bad trip o que fazer

Bad Trip: o que é, como sair e como evitar ao fumar maconha

Publicado em

• março 23, 2023

Provavelmente você já ouviu falar de um fenômeno chamado “Bad Trip”. Geralmente, ao fazer o uso da maconha, as pessoas se sentem relaxadas, tranquilas, contentes, a até mais criativas, mas em algum momento, pode ser que o efeito vá em uma direção oposta do objetivo inicial. Afinal, nem sempre as coisas acontecem da forma que a gente gostaria.

A tradução para o português de Bad Trip é “viagem ruim”, e esse é o nome dado para esse efeito indesejado e desconfortável após fazer o uso de alguma substância.

Principalmente quando falamos de cannabis, várias críticas a esse termo são discutidas. Algumas pessoas garantem que ele atribui “causa” de uma crise exclusivamente ao uso, enquanto na realidade, podem ter outros fatores importantes por trás, vamos entender:

O que é a bad trip de maconha?

A Bad Trip tem causas multifatoriais, ou seja, depende de um conjunto de fatores, como por exemplo, o tipo de uso de cada pessoa, a qualidade da substância, o momento em que foi usada e os limites de cada um. Os sintomas da bad trip são muito particulares, e cada um descreve seus desconfortos a seu próprio modo, no entanto, algumas sensações são relatadas com mais frequência:

• Crises de pânico
• Taquicardia
• Falta de ar
• Formigamentos
• Sensação de falta de controle

Essas sensações se diferem em duração e intensidade. Enfim, independente do sintoma, a bad trip está associada a um mal-estar difícil de controlar. No caso do uso recreativo da cannabis, alguns aspectos devem ser levados em consideração para que esse efeito seja evitado.

Quanto tempo dura a bad trip de maconha?

Essa resposta não é simples pois depende de vários fatores. Primeiramente, cada pessoa é única e cada organismo possui seu próprio metabolismo e resistência, o que determina se as reações fisiológicas serão mais rápidas ou durarão menos.

O tipo de substância, a qualidade, e a quantidade também devem ser levados em consideração antes de estipular um intervalo preciso.

Mas no geral, os sintomas da bad trip costumam amenizar após poucas horas, então é comum que após o efeito da maconha passar, essas sensações também diminuam.

Entenda como evitar a bad trip

Sabemos que é difícil entender todos os motivos que levam esse fenômeno a acontecer, e também é complicado prever a sua ocorrência. Todos nós estamos sujeitos a ter alguma reação negativa quando se trata do nosso corpo e efeitos desconfortáveis podem ser desencadeados após o uso de qualquer substância, inclusive medicamentos. No caso da maconha, vamos explicar alguns fatores que colaboram para que a bad trip seja evitada:

Escolha bons momentos para usar

Antes de fumar ou ingerir maconha, é importante que você saiba que a substância pode potencializar o contato com alguma emoção que ainda não aflorou. Antes do uso, olhe para si mesmo! É preciso reconhecer se você está passando por um dia triste, sentindo algum desconforto, se você está bem, calmo… Além das questões mentais, também é fundamental você estar atento a sua saúde física. Perceba se está sentindo alguma dor, se se alimentou, ou se está muito cansado!

Os aspectos sobre as próprias condições são importantíssimos para compreender a maneira como suas emoções podem interagir com o produto consumido. Se o uso é voltado para aliviar sensações incômodas, mas a pessoa está muito ansiosa, é importante saber que esse pode não ser o efeito esperado, e sim um aprofundamento ainda maior das sensações que você pretende se livrar.

Nosso estado físico e psicológico influencia totalmente o rumo do efeito. É essencial saber que existe o momento adequado para o uso de maconha, e é bom evitar aqueles em que não estamos tão bem.

O melhor contexto para o uso

Não são apenas as emoções que precisar ser identificadas. Para evitar a bad trip, é muito importante também estar em um ambiente seguro e confortável, ao lado de pessoas que você confia, em um contexto adequado e acolhedor. Fora do contexto ideal, é melhor guardar a sua erva para outro momento. Lembre-se sempre que ambientes confortáveis são essenciais para controlar a ansiedade, independente da ocasião.

Saiba o que você está usando

Por se tratar de uma substância ilícita, nem sempre é fácil saber exatamente a sua origem. A maconha é plural e seu uso também é variado. Isso vai desde as cepas utilizadas, ou seja, o a subespécie da planta, até a procedência do seu produto final. O ideal é sempre ter conhecimento sobre o que é o produto que estamos consumindo, saber sua fonte e origem, seja ele canábico ou não canábico.

Se hidrate e se alimente

Em relação ao consumo de maconha e de outras substâncias, a água é uma grande aliada de efeitos negativos. Se manter hidratado, pode parecer clichê, mas é essencial para tanto para evitar danos, quanto para se recuperar de algum deles. Se alimentar também ajuda o nosso corpo a se preparar para melhor receber certas substâncias.

O nosso histórico pode dizer algo sobre nós

Conhecer melhor seu histórico familiar também é um fator que pode ajudar a entender como você pode reagir em contato com entorpecentes. Quadros de transtorno psiquiátrico grave na família, pode indicar um fator de risco para a vivência de alguma crise durante o contato com substâncias. O fator de risco, como o próprio nome diz, consiste em uma probabilidade de ocorrência, e não uma regra. No entanto, é sempre bom também estar atento!

Conheça alguns riscos e evite

Lembre-se também que o uso combinado de várias substâncias pode ser prejudicial para a saúde , e dependendo, aumentar as chances de bad trips. É necessário também ter cuidado com o uso de medicamentos. Busque informações seguras sobre interações medicamentosas antes de consumir qualquer substância!

Reavalie sua relação com a substância

Se você já vivenciou uma bad trip, tente compreender quais aspectos você considera que estavam envolvidos na situação. Nem sempre é necessário que quem viveu a experiencia abra mão de utilizar a substância definitivamente. Tente entender exatamente o que aconteceu, qual contexto você estava inserido, as sensações físicas, emocionais, as suas companhias, os significados e o que se pode concluir da experiência. É importante que você sempre se mantenha informado sobre o que consome, ou caso seja necessário, reveja as dosagens. Após essas reflexões, você pode encontrar caminhos mais seguros e saudáveis para o seu consumo!

Mas e no momento da bad trip, o que fazer? “Como sair da bad trip?”

A boa notícia é que esse fenômeno é passageiro. Não há registros de casos de overdose por maconha, e ela não é uma substância que traz riscos para a sua vida. A gente sabe que na hora do desconforto é difícil, mas tente se acalmar. Vá para um lugar tranquilo, mais silencioso e com poucas luzes. O foco é acalmar a mente.

A respiração pode ser uma grande amiga nessa hora. Ao respirar profundamente e pausadamente, o corpo entende que não há riscos e que ele pode relaxar, liberando substâncias calmantes no organismo. Se você se sentir melhor, chame pessoas que você confia. Ter amigos e pessoas confiáveis por perto pode trazer uma sensação de segurança, que é muito positiva nessas horas. Além disso, nesse momento, beber água e se alimentar continuam sendo dois fatores importantes, que ajudam o corpo a metabolizar a substância, e fazem a bad a ir embora mais rápido.

Experiencias ruins são úteis para que nós possamos compreender nossos limites e nos conhecer melhor. Muitas vezes, elas servem de alerta para que os incômodos nos ajudem a identificar o que exatamente precisamos resolver. Se cuidar é fundamental e proporciona mais segurança e prazer nesses momentos!

• Controle sua respiração: Tente respirar profundamente e pausadamente;
• Fique perto de pessoas que você confia;
• Vá para um ambiente calmo: o contexto ajuda a acalmar a mente;
• Se hidrate e se alimente;
• Assim que o possível, busque fazer algo que você goste;
• Em casos graves, não deixe de buscar ajuda profissional.

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Nada trip….tive uma horrível provavelmente pela dose excessiva.. O problema é que depois dessa experiência, sempre que tentei usar novamente, mesmo em pequena quantidade, já começava a entrar em pânico ao sentir os primeiros efeitos. Após muitas tentativas fracassadas de tentar utilizar sem ter efeitos negativos, acabei desistindo e nunca mais utilizei.

puts roberto, que sentimento ruimm!! vc já tentou falar com algum profissional da saúde? temos vários para indicar se você quiser!

Estou passando por isso, passei mais de um ano sem fumar e voltei agora e aconteceu de novo. O foda é que eu queria voltar a fumar e sentir aquela brisa de antes. Me recomendaram fumar flores que tenham mais cbd do que thc, a brisa não é a msm mas o relaxamento é muito bom. Irei cultivar a minha, msm que ilegal acho que sai mais em conta do que passar por todo o processo de conseguir a receita para poder importar. Enfim irei fazer o uso e vê como será. Se não der bom eu paro de vez.

Oi, Kellven! Saber a procedência da flor ajudaria muito a saber qual tipo e concentração seria melhor você usar, mas, infelizmente, ainda não temos essa possibilidade aqui no Brasil 🙁 faça esses testes e tomara que dê certo! Se não, você pode testar outros tipos de uso da cannabis, como óleos, na comida etc.

