# LSD: what is the nature of a "bad trip?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 21, 2014, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222 "2014-11-21T03:21:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/61 "2014-11-25T16:49:54Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > In casual conversation, I tend to use “visuals” and “hallucinations” interchangeably. Except when I’m feeling extra grandiose, then I call 'em “visions.” 😉 After becoming a Responsible Adult in Regular Society :D, I never mentioned the fact that I had dropped acid. It’s only been in the last few years, and with a few select friends/family that I have shared that experience. I think I felt others would look at me differently, like my brain had been permanently affected. I’m still careful about whom I tell. It’s nice being able to share on this thread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/62 "2014-11-25T17:07:19Z")
My general rule is “my friends may know; my _girlfriend’s_ friends may not.” ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/63 "2014-11-25T17:59:33Z")
From my experience, I do sometimes think there is really small point in talking about hallucinogen experiences to those who have not had them (and maybe even with those who have) - the important stuff is, literally, impossible to describe, and what is left is describing the ephemera like visual effects, or ‘funny stuff that happened when we were tripping’. I haven’t taken any hallucinogens for twenty years, and I may not ever again (who knows). However, I still regard them as very important to my mental life - though I’m not religious in any conventional sense, and do not believe in any supernatural beings, the best way I could describe it is as having a religious effect - a sort of profound liberation from one’s self. Though it is fair to say this isn’t by any means universal. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/64 "2014-11-25T20:20:40Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > The CIA gave LSD to subjects every day for\* weeks.\* There was a period of a month or so where I took at least 1/4 hit everyday. What was I thinking? I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/65 "2014-11-25T20:34:03Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > There was a period of a month or so where I took at least 1/4 hit everyday. What was I thinking? I don’t know. What was it like? [This article about Dr. James Fadiman](http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-heretic) includes a bit about his experiments with micro-dosing LSD, using self-reporting volunteers taking as little as 10 micrograms every third day. > [@](#): > > “As someone said, the rocks don’t glow, even a little bit. But what many people are reporting is, at the end of the day, they say, ‘That was a really good day.’ You know, that kind of day when things kind of work. You’re doing a task you normally couldn’t stand for two hours, but you do it for three or four. You eat properly. Maybe you do one more set of reps. Just a good day. That seems to be what we’re discovering.” […] > > One physician reported that micro-dosing got him “in touch with a deep place of ease and beauty.” A vocalist said she could better hear and channel music. In general, study participants functioned normally in their work and relationships, Fadiman has said, but with increased focus, creativity, and emotional clarity. Until he releases his data archive in a comprehensive manner, it is, of course, not possible to scrutinize the validity of his claim. What is sorta kinda like that for you, too? ---
**Author:** ![mtm105](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@mtm105](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtm105)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/66 "2015-12-01T18:47:42Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Being around assholes can give you a bad trip experience . . . or so I’ve heard. yes. not just the assholes, but the experience surrounding you. I felt like I had a bad trip once going to Great Adventure. We had a BLAST. but the concept of my sister lending me her car to do it, kinda drove things sour for me in General. to have a good trip requires all of the tools of positive nature. Anything negative will have an influence. Perhaps anything involving TRUST. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/67 "2015-12-01T20:46:03Z")
In my experience, acid trips teach you things about yourself. Not every lesson is delightfully pleasant. Most people have at least a few worrisome scary fears about themselves and occasionally your own acid-tripping mind will decide to open up that particular box and get totally immersed in what’s inside. That being said, if you hold on for dear life and take it seriously and use the event as a therapeutic experience, a bad trip can do you a world of good. The bottom line is, LSD is not a cute harmless little mental bonbon to eat like a party favor, nor is it a horrible substance that people should be protected from. It’s powerful kickass psychoactive stuff and should be respected as such. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/68 "2015-12-01T20:56:01Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > In my experience, acid trips teach you things about yourself. Not every lesson is delightfully pleasant. Most people have at least a few worrisome scary fears about themselves and occasionally your own acid-tripping mind will decide to open up that particular box and get totally immersed in what’s inside. > > That being said, if you hold on for dear life and take it seriously and use the event as a therapeutic experience, a bad trip can do you a world of good. > > The bottom line is, LSD is not a cute harmless little mental bonbon to eat like a party favor, nor is it a horrible substance that people should be protected from. It’s powerful kickass psychoactive stuff and should be respected as such. Gotta agree with that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/69 "2015-12-01T21:39:15Z")
Yes. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/70 "2015-12-02T02:31:11Z")
I’m glad this thread was revived, because I hope **tapu** can tell us if the small-dose-every-day-for-an-extended-period experience was anything like the unpublished study mentioned a few posts up. If so, that might lend more credence to an important discovery, no? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/71 "2015-12-02T07:08:03Z")
I think it depends on both the quality of the drug and the environment. Both together or either/or. From my experiments way back and long ago, Purple Haze struck me as really giggly stuff, but I was with a good friend, we were both trying it for the first time. And we had someone else for transportation. Yellow sunshine had visuals. Not full blown hallucinations, but interesting patterns appeared in the holes and crevices in a cinderblock wall and watching the sesame seeds on my hamburger bun marching in formation was amusing. I don’t remember what I was on the first time I heard CSN&Y’s “Ohio” (on the radio), but it sounded really good. And once I remember a spacey Sunday morning when what remained from the night before made the Sunday comics really funny. I didn’t experiment a lot, maybe 6 or 7 times. There were many I hung around with who did a lot more. For a while, I became the go-to guy to talk folks down. And once I was the baby-sitter for a couple of friends on an outing with a lot of friends, many of whom were tripping. I was laughing at much as they were but I also had control. ---
**Author:** ![Richox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Richox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richox)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/72 "2015-12-02T10:25:11Z")
Has anyone here tried DMT, that is the real question ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/73 "2015-12-02T13:20:05Z")
> [@Richox](#): > > Has anyone here tried DMT, that is the real question I have. Why is that the real question? ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/74 "2015-12-02T13:25:13Z")
> [@Richox](#): > > Has anyone here tried DMT, that is the real question What an incredibly weird thing to say. The thread is clearly about _LSD_, quite specifically, so why would a question about DMT - a very different substance - be the “real” question? ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/75 "2015-12-02T13:32:15Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I’m glad this thread was revived, because I hope **tapu** can tell us if the small-dose-every-day-for-an-extended-period experience was anything like the unpublished study mentioned a few posts up. I, too, would be interested in hearing what **tapu** got out of their experiments. You there, **tapu**? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/76 "2015-12-02T13:41:51Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > What an incredibly weird thing to say. The thread is clearly about _LSD_, quite specifically, so why would a question about DMT - a very different substance - be the “real” question? Ask that question again, 45 minutes after consuming a bag 'o shrooms. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/77 "2015-12-02T13:46:28Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Ask that question again, 45 minutes after consuming a bag 'o shrooms. say clearly incredibly question be the? “real” thread different LSD weird, question a quite substance thing about to. specifically DMT very - What an The is, so why about would a - ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/78 "2015-12-02T14:12:45Z")
I saw this thread, I thought “pretty much any day in a Chicago rush hour”. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/79 "2015-12-02T14:26:24Z")
IMO a bad trip is when you no longer understand that you’re tripping. I would equate it to a nightmare – one where you don’t realize you’re dreaming and you accept the dream as reality. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222/80 "2015-12-02T14:51:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Ask that question again, 45 minutes after consuming a bag 'o shrooms. That would be _[psilocybin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin)_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lsd-what-is-the-nature-of-a-bad-trip/705222.md?page=5)