Hi, I have been thinking about a trip with magic mushrooms for a very long time. The reason is my long-term struggle with chronic anxiety issues and depression. I have tried MD with shroom (0.05 - 0.2g) several times, but it only amplified my anxiety made me very uncomfortable, anxious and irritated during the day.


I am too afraid to go tripping because of something like a bad trip could happen. I can influence the SETTING, but since I suffer from general anxiety I can't do much about SET. I mean, I can try to rest and meditate beforehand and go there with a positive mindset(preferably on a good day), but I don't think I can do much in this part. I have lots of underlying issues that have accumulated for a very long time( a lot of traumatic events, memories, fears, anxiety, uncertainty)...I am not necessarily expecting a bad trip to happen but I don't think things will go smoothly either. Unfortunately, I have no one who could be there with me through the experience.


I have read about Phenibut's synergistic effect with shrooms. Could this be something like "prevention" from a bad trip? I was thinking to take some low dose benzo before a trip, but from what I read it's not worth it, as benzos will dull or diminish the effects. But it seems like Phenibut works differently.


What are your thoughts on this? Thanks!

Try 3 to 4 grams of dried Lemon Balm leaf tea, works like a charm for me with Aya and with mushrooms, removes/smooths out the come up intensity, reduces anxiety/panic/stress/fear, while still allowing for quite the powerful and deep experience. Lemon Balm is awesome, haven't yet tried Phenibut with Psychedelics though.

I tried lemon balm with mushrooms. While i love lempon balm, it did nothing and still had quite a difficult experience.

What have you read about phenibuts synergistic effects with mushrooms? I am curious.

Just an opinion here, but using an anxiolytic agent with a psychedelic seems counter productive. It would seem more logical to simply work with a lower dose of psychedelic and slowly increase if you feel comfortable, on subsequent occasions.

The "bad trip" you refer to, can sometimes be the trip which provides the most valuable material that leads to changes in beliefs and changes in personality, that can be greatly beneficial. The flip side of this is that psychedelics, especially at higher doses, have the potential to trigger panic reactions, which can then worsen underlying anxiety.

My 2 cents would be to use mushrooms alone at a low dose and very slowly work your way up.

On a side note, I am sure you are aware that regular use of gaba ergic agents are not great for anyone looking to recover from a long term anxiety disorder.

Take care

Try dosing some Passion Flower extract. It is a natural anxiety remedy that actually works. It is completely legal and readily available.

Learn to surrender to your anxiety. Allow yourself to feel that way. It feels completely counterintuitive in the moment, but anxiety is nothing more than a trick your brain plays on itself. It is really nothing at all. So call it's bluff. Tell it to show its cards. You will find that it quickly folds.

Of course, the best and quickest remedy is a large dose with an experienced guide to reassure you.

I would avoid Phenibut. It would reduce your anxiety during your trip, but also prevent you from figuring out what is causing the anxiety in the first place. You need to allow it to surface for it to go into remission.

How much Lemon Balm did you take, i use 3 to 4 grams, 4 grams works wonders for me, when mixed with Aya/oral DMT there's essentially no come up intensity and no real anxiety/panic/terror/fear, it's much much smoother. Another thing could be you just didn't have good Lemon Balm, some leaf might be better quality than others, and i use the leaf not any extracts so if you tried an extract, idk how that'd be compared to a leaf tea. I steep my dried Lemon Balm leaf in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes covered with a lid to make sure no volatile oils escape, and then i filter it through a coffee filter and wring out all the liquid from the coffee filter, sweeten the tea and consume. Lemon Balm contains Rosmarinic Acid which inhibits GABA Transaminase which raises levels of GABA and thus activates GABAergic receptors. If you didn't feel much from the Lemon Balm, raise the dosage imo or see about finding some better quality Lemon Balm.

I should also mention i've gotten quite a few testimonials from people who've used Lemon Balm with their Aya, as well as mushrooms, and they all got benefits which is one main reason i mention Lemon Balm so much. So i'm not sure exactly why it wouldn't have worked for you.

Another thing you can possibly look into, is the GABAergic Alpha-Pinene (not the Cholinergic Alpha-Pinene), i've taken the GABAergic Alpha-Pinene on it's own in my day to day and it definitely has GABAergic properties. Passion Flower is also a good one i think to look into though i haven't yet tried it.

I've only briefly looked into phenibut, but I read enough to decide that I didn't want to give it an experimental try. That's just my opinion, however other's have spoke praise of it.

Anxiety and excitement can feel very similar. They both can feel stimulating and almost as though we cannot focus. If you can become aware of this, and transform the anxiety into excitement, it may work out in your benefit. It may sound easier said than done, but if you put your mind to it and truly commit to the belief, then it can happen.

Benzos and mushrooms: While I don't think it is great idea to advocate the use of benzos as a recreational substance, they have been useful to have around. Sometimes, just having them and knowing that they are there, in case of a bad trip, can be easing enough to prevent the anxiety of "will this turn into a bad trip?" - which prevents the "Bad Trip" altogether.

In the occasion that all things have gone downhill, and you're seriously having a "Bad Trip" and need to get out, then they are there. But, I'd advise you to give the "bad trip" a little bit of time before going to the benzo, sometimes it just goes in waves and will ease up shortly after. Sometimes it is an experience that we need to have. It may put our perspectives into a different frame so that we can get a better understanding of our current position in life.

Take Care,
ACY

Any updates on this? Has anyone tried this? If so would they share dose, how long before psychedelics they were ingested, side effects?

Thanks in advance!

I used to love combing nootropics, herbs, and what have you with LSD. Perhaps this could be useful although, psilocybin and LSD are clearly different, I think they share a similar enough effect to say it goes both ways.

I have tried phenibut with LSD. I took the phenibut hours before and waited for its effects to kick in before dosing the LSD. At this point in my life I was slightly more anxious than usual, hence why I went with phenibut. I would say it helped with the anxiety.

Once I tried diazepam(benzodiazepine) with DMT just to see how far I could push the visuals, and of course, there was no anxiety, but there was also zero headspace.

I tried kava with 2C-D/2C-E and I would say it helped with the anxiety as well. The only part that makes me anxious is the come up, once I'm past that, I'm good.

There's always the option of having one beer before tripping. (Never done it myself)

Personally, I never liked mixing my psychedelics with anything that took the anxiety away. For me, the trip is always less satisfying. If you don't feel comfortable tripping without something to ease you down, then you should definitely take something. Phenibut should work. Kava. Kratom. Erythrina mulungu. Passion Flower. Magnolia.

Or, maybe the best route is to have a benzo on hand. So, if the trip starts to become overwhelming, you can cut it short.

I would say try to kava and shrooms with a benzo as a backup plan. I think kava is one of the best anxiolytics for the reason being, it works fairly quickly, it's not overwhelming, and there are not too many negative side effects, if any at all. I don't think a small dose would ruin the psychedelic headspace. It might diminish it slightly, but I don't think it will completely obliterate it.

I've found sufficient doses of L-Theanine help my anxiety, maybe they'll help you too.