Olá, gostaria de adquirir flores, já tenho a prescrição da psiquiatra, porém por ser a primeira vez preciso ter certeza que estou obtendo flores de boa procedência. Podem me ajudar? Desde já agradeço!

Oi, Maria! Infelizmente, no Brasil, não é permitida a comercialização (nem importação) de flores de maconha, segundo a última norma da Anvisa. Mas existem outras formas de uso da cannabis medicinal que são liberadas, como o óleo de CBD. Para conseguir, o primeiro passo é ter uma consulta com um médico prescritor de cannabis medicinal, ele vai encontrar a melhor forma de tratamento e, com a receita, você fará um pedido à Anvisa. Para encontrar um médico prescritor, acesse nossa plataforma: saude.kayamind.com.

Faz tempo lembro q fumei de manhã de tarde e de noite, era uma maconha “preta” um prensado bem forte, cada pega q dava eu tossia muito, quando fui embora no caminho de casa senti uma sensação horrível e como se estava sendo perseguido, chegando em casa meus olhos queimavam feito fogo e com uma dor de cabeça insuportável, bebi água tomei banho e me deitei pra tentar dormir, quando fechei os olhos foi como se minha mente tava tudo obscuro e minha alma tivesse saído do corpo, tentava voltar mais alguma coisa impedia eu gritava “me ajuda” pedindo socorro mais foi como se ninguém me escutasse, minhas mãos e pés gelados parecia q eu tava morto, e nessa viagem ruim entre várias alucinações negativas lembro q tomei uns 10 banhos e a não passava, então depois de um tempo deitado respirei fundo e dormi mas foi como se eu tivesse morrido, então no dia seguinte quando acordei foi como se tivesse ressuscitado, quando abri os olhos me senti estranho, mudado passei a ver as coisas a vida de um jeito diferente!

mn eu passei por isso omtem achei que inha morrer e meu célebro explodir, mas vc usou oq sank so acontece quando uso skank

Eita, Ivan! Cuidado então com o skank, se conseguir, procure um médico.

Boa tarde e hoje vc está melhor?

Oi, Alberto! Muito angustiante essa bad que você teve, né!? É importante você considerar uma pausa e, se conseguir, procurar um médico para ter a prescrição e conseguir, talvez, importar as flores, assim você saberá a procedência delas. Você pode encontrar um médico prescritor através da nossa plataforma: https://saude.kayamind.com/

Tiive uma esses dias. Perdi totalmente o controle dos nervos, meus dedos pareciam tortos, vomitei muito. muita vertigem. DEpois veio o panico, formigamento intenso na cabeça e maos. Fui parar no ps. Tomei diazepam e dramin. Eu estava abusando da substancia, de manha, tarde e noite, por muitos e muitos dias. CHega. Vou tentar dar um trago daqui a 1 semana. Meu plano é fumar so no sabado a noite um fino e no domingo a noite. O resto da semana, alimentação saudável e exercicios. E isso ai galera. O bagulho é bom, mas o excesso faz mal. Não da tempo do corpo metabolizar a substancia, e a gente ja fuma outro em seguida. Isso é como um envenenamento de thc. E agente quer sempre fumar mais, pra ter aquela sensação de lupa rachada, mas quanto mais fuma, menos a sensação tem. ACho que fumando 1x por semana, vai dar aquela brisa quase como se fosse da primeira vez, sem a bad trip.

Oi, Rogério! Que bom que você decidiu diminuir o consumo e ouviu seu corpo. Temos que ter um consumo saudável mesmo, principalmente, se apresentar esses tipo de reação, como você teve.

Ainda me lembro da primeira vez que fumei skank, ela foi o gatilho para que eu tivesse essa tal de bad trip, eu já tinha fumado a flor antes e me dava uma brisa mó da hora e relaxante. No dia em questão eu fumei um cigarro de skank numa praça após a academia, logo em seguida fui pegar o busão para ir pra casa e foi aí que os efeitos começaram, sentir como se minha garganta se fechasse, e minha boca ficou muito seca, engolindo em seco, meu coração batendo a mil por hora e eu me desesperei dentro do ônibus, achei de verdade que eu ia morrer, sentir dormência nas pernas, calafrio, foram tantas sensações ruins que eu nem me lembro ao certo. Passei umas 4 horas com essa sensação até que de madrugada passou ( não quis ir para o hospital porque fiquei constrangido, chegando lá eu teria de dizer a causa daquilo né)

Nossa, Anderson, muito ruim essa experiência que você teve. Se puder, procure um médico especialista em cannabis e evite fumar skank novamente.

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O que é, como prevenir e como agir em uma "Bad Trip"!

• Compartilhe

O presente artigo não tem como objetivo fazer apologia ao uso de drogas, mas sim promover informações de possíveis consequências desse uso.

Com o crescente retorno dos eventos, festas e festivais após tanto tempo presos em casa, é importante que a gente se atente a uma nova relação que surgirá com as substâncias psicoativas. O momento, que ainda está presente em nossas vidas, da pandemia de Covid-19, foi diferente de tudo que já vivemos! Alguns perderam pessoas queridas e outros embarcaram numa nova difícil jornada com a própria saúde mental. Agora, com a volta das atividades, muitas pessoas acreditam que a melhor forma de aliviar todos esses sentimentos gerados por essa comoção mundial é se esbaldar nas drogas em busca de uma realidade beeeem distante dessa aqui.

Não é de hoje que os seres humanos buscam nas drogas psicoativas uma fuga da realidade e encontro do prazer. A nossa história possui registros milenares de interação com diversas substâncias diferentes. O ópio, por exemplo, foi registrado através de um ideograma pelos sumérios, em 5000 a.C., como a representação da alegria. Se não é nenhuma novidade que a galera afoga as mágoas nas drogas, o melhor que podemos fazer é nos informar sobre os efeitos e as consequências disso, para que os danos sejam os menores possíveis.

No uso recreativo é comum que as pessoas criem expectativas de experimentar boas sensações e sentimentos agradáveis ao utilizar substâncias psicoativas, muito dificilmente elas esperam que aquele momento seja desconfortável. Porém, nem sempre as coisas acontecem da forma que a gente espera, e tudo pode ser muito pior se você não sabe nada sobre como prevenir e lidar com a famosa “bad trip”. Não é sobre esperar que as coisas aconteçam de uma maneira desagradável, mas sim de se colocar na posição de um usuário consciente que reconhece a responsabilidade de exercer a sua própria liberdade.

O que é “Bad Trip”?

Antes de qualquer coisa, vamos conversar um pouquinho sobre esse termo que está ultrapassado e passa uma ideia bem errada da parada toda! Na tradução, “bad trip” significa “viagem ruim”, e de fato, é uma viagem, mas necessariamente ruim? Podemos concordar que as sensações e sentimentos não são confortáveis, porém eles não são provenientes da substância, não é ela que causa isso em você. O que ela faz é dar vasão a tudo que já estava dentro de você, muitas vezes de uma maneira assustadora. Esse termo nos dá a ideia de que ela é a culpada, quando na verdade não é bem assim. Além disso, essa crise psicodélica pode te levar para um caminho de grande autoconhecimento se você souber como lidar com a situação, isso não quer dizer que a viagem será incrível e cheia de flores, mas que pode te ensinar muita coisa sobre você mesmo, e no final das contas não ser tão “ruim” assim. Para você transformar a sua relação com essa situação, as palavras também possuem muita força, você pode substituir por emergência psicodélica, crise psicodélica ou qualquer outro nome que seja mais tranquilo pros seus ouvidos.

Agora vamos ao assunto! A emergência psicodélica é uma consequência possível para quem faz uso de substâncias psicoativas. Ao contrário do que muitas pessoas acham, ela não pode ocorrer somente com o LSD, NBOMe, mescalina e similares, mas pode surgir também da utilização da maconha, ketamina, anfetaminas e outras drogas. A crise psicodélica é uma reação subjetiva, por isso ela será diferente para cada pessoa, assim como também depende de qual droga foi utilizada, em qual contexto, da qualidade psicológica do indivíduo no momento do uso, da experiência com aquela substância e a sua relação com tal.

Apesar da experiência ser diferente para cada pessoa, algumas características são parecidas nos discursos de quem passa por essa situação: sentimentos como ansiedade, medo, confusão, perda de contato com a realidade, pânico, delírios de perseguição ou grandeza, incômodo, apreensão, terror, impaciência e desgaste mental. Alguns desconfortos físicos também podem surgir, como: enjoo, tontura, tremor, dores de cabeça e problemas de ordem fisiológica no geral. Todas essas sensações são amplificadas pelo efeito da droga, fazendo com que a situação seja difícil e angustiante para o usuário. É claro que existem níveis de perturbações, podendo ir desde pequenas inquietações e desconfortos até profundos sentimentos de pânico e ansiedade.

