Yes, but one thing that I think is often missed is that you want to have 1-2mg of Xanax (or equivalent) laying around just in case things go wrong.
A lot of people into the hippie side of psychedelic culture don't like pharmaceuticals because they're unnatural or whatever, but in practice, there's a chance that your psychedelics are going to trigger hours and hours of rolling panic attacks that feel like you're dying, to the point where you may convince yourself that you've certainly died, or perhaps that you've never been alive.
You're considering ingesting some very weird chemicals. Have Xanax on hand just in case, so you can essentially put yourself down. If you have to take it, you'll still be tripping but you simply won't care, you'll not remember much, and you'll have turned one of the possible worst PTSD-triggering experiences of your life into a "meh, that sucked" experience.
That said, you might have a great trip that opens your mind and changes your perspective on life. I'd say it's 100% worth it if you're in the right set/setting, but not worth the risk of having a terrible time without an benzodiazepine escape hatch, because things can get seriously uncomfortably weird.
Great advice. Those magical little rectangles are absolutely essential to have on hand.
However I would add that working through a 'bad' trip or 'seriously uncomfortably weird' experience can be the exact opposite of bad. More often than not, the inability to let go or a fixation on something negative happens for a reason. (Not to say this is the case every time - sometimes hitting the panic button is the right reaction).
These drugs amplify and reveal what's happening in deep parts of the psyche - subconscious, unconscious, habits, 'ruts' we have been stuck in so long we forget they're ruts. In my experience, the most profound growth and change comes from diving headfirst into the discomfort and following it all the way down to its origin.
This is correct and that's what I would recommend as well.
It is 100% better to be able to work through a bad trip than to take the escape hatch, but I sure wouldn't go into the experience knowing that my only option is to work through whatever happens. Knowing there's no way out might make it impossible to work through things where I would otherwise say "ok, I can go a bit further, I can always bail if I have to".
I second this, but I might also suggest swapping Xanax for some weed. I've had those hours of rolling panic attacks that ultimately led me to believe I was dead and it was utterly terrifying. In retrospect, the experience was amazing in its own right, but I still needed to be calmed and the weed helped me come to again. I'm glad the roller coaster ended when it did.
I must add to this, mixing a psychedelic (LSA) with weed was the most terrifying experience of my life, and I have heard others recommend against it many times.
CBD oil however, is probably a good alternative. I will report back in the future with results.
I agree that LSD is more prone to producing 'freak outs' or acute psychedelic emergencies than mushrooms are, but disagree that having a benzo on hand is 'unnecessary' for mushroom trips - I have seen a couple mushroom experiences spiral out of control which could have been aborted by Xanax.
Ive had a freak out on shrooms myself. I just am very careful about Xanax/Benzos because they’re highly addictive. Xanax is kinda like alcohol, it's a gaba-ergic drug - it will help, but the primary way to stop freaking out is to calm down and breathe properly, and be assured that things are ok. But I’m sure in an emergency it can be useful.
It definitely won't stop the effects, but you simply won't care anymore, everything will seem like it's not that big of a deal, and you might fall asleep.
A lot of people into the hippie side of psychedelic culture don't like pharmaceuticals because they're unnatural or whatever, but in practice, there's a chance that your psychedelics are going to trigger hours and hours of rolling panic attacks that feel like you're dying, to the point where you may convince yourself that you've certainly died, or perhaps that you've never been alive.
You're considering ingesting some very weird chemicals. Have Xanax on hand just in case, so you can essentially put yourself down. If you have to take it, you'll still be tripping but you simply won't care, you'll not remember much, and you'll have turned one of the possible worst PTSD-triggering experiences of your life into a "meh, that sucked" experience.
That said, you might have a great trip that opens your mind and changes your perspective on life. I'd say it's 100% worth it if you're in the right set/setting, but not worth the risk of having a terrible time without an benzodiazepine escape hatch, because things can get seriously uncomfortably weird.