When people discuss psychedelics, the concept of a "bad trip" inevitably comes up. At times, psychedelic experiences can, in fact, seem difficult or unpleasant (cannabis can also cause a similar effect but that is a different topic) but are these experiences really a negative thing? Barring a physical accident or an unwanted run-in with the police, are "bad trips" really something we need to avoid when we use psychedelic substances? I would argue that "bad trips" can and often do lead to positive outcomes. One of the most profound effects that psychedelic substances have is the ability to summon burred emotions to the surface. Most of the time, these emotions are positive and the trip is both pleasurable and enlightening. There are instances, though, when when something grotesque or terrifying heeds the drug's call and demands to be faced by the user. Monstrous though these feelings may be, they often come with a lesson to teach and in facing them one may be handsomely rewarded.
The emotions that cause "bad trips" are unpleasant to confront. In sober life, we often bury them or try to forget them but this does not slay the beast. It continues to lurk in the darkness of the hidden mind, to feed, and to grow. When psychedelics cast their strange light on that darkness, the monster can no longer be ignored. One is forced to experience that emotion and this is a painful experience. The trip is then perceived as bad for this reason. It is true that these types of experiences don't feel good. They can certainly leave one shaken. After confronting and conversing with the monster, one may even need time to process the experience but is this a negative thing?
Being able to speak to the monster in this way can work to the benefit of the user. The trip is not pleasurable but when it is over, the emotion has been faced. The user can now deal with these feelings more directly and address their causes. If it was some fear that had been summoned by the drug, the user can face it and learn to over come it. If the monster is the guilt one bares after doing something that he or she feels was wrong or shameful, he or she can recognize his or her mistake and learn from it. Sometimes sadness is the source of the "bad trip" but once it has been confronted, its sting is blunted in the future.
The way one faces these monsters matters. His or her first instinct may be to run and hide from the difficult emotions but this is ineffective. The feeling are as potent as they are because they were given time and space to ferment. Instead, one must allow the monster to come. He or she must give it leave to say its piece. One must speak with the monster and embrace its grotesque form. When these things are done, the bad trip ceases to be negative and becomes therapeutic. The user has gained a new understanding and can integrate into his or her life.
These types of difficult trips are something that most users of psychedelic substances will have to deal with at some point but they are nothing to be afraid of. The monster may be frightening but it is part of the user and deserves the same love and attention as any other aspect of the self. In this sense, it helpful to try to start looking at theese experiences as a sort of bitter medicine. The monster is not a cruel torturer. Quite the contrary, it is the healer who must set a broken bone or remove a malignant growth. The process is painful, true, but it is done in the best interest of the user. Embrace the monster and you will be freed by it.
Peace.
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