É um momento delicado e sensível para o usuário, afeta seu corpo, sua mente e seu comportamento, podendo inclusive levar a ações que coloquem a sua vida ou a vida de seus colegas em risco, por isso é um estado que merece atenção e cuidado. Em alguns casos a pessoa pode vivenciar flash-backs mesmo semanas ou meses após o consumo.

Como Prevenir a Crise Psicodélica?

Beleza, mas... Agora que eu sei que tudo isso pode acontecer, quais cuidados eu posso tomar?

Drug – Conheça a Substância

Se você olha para uma comida que parece muito esquisita e se pergunta o que tem ali, por que seria diferente com a sua droga? Conhecer aquilo que você está colocando no seu corpo é uma atitude de cuidado para com ele. Saber a procedência (na medida do possível, né! Já que as substâncias ilegais não possuem regulamentação ou catalogação), ou seja, conhecer o fornecedor e utilizar testes colorimétricos para testar sua substância já é um bom começo. Além disso, você também pode pesquisar de que forma essa droga interage com seu corpo, quais os efeitos, as causas desses efeitos, as consequências, os riscos e as maneiras de diminuir os danos que ela pode causar.

Dosagens pequenas também fazem brisas dahoras, prefira menores quantidades e uma re-dose (com cuidado!) do que doses absurdas logo de início. Meia BATE SIM! Tome cuidado com as misturas, elas provocam no corpo uma inter-relação entre as substâncias, por isso busque sobre como elas interagem entre si.

Set – Conheça Você Mesmo

Você precisa aprender a reconhecer seu próprio estado mental e físico, isso quer dizer que você pode tirar um momento pra si antes de tomar qualquer substância… como você está se sentindo? Bem, feliz, triste, incomodado? Essa reflexão sobre o próprio estado é essencial para entender como suas emoções podem interagir com a droga, algumas vezes o intuito do uso é aliviar sentimentos desconfortáveis, porém se você está angustiado ou ansioso e espera necessariamente pelo prazer, é interessante ter consciência que pode não ser o resultado que você irá obter, mas sim um aprofundamento das sensações que você pretende fugir. E o seu estado físico, como está? Você está sentindo alguma dor? Se alimentou bem, está descansado e hidratado? Nosso estado corporal também pode influenciar em como a viagem vai seguir seu rumo, por isso atente-se ao que seu corpo está te dizendo.

É relevante que você conheça o seu histórico familiar, isso pode te fazer descobrir muito sobre si mesmo. Um fator de risco a experienciar uma crise psicodélica são pessoas com tendência a algum transtorno mental. Além disso, se você está sob medicação psiquiátrica, a interação de algumas substâncias com esses medicamentos também se enquadra num fator de risco.

Setting – Perceba o Contexto

O contexto em que você se encontra conta MUITO para sua brisa, e as pessoas que estão com você também. É importante que você se sinta bem, confortável e seguro no ambiente. Também é interessante ter “uma rota de fuga”: Algum espaço onde possa deitar, com poucos estímulos e acolhedor. Tenha com você alguém de confiança, que você saiba que pode conversar abertamente, que irá cuidar de você e te apoiar em momentos difíceis, evite utilizar com pessoas que possam zombar de você ou forçar a sua trip para caminhos tortuosos (existem muitos rouba brisa por ai!)

Como Passar por uma Crise Psicodélica?

Prestei atenção no drug, set e setting e mesmo assim me sinto mal! Como lidar com isso?

Primeiro de tudo: RESPIRE! A nossa respiração nos ajuda a clarear a mente e nos acalmar. Puxe pelo nariz, prestando atenção no caminho que o ar faz pelo seu corpo, e encha sua barriga (para ajudar, você pode colocar uma mão no peito e outra na barriga – sinta a sua mão subir enquanto enche a barriga, e a outra mão ficar parada, evitando que o ar encha o peito), depois solte pela boca devagar. Faça esse movimento quantas vezes forem necessárias, tentando não desprender a atenção da sua respiração até se sentir um pouco mais calmo.

Busque um lugar confortável (lembra da “rota de fuga”?) e continue fazendo o exercício da respiração, chame um amigo para te acompanhar e tome o tempo que precisar para se acalmar. É muito importante você lembrar a si mesmo que está sob efeito da substância e que isso vai passar. Não tenha vergonha de falar sobre como você se sente, fazer barulhos estranhos ou ficar em posições diferentes, lembre-se que esse momento é para que você se encontre consigo mesmo, e só você saberá como fazer isso. Os sentimentos que surgirem são conteúdos que já existiam em você, deixe fluir! Quanto mais você lutar contra uma correnteza, mais você perde sua força e se desespera por não conseguir fazer o que quer, então deixe as sensações acontecerem!

Caso você esteja com dificuldade de ficar parado, busque alguma atividade que você goste de fazer: dançar, pintar, escutar músicas (prefira as mais calmas e que te trazem boas lembranças). Você também pode tentar tomar um banho ou molhar as extremidades do corpo, como pés, cabeça e pulsos.

É comum que você sinta medo ou ansiedade, isso tudo porque você perde o controle da situação, porém saiba que esses sentimentos são tão válidos quanto outros, então permita-se senti-los, mas não se agarre a eles!

Como Ajudar meu Amigo na Crise Psicodélica?

Meu amigo tá malzão, aqui não tem nenhum redutor de danos e eu quero ajudar. O que eu posso fazer?

Você não pode se desesperar junto! Então se também estiver se sentindo ansioso, respire antes de ajudar, você não pode auxiliar o outro se não estiver disponível emocionalmente e fisicamente para isso.

Comece ajudando o seu amigo a respirar, e LEMBRE-SE: só encoste na pessoa após ela te dar permissão e você ter deixado muito claro que fará isso. Ajude-o a encontrar um lugar calmo e uma posição aconchegante, o seu dever aqui é ser um suporte, não um guia. Você pode perguntar se ela quer ajuda para respirar e fazer uma respiração guiada (acalme a sua respiração também), use palavras simples como “inspira” e “expira” ou “puxa” e “solta”, preste atenção na velocidade em que a pessoa está e não tente impor um ritmo a ela. Quando você perceber que ela está mais tranquila, se volte às necessidades básicas: se ela quer ir ao banheiro, se precisa de água ou comida, se está sentindo alguma dor ou se precisa de cobertor ou uma roupa mais leve. Cuidado para não bombardeá-la de perguntas, dê tempo ao tempo e vá sentindo os momentos em que pode obter mais informações para deixá-la bem.

Forneça um espaço de carinho e cuidado, lembre seu amigo de que está tudo bem, que você está com ele e que tudo isso vai passar. Se ele quiser conversar, use um tom calmo e seja um bom ouvinte, tome cuidado com as pontuações que você pode fazer, nesse momento tudo é muito sensível, prefira escutar do que falar. Não julgue, não dê sermões, não fique querendo investigar as causas do sofrimento do seu amigo. Caso ele não queira conversar, só fique ali e não o deixe sozinho, é muito importante que a pessoa se sinta acompanhada.

Se o caso estiver num grau muito severo, tente acalmá-la com as palavras e fazê-la ver que pode se machucar ou ferir os outros – em casos de agressividade – a contenção física pode causar bastante sofrimento psíquico, então deixe essa opção para o último caso somente se for absolutamente necessário. Às vezes, é difícil tomar essa decisão, mas se você não estiver conseguindo conter o seu amigo e ele se encontrar completamente descolado da realidade, agitado e agressivo, busque assistência profissional, principalmente se ele estiver tentando atentar à própria vida ou à vida de terceiros. Claro que você pode acompanhá-lo e garantir que os seus direitos sejam atendidos, como o direito a um atendimento de saúde de qualidade, livre de preconceitos e paradigmas, além do mantimento da sua integridade física.

Pós Crise Psicodélica

Ufa… Passou. Mas e agora, como eu faço para entender tudo isso que eu aconteceu?

Depois da montanha-russa de emoções, muitas pessoas ficam com aquela ressaca moral, e ai é interessante que você integre essa situação à sua vida e entenda o que rolou. Primeiro evite utilizar a mesma substância por um tempo e reavalie a sua relação com ela, isso quer dizer que você nunca mais vai tomar? Não! Mas quer dizer que você pode repensar a quantidade de informação que você tem sobre ela, a dose, a forma como você estava se sentindo, o contexto e as pessoas que estavam com você na viagem, e claro, SE for a sua escolha, não utilizá-la mais ou consumi-la de uma maneira diferente.

Tire um tempo para entender o que aconteceu com você, quais foram os pensamentos que você teve, os sentimentos (medos, angústias, incertezas), as sensações corporais e o que essa experiência estava trazendo de dentro de você, o que ela significou e como você pode usá-la para conhecer um pouco mais sobre você mesmo. Você também pode buscar ajuda profissional, como um psicólogo, ou mesmo conversar com seus amigos sobre a situação e o desenrolar de tudo. O importante é que você encontre formas de continuar externalizando esses sentimentos para poder dar uma conclusão a essa experiência, de maneira que você possa ressignificar um momento de desconforto em novas perspectivas.

