Psychnauts, the sailors of the mind, often search for deeply hidden knowledge of the self but the journey needn't be undertaken alone. I would go as far as to say that tripping alone is inadvisable unless the psychonaut is an experienced user. There are hazards (and rewards but I will cover those in an upcoming post) which come with tripping alone. Unpleasant outcomes can occur if the user does not have strategies for dealing with the strange and powerful thoughts, feelings, and visions that he or she will encounter. Because the quest can be difficult, the support of trusted companions can aid one travel along the path of self-discovery. There are added benefits as well; it's fun, for one. Tripping together can create an unusually deep bond of friendship between the participants and this may lead to valuable revelations about one interacts with others round them.
The most basic reason to trip with other people is that is enjoyable. When one uses psychedelic substances, he or she is put into a very altered state of mind. Communicating with people who are not on that same "wavelength" is often difficult because they will struggle to understand the mental connections the user is able to make. This problem does not exist between psychonauts. The strange connections make sense and conversations go to weird and unbelievably entertaining places. Soon, liquid laughter flows easily from the band of users. Jovial bliss often takes hold and the journey is filled with peace and pleasure.
There times when trips become difficult and having understanding people around can provide the aid one needs to complete his or her quest of self-discovery. I have argued and continue to believe that the vast majority of "bad" trips are not actually bad but that does not mean that they can't be unpleasant for the psychonaut who is in the midst of one. A user could be suddenly faced with a terrible inner monster and, like Hercules slaying the Hydra, may require the help of a companion. Intense events are difficult to process and hard to understand but talking through them can provide comfort, reassurance, and ultimately, the strength to see the struggle through to the end.
Tripping with others can create a very deep bond between the fellow psychonauts who choose to share their journey. The intensity of a trip can be credited with some of this effect. When people go through things that are very overwhelming together, they have shared an experience that in unique to them and can't be fully understood by others. However, there is more here. Psychedelics can make people perceive subtle things very differently. A twitch of the mouth, tension in a friends voice, and any number of other small changes in a persons demeanor become very significant to a user who is tripping and this seems to lead people to a very empathetic state of mind. This heightened empathy has led some people to attribute almost "magical" powers to these drugs and I can see why. One is able to pick up on emotions with a great deal of accuracy and when two or more people share this kind of connection (even temporarily) their is no longer any way to hide the true selves from one another.
Interestingly, the ability to pick up on subtle emotions seems to be a retained skill. The trip ends and the effects fade but the knowledge is not unlearned. One may not have the powerful sense of another person's mind but he or she will remember how to read the subtle changes in that person. In this sense, tripping with other people teaches one how to communicate differently and in a manner that is more aware of partner.
Peace.
Note: I know this was a little shorter than usual and there is a reason for that. I unfortunately injured my hand and typing is a bit uncomfortable at the moment plus most of my day was wasted at the doctor's office waiting for them to stitch up the wound, give me a tetanus shot, and, of course sweet pain killers. However, I am a workaholic (with some things, anyway) and I wanted to get something out for all of you who like to read my posts, so I wrote up this little essay. The swelling should be down after a day or two so you can expect more lengthy posts coming in the following days.
(Image credit: Me. That's my hand, unfortunately.)
This was another installment of my Philosophy of Use series of posts. If you liked this post, pleas feel free to check out my page fro more similar content.
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