May the roots of suffering diminish. May warfare, violence, neglect, indifference, and addictions also decrease.

May the wisdom and compassion of all beings increase, now and in the future.

May we clearly see all the barriers we erect between ourselves and other to be as insubstantial as our dreams.

May we appreciate the great perfection of all phenomenon.

May we continue to open our hearts and minds, in order to work ceaselessly for the benefit of all beings.

May we go to the places that scare us.

May we lead the life of a warrior.

~Pema Chodron

Difficult trips can offer opportunity to learn some important lessons. We make an agreement as soon as we ingest. The agreement offers no guarantee it will not be a difficult trip. It can happen by accidently ingested more than you intended or knew. If can happen just getting a bad vibe. It can happen intentionally for personal growth and discovery. It can happen for apparently no reason at all no matter what preparations were made to assure a good trip.


Although it can be very intense and uncomfortable at times I have learned to enjoy the intensity and I look for lessons. I look to rid myself of the fear. Go to the places the scare me. I don't intentionally seek difficult trips. I just try to see it as an opportunity to experience, learn and expand when they do come up. It is very possible to turn a difficult trip into a easier one with the right mindset.


Share any and all stories about difficult trips please. How do you handle your difficult trips? Have you helped others through a difficult trip? Have you ever taken a Zendo shift at a tranformation festival? It would be great to hear how others deal with this topic.


Thanks for sharing!

If you would like to learn more about this topic. Zendo is a great resource. Check out this link -> http://www.maps.org/reso..._psychedelic_experiences

i like that, i have been on the same kind of wave length for a while.

When i began my exploration it was all colours and light and epicness, i wasnt really scared of that place, i feel its nice like that, I feel it eases you in and it holds alot back to begin with, i feel it likes the silly monkeys.

Then i got a bit more involved and the experience began to reveil itself properly, and good god that place scares the pants off me, its normally OK, 99 out of 100 its all gravy but then you get dropped into something all together different to what you thought existence was.

So what does this mean? well i now like to use the fear i have of the experience as a life training aid. There is nothing in life that scares me like DMT, nothing. I feel that if i can muster the courage to venture into those waters then there is no reason for me to shy away from other things in life that scare me.

I think it has worked well, frequently i find myself in a situation i may have been worried about/scared of, and now i just think "well, its not as scary as lighting that cone of Magic so man up and get it done".

I also agree with your use of the term "difficult" as opposed to "bad", ive learnt way more from the difficult ones than the fun ones.

We should all go to places that scare us, no matter where those places are, its charactor building, dont cha know

This quote came to mind.. I heard it in a song but realized it's actually from Star Trek.. I don't even watch Star Trek!

"It is the unknown that defies our existence."

Ime, difficult experiences have a thin veil, in which we think them to be 'one thing', but in turn they are provisional, like everything in life; and they tend to hide behind this and present themselves as such. What I mean is that one minute, you could be getting into uncomfortable/dark territory, only for the experience to eventually morph into something altogether different, less difficult, more 'positive, etc. So I don't try to attach anything to the difficult experiences, just simply observe, accept, embrace these rough points, because they won't last, so I try to enjoy their lessons/presence while they're in full force. Knowing that the lows are as transient as the highs, and not getting mentally hung up on them, not attaching anything to them, is key imo. Accept them on their terms.

I've said it before, but for me, above all else, deep breathing is absolutely key to circumventing/navigating the difficult aspects of an experience. Everything rests in the breath - both mentally and physically speaking. Controlling the breath, you control the experience (to varying degrees). By deep breathing I mean, 2-4 deep breaths a minute, from the belly, fully focusing on the process, full expansion of belly/lungs during inhale, full relaxing on the exhale. I've found that this practice has always brought me into a much easier-to-manage space than if I were not to do it. Very powerful practice that I utilize nearly every time I journey, whatever substance it may be.

Also ...singing .....during a difficult experience ...sing your heart out (if your able to).

<3

By approaching that barrier of fear only then you are able to see it, feel it, know it and actually go beyond it.
I came to find out that for me it is like a two sides of same coin. So as i live and flip my coin i am bout to experience hindering and motivation in equal extend. My fears try to keep me at bay but at the same time they are best motivation since there is nothing more rewarding than being afraid and you still go for it and come out of it on other end with totally new outlook and experience. Heroes journey.
The Pandora's box has been open with first experience and now the exploration of self is the most intriguing part of my life.
There are times when i just can't muster up the courage to dive in but as time passes i also forget how all of this looks like, feels etc. So my curiosity grows larger than fear and i am able to dive in just to be reminded in first couple of seconds that i have done this eternity of times before. You all know that feeling of ˝i have been here more times than i can actually remember˝ in my regular human life and that i need to buckle up again since ineffable ride ticket has been bought and it's my turn to have a ride and ALL EYES ARE ON ME.