A gente finaliza trazendo a importância que os eventos, festas e festivais se conscientizem sobre contratar equipes de redução de danos. Ainda não há atenção suficiente para esse aspecto, e cuidar da saúde dos clientes também deveria ser um requisito básico. A utilização de drogas psicoativas foi e é uma realidade, então fechar os olhos para isso é concordar com a maneira que as coisas são feitas, por isso prefiram escolher eventos que se preocupem em cuidar de você.

Referências:

• https://revistas.esuda.edu.br/index.php/humanae/article/view/569
• https://www.lume.ufrgs.br/handle/10183/196364
• https://www.scielo.br/j/sdeb/a/hVpfzN4hKrdgRdwLb4V3cDK/?lang=pt
• Emergência psicodélica
• Crise psicodélica

Sobre o autor

Isabella Ferreira

Estudante de Psicologia que se aprofundou nas práticas da redução de danos ao se conscientizar que há melhores e mais eficazes formas de olhar o uso e abuso de drogas. (Co)fundou o coletivo Clã Dahlia em 2019, quando pôde começar a atuar em festas e festivais através de informação, testagem e apoio em crises psicodélicas. Em 2021 iniciou seu projeto como DJ de Hardbeats, tornando-se membro da Zoom Records, Hard Family BR e Darkness Society. Também é amante dos estudos esotéricos e da tarologia.

Um coletivo nascido em 2019 na regência do signo de Libra, com a missão de proporcionar à todos(as) um olhar amplo para o ser humano, que é biopsicossocial e holístico. Nós queremos desenvolver juntos o corpo físico, o intelecto, o ser social, o corpo espiritual, as nossas características únicas, a afetividade e nossa ligação indissociável com a natureza. Buscamos maneiras de trabalhar isso através da redução de danos, naturologia, expressão artística, tarologia e consciência ambiental.

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10 Tips to Help You Safely Navigate a Bad Trip

• Nicholas Levich

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on how to navigate a “bad” psychedelic experience. Given the intensity of these experiences, it’s nearly impossible to discuss psychedelics without someone bringing up the notoriously feared “bad trip.” 

This term “bad trip” refers to a challenging or difficult experience while being under the influence of a hallucinatory substance such as psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, ayahuasca, or even cannabis.

Don’t get us wrong, difficult experiences induced by psychedelic substances are just as important as ecstatic, awe-inspiring ones, and we’ve written a past article on the importance of bad trips . 

In fact, part of the deep, soulful medicine which resides in these mystical compounds lies in their ability to invoke intense, overwhelming, or shadowed emotions and thoughts. It’s how you handle the adversity that makes the difference.   

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

But while it is important to understand the value of having a difficult trip, there are steps to be taken to ensure you have the capacity to handle, process, and alchemize the potential struggles, confusion, or hardships that may arise.

Key Takeaways

• Proper preparation, including understanding the substance, dosage, mental readiness, and creating a suitable environment significantly reduces the likelihood of a bad trip.
• Utilize strategies like controlled breathing, changing stimuli (audio, visual cues), or altering the environment to help manage and potentially alleviate the intensity of a difficult experience.
• Never self-medicate or mix substances during a psychedelic experience, and always prioritize safety by engaging with a knowledgeable trip sitter or guide as needed.
• Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic-assisted therapy near you in the United States.

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Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Result in Growth

While we generally try to avoid these experiences altogether, the simple fact remains that bad trips are an inextricable part of the psychedelic experience . 

We maintain the belief that bad trips, though difficult to endure, are actually the most crucial part of the psychedelic experience as they result in some of the most impactful mental, physical, and spiritual growth we all desire.

Although these experiences are part of the psychedelic journey, there are steps you can take to make a challenging psychedelic experience easier to endure.

In fact, by implementing the 10 tools we’ll discuss below, you can significantly lower your chances of experiencing a bad trip, and arm yourself with the tools to cope with one should it occur.

Whether you’re currently experiencing a bad trip, trying to help a friend through one, or want to reduce the likelihood of having one in the future, these 10 tips will help you safely navigate a challenging psychedelic experience.

10 Ways to Navigate a Bad Trip

1. prepare in advance.

The best way to prevent or mitigate a bad trip is to have the proper preparation. 

In fact, we’ve written entire articles that specifically address how to prepare for an intentional psychedelic experience . This step is the most important and happens to be one of the main reasons our clients work with us. 

This includes learning about the specific substance , choosing the correct dosage , preparing mentally and physically, as well as preparing your environment for the trip itself. 

Writing down your intentions before your trip can help anchor your thoughts. Proper rest, hydration, and good nutrition prior to the trip will also help your endurance. 

Pre-made food, snacks, and readily available water can help nourish yourself during a bad trip. Setting up a comfortable area with little to no external interruption may also create an inviting and safe environment for your experience. 

There is no substitute for adequate preparation. Click the link to speak with a psychedelic trip sitters about the psychedelic preparation process.

2. Do Not Judge Yourself

We understand that even the most prepared person can have a bad trip and the importance of not judging or speaking negatively to yourself for having one. Be gentle on yourself. 

These negative thoughts can spiral out of control, making your experience that much more stressful.

One tactic that we’ve found useful is to write (in advance) a letter to yourself highlighting the things you love most about yourself and the lessons you hope to learn from your psychedelic experience and read it during your bad trip. 

When writing intentions, it may also be helpful to write grounding and anchoring messages to yourself for times when you feel you are spiraling or afraid. These messages may center ideas of safety, capability, and loving positivity.

Bad trips do not mean you are a bad person or stupid. You have to remember that you have the strength and resolve to survive the experience.

3. Remember It Is Temporary & That You Are Safe 

Similarly, bad trips can feel like they will last forever or make you feel like you are permanently damaged. Remember that many people encounter bad trips, and all of them are temporary. 

This means that the negative or uncomfortable sensations you are feeling will pass with time. Sometimes just the mere reminder that your experience is temporary gives you the endurance to safely get through your discomfort. 

Repeating the mantras “This too shall pass” or “This is temporary” can also help remind and calm you.

4. Take Care of Your Needs

In the height of the excitement, we sometimes forget that our consciousness lives within a human shell, which has needs that must be fulfilled to survive. 

You may be experiencing symptoms or discomfort, thinking it’s a bad trip, when in actuality, your body is signaling something as simple as eating, drinking water, using the bathroom, or that you are too hot or cold. 

Start by taking care of those basic physical needs , then move up to exploring your psychological needs, and ultimately your self-actualizing needs . 

Addressing some, or all of these needs will likely help you work through your bad trip and gain significant insight from it.

5. Breathwork

Breathing techniques have been scientifically proven to lower anxiety, depression, and stress. 

One 2013 study by Azadeh Nemati found that “only 33% of the participants of the experimental group experienced high test anxiety, while this percentage was nearly twice in the control group (66.7%)” for those assessed on their levels of pre-testing related anxiety. 

This means that prior to testing, self-reported anxiety was cut nearly in half in participants who did breathwork ahead of testing time . 

If you are feeling overwhelmed, start by taking deep breaths in through your nose, hold the air deep in your stomach for a couple of seconds, exhaling fully and deeply, and repeating. 

Do this for at least a minute, and repeat whenever you are feeling negative symptoms arise. You may also try alternate nostril breathing, which has been shown to lower stress and anxiety, improve cardiovascular function, and lower your heart rate (Cronkleton, 2022 ).

6. Change Audio and Visual Cues

Music and visual stimulation can help stabilize your mind during a bad trip. Giving your mind something to do often helps it from wandering uncontrollably, and we’ve put together a list of some great psychedelic trip music . 

Put on some of your favorite songs (playlists are recommended so you aren’t constantly required to make choices), or a funny or visually appealing movie or show to temporarily give your mind something to focus on. 

Choose something you’ve already seen before as the familiarity can help ground you. If it is too difficult to look at a screen, options like a book of art or poetry are good alternatives.

7. Change Your Environment

Sometimes navigating a bad trip can be as simple as changing the environment. As mentioned earlier, creating an intentional, comfortable, and safe space for your experience is important . 

Pay attention to things like tidiness, lighting, comfort, and room temperature. 

If you are still feeling claustrophobic or stuffy, explore a different room or walk throughout your house. It’s also important to minimize safety hazards in the space. 

Step outside to your backyard or another private area to get some fresh air, but avoid being out in public as you are less in control of your environment. Nature is often a refreshing venue to re-ground and re-establish a sense of inner peace.

Sometimes your body needs to be in motion and changing your environment can give you a great excuse to move around. Even adjusting your posture or hand placement can make a huge difference in these altered states.

8. Surrender to the Experience

Often a very interesting phenomenon happens during a psychedelic experience where the more you try to control it, the more intense and uncontrollable the experience becomes . 

The previous tips are all about mitigating and preventing a bad trip, but if you’ve tried all of the above and are safe, yet feel like the bad trip is still ongoing, the best thing to do is to lean into the experience and surrender to it. 

