answer, and it will then end in another question which will eventually bring itself back to the first question.

This causes a loop of ones thoughts, and can last the whole experience if it’s not taken care of. It’s very difficult to break for first timers just experiencing it because you do not necessarily realize that it is happening to you until it is over.

How do I get out of it?

The loop is probably the most advanced delusion considering that it can lead to the questioning of ones own sanity. A loop in ones thoughts is accepted as insanity in today’s society, so this idea scares people.

To get out of it you must create unique thoughts. The loop is based on the conscious level, but luckily for you, you’re on a psychedelic. You can think deeper than the main-level of conciousness, and that is what you must do.

The loop is the ego chasing itself, but you are not the ego: you are you, the self. To think, and to break the loop, you must focus at the very top of your head and think an abstract thought. You will not be able to think in words at this level. This unique thought will break the loop process and you will be back in your brain.

You could also get up and be distracted if doing the above is difficult. Drink some water, go outside and try to focus on something else besides you or life. But this is only a temporary solution and the loop will reintegrate itself in later trips.

Fear of Death or Deathly Thoughts

These kinds of thoughts usually mean one thing: you are close to experiencing ego death, but the psychedelic taken is not strong enough for it to be automatic. So if you wish to experience ego death then you have to do some manual labour to get there.

These thoughts could range from, “What if I die right now?” or “Am I dying?” or even suicidal thoughts. These thoughts stem from your untamed ego defending itself. They are completely natural and common within the psychedelic realm. The human mind cannot comprehend death and so it is seemingly frightening.

What can I do?

These thoughts are, like I said, natural. Do not feel alienated if you begin to think these thoughts, that’s the last thing that you need to do. You are a completely normal being whether or not these thoughts cross your mind.

The cure is to stop thinking and start meditating. To stop thinking is a lot harder than said, however. A good trick is to think upon the top of your head and create an energetic base. It will disperse all thought processes. Doing this for even a minute will turn the psychedelic tide to your favour.

Once you dissolve your thoughts you will probably descend into ego death, but because you’ve conquered your fears the experience will not be nearly as scary as it could have been. You can read more about ego death at another article, To Become Everything. What Ego Death Means and Why It’s Important and if you’ve just experienced ego death, then please read So You’ve Experienced Ego Death. Now What? for some other tips at what to do afterwards.

Letting Go of People and/or Possessions

This, too, is a precursor to ego death and if you’re able to hold onto things or people, then you must go into ego death willingly and on your own. But letting go is hard, because at this point we have to let go of everything that we know to be true. We like to control our daily lives, but we must let go every now and then.

It’s not unheard of for people to have a bad experience throughout their trip because they couldn’t let go of someone they love. Your family and possessions will always be there, but it’s difficult to comprehend that idea when you think you’re about to die.

So how do I let go?

This one depends on how strong your grips are on the things that you love and/or desire. It can be very easy for some and extremely hard for others. This does not mean, however, that letting go of your family for a single moment means that you do not love them. If anything it is the opposite. You are letting yourself become the person that you want to be, thus bettering your family as a whole.

Close your eyes and keep them closed. Keeping your eyes open during a trip will, almost inevitably, cause confusion about the external life. Keep them closed and lay down. Take a deep breath, and pause yourself; all thoughts, all actions, for one moment. Just one moment.

You will then be catapulted into ego death and will come out realizing that letting go of everything you know made your love for those things much, much stronger. This will, of course, vary.

Utter Confusion

To be confused, or in a state of amnesia, is an extremely common occurrence. To be confused on a psychedelic means that you are trying to rationalize what is happening; you are attempting to make sense of the psychedelic. This will not work.

Everybody gets confused every now and then. But to attempt to be logical on a psychedelic is far more confusing than letting the confusion free and halting all doubt.

How can I come to my senses, then?

Let go of all of your beliefs for the journey to come. You should do this before a psychedelic experience anyway. You need to accept that the psychedelic does not care about your beliefs, because it has its own. Whether or not you take them to life is up to you.

If you are an atheist and you are experiencing The God Experience then, clearly, you need to open yourself up and at least witness the beauty of what you are seeing.

Conclusions

It’s really a matter of self-trust and general willpower. You need to be open to new ideas, let go of what you know and who you are for the time being. You will have a great experience if you go into it with the mindset of one who wants to experience rather than a mindset of one who thinks s/he knows all.

Just let go.