I find myself talking about this particular topic quite often.

When tripping with others or talking about psychedellics this particular topic is where you find those who truely enjoy & use psychedellics in a healthy manor.

By this i mean, those who typically use psychedellics just to see pretty colors & party, even if they hide it well, are weeded out. A difficult trip often proves to push them away from tripping entirely & they learn nothing from it aside from bruh...i just saw demons this stuff is evil.

The ones that are able to take difficult trips learn are generally the ones who stay around, grow & make positive use of psychedellics & continue to trip in a responsible manor above just shallow drug use.

I've seen alot of people using lsd & mushrooms as party drugs over the years & most of the time the observation i make is that when these types of people get into real psychedellic territory they are shown the true nature of psychedellics & do not like it. A large percentage seem not to like confrontation with themselves & when deeper psychological issues appear tend to just want to bury them & look away.
This is ususally about the time they stop using psychedellics entirely because rather than masking ones problems with euphoria & a drunken stupor & allowing them to escape & forget momentarily like cocaine, alcohol, & amphetamines do, they make their problems apparent & provide a way to bring problems into the light, work through them, & improve & thats not what partying is about.

^^ +1 good points.

My personal revelation with psychedelics has been that these substances disable or severely hamper the mechanism of psychological suppression. After some ecstatic experiences under the influence of psychedelics, I wondered, "why am I suppressing so much of my reality in my default mode of experience?" The answer^H^Happroach for me is to try to open up to the immediacy of life's reality also while not under the influence of psychedelics.

For me, the inevitable "bad" trips are just difficult trips, that should not be repressed or forgotten, but worked through, most effectively during the apex of it, if possible. In hindsight, such experiences can be more valuable than any "joy rides" by orders of magnitude. Mind you, I also value the happy times immensely for their particular therapeutic value.

On a somewhat related tangent, I have in the last few been dabbling in a martial arts somewhat related to aikido, but not exactly that. The first thing that I learned was to "open my heart", both in terms of physical posture as well as in terms of emotional attitude. I am still immensely impressed about the depth of this wisdom, more so than any other martial arts technique I have learned or still might learn.

Please enjoy this youtube video of Corky Quakenbush that can be loosely interpreted as also concerning dealing with life's challenges in general, including the psychedelic experience.

This is the point i stress most to those who use psychedellics when i encounter others. Partiers never listen.

'bad' trips are only 'bad' because the user implements that negativity onto the experience.
In my mind there is no such thing as a bad trip. Experiences may be difficult sometimes, but anyone who truely uses psychedellics for what they are, a medicine, understands exactlt what i'm saying. The difficult experiences are the ones that really show you the psychological value of these medicines. Yes it may invoke some scary or unexpected things, but that is the entire point. To bring forth the repressed emotions & aspects of oneself & come to terms with it in order to provide for a healthier & more full experience in this reality.

I find alot of people who are lost using psychedellics as well who seem to be recieving the profound insights & the psychological value these substances offer, but not putting them into action.
It's just drugs to them. You can tell these types of users rather quickly as well. They trip speak of very valuable insights & revelations, but within a few days it's as if those valuable lessons never existed. They do not take the time to put them into action & improve. Generally you'll catch on when trips are not spaced enough for propper integration & no real change is implemented in their lives in any aspect.

It's very frustrating for me as a serious psychedellic user seeing people do this so frequently . Being that i'm fairly young, the majority of those i know who use psychedellics do not listen to me when i attempt to explain the right way to use these compounds. It is extremely rare for me to encounter someone else face to face who is on the same wavelength & most of the time they are in their mid 40's.

It seems to me my generation is not able to see the value in using these substances correctly & it saddens me greatly.

Now, now; let's not be judgmental. We're all human, after-all. Who knows what we look like to others from the outside; guarantee it's not what we think.

i think your taking life a little to seriously. theraputic use is good for you, fun an giggles is good for others, theres no correct way to use psychedelics.

why do you care what others do with there psychedelics as long as there not smoking DMT while tight rope walking between buildings.

you crazy spiritualists never listen