Surrendering does not mean giving up or harming yourself. In spiritual terms, surrendering means setting aside your own will and trusting your thoughts, ideas, and actions to the will of a higher power, whether it be god, ancestors, or the psychedelics themselves. 

Surrendering to the experience is saying, “I know I am safe; I know this is temporary; I surrender myself to the experience and wherever it takes me, knowing I will come out the other end just fine.”

9. Do Not Self Medicate

No matter how negative the experience can get, never mix drugs or drink alcohol while taking a psychedelic . There can be extremely negative consequences and harmful effects on your body. 

Even prescribed antidepressants and benzodiazepines, like Xanax, can have an adverse effect while under the influence of psychedelics.

However, non-medicated supplements, such as lavender, valerian root, b-complex vitamins, and vitamin c have anecdotally been stated to reduce anxiety during a bad trip. 

If you are predisposed to specific mental conditions, please seek a medical professional before doing psychedelics.

10. Connect With Someone

You may think that your best friend or partner is the ideal person for sitting for you because they know you intimately, but there are some definitive downsides to this route which are worth noting . 

Your friend or family member—while likely caring and supportive—may not have the proper experience, emotional capacity, or skills to help you navigate the experience in an unbiased way, especially in the event that you begin having a bad trip.

Not everyone may know how to de-escalate or respond in a crisis, and there is also the issue of lack of neutrality which can impact the content and quality of your trip. 

Trip sitting is best done by an experienced facilitator who knows that you are undergoing a psychedelic event, is familiar with that particular substance, and is trained in trip sitting and harm reduction techniques. 

Just Had a Bad Trip and Not Sure What to do Next?

The most important thing to do is to acknowledge both yourself and the sanctity of the powerful experience you just had.  

Historically , bad trips are sacred events in indigenous cultures who work with psychedelics ceremonially. Integration is a key part of this, through incorporating the lessons and wisdom into daily life and larger community.

Psychedelic integration refers to making sense of the psychedelic experience so that the lessons learned can be incorporated into a new way of being. 

In other words, unpacking the often bewildering psychedelic experience so that the insights and realizations can be implemented in your everyday life.

Psychedelics have the potential to change your life, but they aren’t inherently life-changing. Making lasting change takes work on your part, and integration is that work. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to do the work alone. Active support from a qualified psychedelic facilitator or guide is the best way to integrate these experiences into everyday life.

In fact, these mind-blowing experiences can make us feel like we are going crazy if we don’t have anyone around to help us process and unpack them. 

If you are looking for unbiased support and accountability throughout your entire psychedelic experience (before, during, and after), we suggest you book a consultation to talk to a facilitator today for the best quality support.

You can also check out our podcast episodes on mitigating the changes of a bad trip, part 1 and part 2 , to dive deeper into this topic and conversation. 

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Hi there! We sincerely hope that you’ve found valuable takeaways that resonate with your current intentions. To explore research-based education, stay updated with psychedelic news, and benefit from practical how-to articles, we encourage you to head over to our resources page .

If you’re seeking personalized advice and are prepared to take the first step toward a therapeutic psychedelic experience, we invite you to book a consultation with our team of experienced psychedelic concierges.

This consultation is more than just a conversation; it’s an opportunity to be matched with a trustworthy local facilitator. You’ll be seamlessly connected to our rigorously vetted network of psychedelic guides, ensuring potential matches align with your needs.

Psychedelic Passage offers confidence and peace of mind by alleviating the burden of having to guess who’s right for you. If you want to discover how Psychedelic Passage can help you, we empower you to learn more about our services and check out client testimonials from those who’ve gone before you.

Your healing path is uniquely yours, and our commitment is to serve you at every juncture. Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic-assisted therapy near you in the United States.

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Frequently Asked Questions 

Q: what is a bad trip in the context of psychedelics.

A bad trip refers to a challenging or difficult experience while under the influence of psychedelic substances, resulting in distressing mental and emotional states.

Q: How can I prepare to minimize the chances of a bad trip during a psychedelic experience?

Adequate preparation involves learning about the specific substance, choosing the right dosage, preparing mentally and physically, and setting up a suitable, comfortable environment for the journey.

Q: Is it safe to mix psychedelics with other substances or medications?

Mixing psychedelics with other substances, including alcohol or certain medications, can have harmful effects on the body and should be avoided. Always prioritize safety and caution during a psychedelic experience.

Q: What does psychedelic integration mean, and why is it important?

Psychedelic integration involves making sense of the psychedelic experience and incorporating the insights gained into everyday life. 

It is essential for meaningful and lasting transformation, requiring support from a qualified facilitator for effective integration.

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Let’s Talk About Bad Trips: Separating Difficult from Traumatic

Bad trips are a polarizing concept in psychedelics. acknowledging that they exist - and knowing how to work with them - can be healing..

Want to start a war on social media? Post something like this: “Bad trips exist.”

As somebody who has worked in the psychedelic space for years now and has supported many, many people during their trips, it’s time to come out of the closet and say it: people can be harmed by psychedelics, and bad trips exist.

But allow me to define the term “ bad trip ,” because the vague phrase has become too polarized to be meaningful.

When I talk about bad trips, I’m not talking about the harrowing, painful journeys to the underworld from which we return raw and exhausted, with some important piece of our healing work having been catalyzed.

When I talk about bad trips, I mean the trips that register in the body as a trauma or injury to the nervous system. And that is not , in fact, the same thing as a difficult trip.

What happens when we deny this truth is that we inadvertently alienate those who have had traumatic or harmful experiences. These people have endured a trauma, and are now being told that they have not.

So let’s talk about traumatic trips: The psychedelic experiences that leave us injured. Thankfully, they are rare.

I’m not just speaking from my observations as a clinician, but also from personal experience: I had a traumatic psychedelic experience on ayahuasca many years ago. I was decidedly “not okay” afterwards and required much time and support to recover.

Despite the shock and injury to my nervous system, I eventually used psychedelics again. In fact, in the eight or so years that have passed since the traumatic trip, I have openly supported the legalization of psychedelics, and have built two businesses centered around empowering people to heal with psychedelics.

I have also taken sabbaticals from my practice to work in other countries as a psychedelic facilitator. I am now a lead educator in the country’s first training program for psilocybin facilitators to be licensed by Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC). I’m a ketamine prescriber, and I train other prescribers in the use of ketamine for treating chronic pain and mood disorders. I lead and run intensive healing retreats. I’ve also taken my own fair share of mind altering substances in a variety of sets, settings, and time zones.

All of which is to say: I am no newcomer to the world of psychedelics.

And yet I cannot swallow the field’s echo-chamber-like mantra that “there is no such thing as a bad trip .” In fact, I find the rabidity with which some of my fellow cosmonauts deny the existence of bad trips to be rather disconcerting. In the more-than-one heated debate I’ve had about this topic, I’ve noticed certain patterns – or myths, if you will – around the topic of traumatic trips. I address each one here.

Myth: Bad Trips Only Happen When the Set and Setting Are Improper

If the word “only” didn’t appear in the above sentence, it would be true. In my experience in working with hundreds of patients who have used psychedelics – and in administering psychedelics myself – I’ll say that the vast majority of traumatic trips happen when the environment is not safe, calm, and supportive.

When we talk about set and setting in psychedelic harm reduction , we mean two things: (1) the person’s mindset when they took the drug, and (2) their physical environment. If somebody had just had an argument with their spouse before taking LSD, for example, that’s their set. If they were at a noisy, crowded music festival, that’s the setting. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of bad trips happen when individuals on drugs feel overwhelmed in a noisy, chaotic setting like that of a concert or party. Drug-drug interactions are also often at play during difficult trips, for example, when people combine alcohol with psychedelics.

When people insist a little too strongly that, “There’s no such thing as a bad trip, if the set and setting are right,” I feel uneasy. It’s perhaps like asking a rape survivor, “Yeah, but what were you wearing?” (If you think the analogy of a bad trip and rape is too far of a reach, you luckily have never had a traumatic trip.)

There are other factors in psychedelic harm reduction that influence the outcomes. These include the substance being used, the dosage taken, and the people you’re with.

The night of my traumatic trip was the third of a three-night ayahuasca ceremony. I was there with my then-partner. I liked the other people attending. I trusted the facilitators completely and knew they were well trained and highly esteemed by their colleagues. The medicine was pure. The environment was soothing and well contained. The music was beautiful. The first half of the third ceremony was trippy, strange, and lovely.

After I drank my second dose of the brew, however, I was decidedly NOT OKAY. I will not describe the experience here, but I will say two things about it: (1) I felt like my nervous system was being gang raped, repeatedly, and (2) I can now absolutely understand why people with psychosis sometimes choose to die by suicide.

The facilitators of the circle took care of me, pulling me out of the ceremony space and letting me try to calm down outside. Somebody stayed with me at all times until I vomited up the salt water they gave me to drink.

There’s one factor of harm reduction we don’t discuss enough: dose. It’s possible that the second cup of ayahuasca I drank that night contained more voltage than my nervous system could handle – that it was too much, too fast, and too hard for me.

The Influence of Neuroticism

Aside from the environment, another factor that can predict bad trip potential is neuroticism. Neuroticism is one of the “Big Five” traits thought to collectively form the full picture of personality.

People who score high on neuroticism tend to overthink things, typically have a hard time relaxing, and may feel irritated in noisy settings or stressful situations. These folks are often described as “high strung.”

At least two studies have shown that people who score high on neuroticism scales are more likely to have a challenging psychedelic trip than those who score lower. [1] , [2] The theory behind this is that if a neurotic’s negative thoughts or feelings arise during a psychedelic trip, the person might get pulled into an amplification spiral of their own negativity.

But does that mean it’s somebody’s fault that if they tend towards neurosis and they have a bad trip? Aren’t psychedelics supposed to help heal negativity? What does it mean that the same drugs that help soothe negative thoughts and feelings can also make us feel worse? (Let a neurotic chew on that one.)

Once again, we could very easily slip into the territory of victim blaming if we are not mindful.

While writing this article, I took the Big Five Personality Test online. I scored in a higher-than-average percentile for negative emotionality (neuroticism). That may explain why grumpy cat is one of my heroes and why my friend Greg refers to me as “a female Larry David.” It could also explain why I’m one of the unlucky few who have had a traumatic psychedelic trip. (Side note: I also scored pretty high on open mindedness, so that could explain why got into psychedelics in the first place.)

Myth: Bad Trips Are Actually Just Difficult Experiences That Haven’t Been Integrated

I continue to stay in this field because traumatic trips are, indeed, exceedingly rare, and because the healing gains people typically experience from psychedelics are unparalleled by any other intervention I’ve found.

Working regularly with patients in non-ordinary states of consciousness, I see that the most challenging experiences are often the most rewarding. Drawing from my previous experiences in volunteering with the Zendo Project and White Bird , I teach my students the tenants of “trip sitting.”

As one of the Zendo principles states: difficult is not necessarily bad. Note that the phrase is not “difficult is not bad,” but rather, “ difficult is not necessarily bad. ” In other words, difficult can sometimes be bad.

Another layer to this argument is that if you wait long enough, the bad experience will prove itself to be good. This does, indeed, happen to many people after their challenging journeys. Yet there is a difference between suggesting this to a bad trip survivor and insisting that “everyone gets the trip they need.”

Many of my new-age peers have become allergic to the word “bad,” especially within the context of bad trips. “Is anything really bad?” I’m often asked. The argument here, as I understand it, is that with every cloud there comes a silver lining, and that silver lining might just hold a very valuable teaching for us.

I admit that my own traumatic trip gave me a lesson: It taught me that there is indeed such a thing as a bad trip. Another gift was that my bad trip helped me to better understand, validate, and support others who have been harmed by psychedelics. Another lesson was this: my bad trip was an amplifier of the toxic positivity that I see running rampant in the psychedelic field.

In fact, a patient once confessed to me, “I’m just so mad at her” – her being ayahuasca – “but everyone in the group is so in love with Great Grandmother that if I say one bad thing about her, it’ll be like heresy.” I noticed that he was clenching his jaw and only breathing into the upper part of his chest. I leaned forward, looked him in the eye, and said: “Tell me exactly what you think about that bitch – you won’t offend me.”

By the end of the hour, he had raged, wept, and laughed. His breath was reaching his abdomen and his jaw was relaxed. The client messaged me some days later, saying, “That was so healing for me just to be heard, to be able to say mean things without being afraid somebody would cancel me. Thank you.”

Perhaps for this client, “the medicine” was to be heard without anybody trying to stop him from expressing anger. Maybe the bad trip was just part of the arc that took him to that finale. I don’t know.

Myth: There’s No Such Thing as Bad

There’s that old story about the Zen master, whose son got a new horse. “What good luck!” The neighbors said. “We’ll see,” said the master. One day the son was thrown from the horse and broke his leg. “How terrible!” Said the neighbors. “We’ll see,” said the master. Then the country went to war, and the army came to recruit soldiers. Because the young man’s leg was broken, they army didn’t take him to battle. “How good!” said the neighbors. “We’ll see,” said the Zen master. Perhaps there is no good or bad.

What I’ve always found lacking in this story about the Zen master was the voice of his son – the one who actually fell from the horse.

Is a bad trip like falling from a horse? It absolutely can be. Yet something about the “you just haven’t integrated it yet, there’s gold there” argument feels like a dismissive bypass. Let us consider other situations in which we could apply such a statement:

• After getting food poisoning and vomiting for hours
• After taking penicillin and breaking out in a full body rash
• After going on a horrible date
• After surviving a sexual assault
• After your child has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness
• After losing a loved one to cancer
• After surviving a terrible accident that has resulted in disability
• After your cat has been run over by a car
• After losing a house to foreclosure

Would we really tell the people in the above hypothetical situations that there was no such thing as bad shellfish? No such thing as a bad drug reaction or a bad date? No such thing as rape? No such thing as a bad diagnosis, a bad prognosis? Or how about just a bad day? Or something as non-threatening as a bad movie, a bad haircut, or a bad parking job? Would we really tell somebody whose child just died to avoid using the word “bad” to describe her condition?

Perhaps it is true that none of these things are bad, and that all of them are blessings in disguise. But would we really get righteous about it on social media, the way some of us do about denying bad trips?

And what’s so bad about saying “bad,” anyway? Must everything truly be a blessing? (The neurotic writing this article needs to know.)

I’d also like to share the story of Becks. Becks was a 24-year-old female patient of mine with anorexia nervosa who did MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to heal from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) rooted in childhood sexual abuse.

In a follow-up visit, Becks told me that the MDMA-assisted therapy session (done with an underground provider) had done wonders for her. She was getting much more mileage out of her weekly therapy sessions. She was now remembering things she had repressed previously, and she was able to stay present when the memories arose.

Becks had also forgiven herself. She explained that without realizing it, she had blamed herself for what happened to her when she was a child, punishing herself through self-denigrating thoughts, food restriction, and high-risk drinking. Her MDMA-assisted therapy session helped her identify this pattern and realize that she didn’t deserve the blame or the punishment. Having forgiven herself, Becks was now sleeping better at night, eating when she was hungry, and avoiding alcohol. Clearly, much healing had occurred for her.

Yet Becks felt discouraged and worried. “I don’t think I’m doing it right,” she told me while pulling at the rings on her fingers.

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Well,” she explained, “I know I’m supposed to get to this place where I feel like the trauma was a blessing – and that hasn’t happened.”

“You think you’re supposed to get to a place where you think that being repeatedly molested as a child is a blessing? ” I asked her.

“Yes,” she said with a defeated sigh as she looked at her shoes.

“Where’d you get that idea?”

Her head snapped up to look at me, breathless, huge-eyed. And then she burst out laughing. The laughter turned to tears. She sobbed and babbled something about a podcast she’d heard. Then she laughed some more. Her face lit up and the color returned to her cheeks.

“Becks, was being molested by your stepbrother every night a blessing?” I asked her.

“No, it was a fucking horrible nightmare that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,” she declared.

“Okay,” I said, “and is it possible that it was a fucking horrible nightmare and that you still get to heal and have a happy adult life starting right now?” I asked.

“ Fuck yeah,” she said. And the look on her face told me she believed it.

(This, by the way, is what happens when you go to a doctor who scores high on neuroticism scales: We acknowledge and celebrate that life might be a fucked up mess sometimes, and that we can still heal even if we don’t buy into toxic positivity.)

(Also: I do have patients who come to see their traumas as gifts. It truly is a powerful and important step in their healing. But let’s not assume that healing cannot happen in other forms. Everyone’s path is different and valid.)

Myth: Talking About Bad Trips Is Going to Harm the Psychedelic Movement

On the day I graduated from medical school, I took an oath to First, Do No Harm . Sometimes, First, Do No Harm means doing the uncomfortable thing or saying what others don’t want to hear. In this case, it means acknowledging that there are risks to using psychedelic substances, and a traumatic trip is one of those risks.

Every therapy, every medicine, every experience comes with risks and benefits. One risk of taking vitamin C is that too much can cause diarrhea. One risk of antibiotics is that they can lead to vaginal yeast infections. One risk of using acetaminophen (paracetamol) is that it’s hard on the liver. One risk of eating a vegan diet is that it can deplete vitamin B12 stores and subsequently trigger depression. One risk of a life-saving surgery is that it can result in a lethal infection. And so forth.

Psychedelic medicines also come with their risks, and the risk of a traumatic trip should be on that list. Admittedly, it should be in small letters, towards the bottom of the list, next to the words “very rare when used in therapeutic contexts.” But traumatic trips are, in fact, “a thing.” They’re part of the fine print.

As far as I know, bad trips have not been reported in any of the clinical trials on psychedelics – but keep in mind that we haven’t had too many people go through the clinical trials as compared to the number of folks doing psychedelics “in the wild.” Bad trips may have also been down-played in the trials as “dysphoria” or “agitation” by the researchers.

Are the possible risks of psychedelic medicines worth wagering for the potential benefits? The answer to that question can only be answered on a case-by-case basis – as with any intervention.

For me personally: The healing engendered by psychedelics has far outweighed and more than redeemed the harm I’ve endured. Every time I take a psychedelic medicine now, I understand that I am taking a risk, and I make the clear, informed decision to proceed – or not to proceed, depending on the circumstance.

When I advocate for the destigmatization and legalization of psychedelics, furthermore, I don’t just act out of love for the movement: I act out of love for my patients.

What’s going to injure the psychedelic movement even more than a level-headed discussion about traumatic trips is the harm that may be caused by denying them.

How to Talk to a Bad Trip Survivor

So, what should we say to a survivor of a traumatic trip? Anything but: “There’s no such thing as a bad trip.”

If somebody tells you they’ve endured a bad trip, treat them as if they’d just told you that they survived an accident, an assault, or another kind of shock. Offer them comfort and support. Listen. Don’t ask them to prove the truth of what they say happened.

Essentially: treat them as you would treat the survivor of any kind of experience that was too much, too hard, and/or too fast for their mind, body, or spirit.

Remember that the word “trauma” does not refer to the distressing event itself, but rather to the resulting emotional and neurological response. Trauma can harm a person’s sense of Self, their sense of safety, their ability to navigate relationships, and their ability to regulate their emotions. Trauma, in other words, is injury to the nervous system that ripples outward. (To be clear: Trauma does not mean simply feeling uncomfortable or offended, as some people mistakenly use it.)

Even if integration of the experience would be helpful for the survivor – and might even help them stop using the term “bad trip” to describe it – that cannot happen at the beginning. The first thing the bad trip survivor likely needs is to know that they are safe now . The nightmare has ended, and they are loved and supported by trustworthy people who care.

How can we help others feel safe? By our presence. By regulating our own breath. By listening. By letting them know that we believe them. By showing empathy. By making them soup, gifting them a massage, or offering to pick their kids up from school. By being kind.

Even if the traumatic trip was the result of poor planning, improper set and setting, or other user error, hold your tongue for now. Think of how you might react if a friend was in a terrible car accident that resulted from driving when they were overly tired.

Think of how you might respond if a child dragged a chair to the kitchen counter and climbed atop it to try and reach the off-limits cookie jar sitting high up on a shelf – only to tumble backwards and slam onto the floor. Would you shout, “Well, that’s what you get for climbing on the chair!” while the poor kiddo cried on the linoleum? I hope not. I hope you would sit by their side, hug them, and stroke their hair. Once you felt their breathing return to normal and the smile return to their face – and not a second sooner – might you ask, “Honey, remember what we said about climbing on the furniture?”

Healing From My Bad Trip

It took me almost eight years to feel like I had fully integrated my bad trip. Curiously, what helped me complete the arc from wound to health was a peyote ceremony.

What prolonged my healing was people insisting that there was no such thing as a bad trip. I heard this line in my ayahuasca circle, at psychedelic conferences, on social media, on podcasts, and in books. The experience-denying and victim-blaming made me feel angry and alone.

Another factor that delayed my full recovery was peer pressure. Buckling to the well-intentioned insistence of friends, I returned to the ayahuasca circle (and other psychedelic circles) sooner than I truly wanted to. This meant that I was taking medicines with a mindset of doubt and fear, which resulted in several dysphoric, confusing, and terrifying journeys that only compounded the injury.

I was fortunate to find a healer who believed in bad trips and who confirmed that I was not fully in my body. Through regular sessions, I was able to return. While my therapist hadn’t had much psychedelic experience herself, she at least believed me. That allowed us to start from a place of trust and not from a place of defensiveness. I also took a break from psychedelics and instead cultivated gentler, more predictable health-affirming practices like singing and going to the gym.

Years after the experience, I read about the concept of “too much, too hard, too fast” in a book about psychedelic facilitation. I felt a surge of heat rush to my face as I read the words; hot tears filled my eyes. I hadn’t made it up. It had happened to me. I wasn’t weak, or stupid, or crazy. But why was the truth so hard for other people to accept?

I’m grateful to my own stubborn will to get better – to that spark within me that keeps me seeking out people, places, and things that can help me heal, grow, and learn.

There was, indeed, some good that came from my bad trip on ayahuasca all those years ago. The seams of that horrific shroud were sewn with golden thread. I am grateful for the blessings gleaned.

I am also grateful to my unconditionally supportive family, friends, and partner, and to Grandfather Peyote for helping me weave the blessings into my life and pull back the heavy curtain.

I had a bad trip, and that’s okay.

And you know? Considering that I’m a neurotic, I’m pretty proud of myself for saying so.

Follow your Curiosity

[1] Barrett FS, Johnson MW, Griffiths RR. Neuroticism is associated with challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms. Pers Individ Dif. 2017 Oct 15;117:155-160. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2017.06.004 .

[2] Petter Grahl Johnstad (2021) The Psychedelic Personality: Personality Structure and Associations in a Sample of Psychedelics Users, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 53:2, 97-103,  DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2020.1842569

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O longo caminho rumo à ciência das bad trips.

… cerca de doze pessoas morando numa casa espaçosa, localizada em um terreno grande. Eles estavam arando a terra quando chegamos, e a decoração da casa era psicodélica. Nas paredes haviam imagens de Buda e Jesus. Toda quarta-feira, o grupo se reunia para um culto mais tradicional, focado em orações e meditação. Os rituais lisérgicos aconteciam nos finais de semana.

"A complexidade dessa reação — que não pode ser prevista nem pelos melhores testes ou dados clínicos — significa que não compreenderemos as reações adversas ao LSD tão cedo".

Mais dicas valiosas: no vídeo acima, Terence McKenna, falecido etnobotânico, psiconauta e defensor do consumo responsável de drogas psicodélicas, diz que cantar é uma boa forma de neutralizar os primeiros efeitos de uma bad trip . Ele também recomenda dar um ou dois tragos em um baseado bolado previamente.

"Acredito que essas experiências negativas acontecem, de certa forma, ao acaso".

Crédito: Adam Dachis/Flickr

Bad Trip Review

Eric andré takes his prank comedy on the road with lil rel howery and tiffany haddish..

On its surface, Bad Trip is a wacky buddy-comedy with a road trip gimmick pretty similar to the Farrelly Brothers’ hit Dumb and Dumber, in which two doofuses trek across America on a dim-witted quest for love. However, with a slew of pranks that range from silly to surreal, comedian Eric André and company create a spoof that’s slyly sophisticated.

Eric André and Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) star as ride-or-die besties, Chris and Bud. Scraping by in West Grove, Florida, both work jobs that offer more embarrassment than satisfaction, resulting in wild pranks involving nudity, robbery, and sprays of fake blood. Chris fears his life is going nowhere, while Bud is bullied by his pugnacious sister Trina (Tiffany Haddish with a mischievous snarl). But could fate have other plans for them? Like the hero of a romantic-comedy, Chris believes so. Clearly, crossing paths with his high school crush Maria Li (Michaela Conlin) is a sign. Forget that their “meet-cute” is more catastrophic than charismatic. Forget that she seems more polite than interested. Forget the eye rolls of bystanders who can’t deal with Chris’s cringe-worthy pick-up lines. Maria walked into that shop in slow-motion as dreamy music played! Romance must happen! That’s just the law of movies.

So, when Maria says she’s headed back to Manhattan to prepare for her art gallery’s next major event, Chris begs Bud to drive with him to the Big Apple on a quest for love. (Very Harry and Lloyd chasing the Mary who got away to Aspen.) Initially reluctant, Bud not only gives in but also agrees to borrow Trina’s beloved car, a hot pink showstopper with “Bad Bitch” painted across its back windshield. Because she’s behind bars, it seemed a safe plan. Naturally, Trina busts out of jail just after they run off with her ride. So, following the Dumb & Dumber model, she becomes the hardened criminal chasing down two dummies as they drive to a dream scenario.

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Along the way, André, Howery, and Haddish pull pranks in character on an array of unsuspecting people in gas stations, smoothie shops, bars, and business meetings. Notably, these aren’t the kind of cruel pranks where a mark is damaged or embarrassed; the chaos here lands squarely on the consenting comedians. Some of these stunts might be familiar to fans of The Eric André Show, which Bad Trip’s helmer Kitao Sakurai frequently directed. Still, the pranks are surprising, strange, and childishly exhilarating. Some play on pure shock value, relishing in the stunned faces of those who think they’ve just witnessed a freak accident or a major crime.

A supreme improviser, Haddish switches from aggressive to cuddly depending on the mark, winning some of the movie’s most passionate -- and hilarious -- reactions. Howrey plays the straight man as André throws himself full-bodied into stunts that leave him a bare-assed buffoon before an unaware audience, who reacts with shock, horror, and -- often -- compassion. His commitment sells the bonkers bits to these real people, even when the seams of a stunt -- or a gorilla costume -- might show. Throughout, Good Samaritans step up with advice, aid, and some scorching real talk.

Amid all the mayhem and bewildered reactions, such witnesses bring a touching tenderness and exciting authenticity to Bad Trip. Some even become crucial characters in the plot. A kindly old man, a vaping Army recruiter, and a nosy restaurant patron step out of the background to create plot points, encouraging dream-chasing, reconciliation, and even revenge! The plot points themselves are cliches. However, Bad Trip has subversive fun by exposing how easily real people fall into these expectations, and how they react when a cinematic flourish follows.

For instance, when Chris is encouraged to pursue Maria, he doesn’t just thank the old man on the bench and walks away. He bursts into song and dance like he’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer with a concussion. The outrageousness is exposed through the reactions of a mall full of people whose day just went from ordinary to absolutely confounding. Through this, Sakurai introduces a sly commentary of romantic comedies that pays off in a climax that is funny, smart, and gleefully rebellious.

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André and company give a familiar premise fresh verve with an onslaught of outrageous pranks that would do Jackass proud. André and Howrey share crackling chemistry that weaves together the friendship at the film’s core, while heralded scene-stealer Haddish embodies a badass who can make us cackle. Remarkably, the unwitting witnesses to their mayhem are not regarded just as marks, but as co-stars, who pop with one-liners, memorable reactions, and shining humanity. (Hot tip: stay through the credits to see what happened in real life once the pranks were wrapped.) Within all this, Sakurai winks at movie tropes, while recognizing why these predictable plot points are so satisfying. Like other prank-centered comedies (see Borat 1& 2), there is a clunkiness to the construction, where prank sequences are abruptly abandoned to jump to a new scenario. This makes for a rumbling pace that hinders the emotional throughline. Funky flow aside, it’s impressive how the editing team (Sascha Stanton Craven, Matthew Kosinski, and Caleb Swyers) whittled a coherent comedy plot from the chaos of untold hours of prank shoots and reaction shots. Ultimately, despite its dead ends, Bad Trip is a ridiculously fun ride.

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A smoothie shop employee with butterflies in his stomach and a bleeding right hand sits next to an older gentleman on a bench. “Can I ask you something?” he prefaces. The worker then proceeds to babble about his crush, Maria. Should he follow her to New York City, and leave Florida behind? The older man offers advice—speaking from the heart—and it fills the younger man’s soul, so much that he leaps from the bench and bursts into song. It’s this young guy’s big romantic moment, and he dances away before almost getting hit by a car, and then sings at people inside a mall, in which one patron tries to side-kick him.  

This hilarious sequence, which overlaps cliché storytelling with the unassuming public, is just one of many endearing moments in “Bad Trip,” a hidden camera comedy gem starring Eric André , Lil Rel Howery , and Tiffany Haddish that’s finally coming out on Netflix. Directed by Kitao Sakurai , the previous director behind numerous episodes of “The Eric André Show,” it shows an evolution in the hidden camera subgenre, given its warming spirit about people. Unlike the films that previously defined the subgenre, it’s not so much about creating a freak show from unsuspecting extras, but in noting what one would do when confronted with someone as delusional as André’s character Chris. Natural human behavior can be extremely funny, and Sakurai and André know it’s possible to bring it out of people without being mean-spirited. Footage in the end credits of the real people excited to learn that they’re in a movie—a comfort for us as well—confirms the chaos is controlled physically and emotionally, and that allows it to be a party.    

“Bad Trip” is an excellent showcase for Eric André—it’s more mainstream than his talk-show-in-hell “The Eric André Show” and less watered down than his recent resume-boosting, commercial work like “The Lion King” and elsewhere. This role lets him scream, sprint, crash into things, and show off that he’s a sweetheart who wants to include you his absurdity. It’s no stretch to say that André is going to be a huge comedic force—I knew this when I caught his Legalize Everything stand-up tour in Chicago in 2019, when he had a sold-out Chicago Theater completely wrapped up in his FaceTime-ing with the parents of random audience members. He’s an affable anarchist with Robin Williams-like verve, and this project lets his burgeoning persona run wild alongside what the film advertises as “Real People. Real Pranks.”  

André's hilarious earnest Chris is joined in the movie by Lil Rel Howery, who would have been known enough at the time of filming from his scene-stealing turn in “ Get Out ,” but is disguised as Chris’ reserved friend Bud. They have adorable chemistry as two friends in Florida who decide to drive to New York to reunite Chris with his high school crush Maria ( Michaela Conlin ) after two disastrous brief run-ins at Eric’s jobs. They support each other, like when Chris gets extremely drunk at a cowboy bar, or Bud finds himself inside a Porta Potty. Chris is the wide-eyed dreamer, and Bud is the demure rationalist. Their chemistry is as pure as the Golden Girls, so “Thank You For Being a Friend” is featured prominently in the soundtrack, in between scenes of slapstick pranks that further their road trip.  

When Bud and Chris need a car to get to New York City, they “borrow” the bright pink Crown Vic that belongs to Bud’s sister, Trina (Tiffany Haddish), who Bud fears but is relieved when she's put in jail for breaking house arrest. And yet soon enough, Haddish crawls out from under a prison bus, having broken out and starts looking for her car. When it’s not where she stored it, she hunts Bud and Chris up the Eastern seaboard, making for some incredibly funny, abrasive scenes of her confronting people about whether they’ve seen them or her car that has “Bad Bitch” written on the window. Haddish bulldozes into every set-piece, exemplifying the film’s over-the-top spirit. When talking to progressively uncomfortable strangers, she doesn’t miss a beat and she relishes the opportunity to appear dangerous; when she steals a cop car and burns out of a donut shop parking lot, it’s one of her many triumphant moments.  

“Bad Trip” is a collision of great improvisational actors and authentically bewildered reactions from people unaware that they’re now in Chris’ story—which makes Michaela Conlin’s performance as Maria all the more an essential middle to its Venn diagram. She enters the movie also as an innocent bystander, but that’s a deceptive comic energy that plays out in very funny ways as she pushes back against Chris’ delusions. In Chris’ prank-based daydreams, Conlin matches André’s intensity; that she has to play it straight in later scenes adds to the tension she creates, like when Chris tries to profess his love to her.  

Just how funny is “Bad Trip”? After two viewings, it’s one of those comedies with a stable laughing average and high replay value, even if it doesn’t always hit you as hard. It knowingly plays a hit-and-miss game, and some scenes don’t entirely work (like a grocery store drug trip that plays out like a soft tribute to “The Eric Andre Show”), while other pranks go for discomfort more than big laughs (like when Chris gets gas springing all over a gas station). But the movie has speediness on its side, with pacing that takes the plotting from one prank to the next, often including crowds of people in the latest big dramatic confrontation that comes from Bud and Chris’ expected emotional arc. (A sudden car crash sequence is particularly well planned out, with cameras and extras ready nearby.) It’s a steady build to its ultimate destination of NYC, and every major set piece is constructed to bubble with discomfort before then skyrocketing over the top. An early scene at Chris’ smoothie shop job only begins with him making the drinks without spoons—it escalates to awkward tension with disgusted, annoyed customers, and then boom, a laugh-out-loud, gory finale that hits with impeccable, unexpected timing.  

If certain parts of “Bad Trip” aren’t as out-and-out cry-laughing as the work put into them desires, the story is still involving as it adds the dimensionality of unscripted human behavior. And it doesn’t continue the hidden camera movie’s waning intention of dunking on dummies, a factor that also makes this story more fluid than the start-and-stop traps, primed for reaction shots, in something like “Jackass”-spinoff like “Bad Grandpa.” That’s the true sweet spot, in how its pranks are engineered to get the unexpected to interact with Bud, Chris, and or Trina, and see if strangers try to help. (“You turned on us!” says Chris, after a golfer starts swinging a club at Chris and Bud while their penises are enjoined by a Chinese fingertrap.) An amazing scene comes at a tense mid-point, when Trina appears at a restaurant, spreading around fliers with Bud and Chris’ dopey faces on them, advertising her desire to kill the two. She leaves. Bud and Chris then show up at the same place minutes later, and everyone’s response, with some people trying to warn them, and others not wanting to get caught in the middle, is incredible. “Bad Trip” knows how to stir things up, and its funniest scenes often involve real people getting in the mix, tested by the brilliant skills of André, Howery, and Haddish. The ways that some people react to their pranks might shock you in some ways, and absolutely will not in others.  

Now available on Netflix.

Nick Allen is the former Senior Editor at RogerEbert.com and a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film credits.

Bad Trip (2021)

Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language, some graphic nudity and drug use.

Eric André as Chris

Lil Rel Howery as Bud

Tiffany Haddish as Trina Malone

Michaela Conlin as Maria Li

• Kitao Sakurai

Writer (story)

• Andrew Barchilon

Cinematographer

• Andrew Laboy
• Sascha Stanton Craven
• Matthew Kosinski
• Caleb Swyers
• Ludwig Göransson
• Joseph Shirley

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