Best defense: remind yourself that you're hard as nails. You lived this far, through all the bad shit that's ever happened to you. Even bad experiences make you stronger. It's all worthwhile.

If you have not already, i suggest you start looking into the ego, maybe there you will really begin looking at yourself, and understanding why you have bad experiences, don't just analyse, but practice. Following similar guidelines to that of buddhism have helped me greatly with my psychedelic experiences. IME's i have bad trips too (but i just call them an experience, as they should never been seen as negative or positive imo)... but they're induced by me, you induce bad trips because you aren't accepting of the experience. Start practicing through things that put you in similar situations as DMT. Focus is key in DMT, as is focus in meditation... If you don't meditate, i don't recommend you do dmt because your unstable mind will create an unstable trip. Personal experiences, i'm only just improving my trips now by recognising each is related to the ego, my thought process and my focus.

Good luck... don't take this as harsh as i'm simply giving you the truth from what i've read and learnt.

By keeping a gun under my bed.

Lol

I would say by having a positive attitude being somewhere safe with people who understand you and the substance you are ingesting. Be prepared to surrender to the experience. If something gives you the fear just take a deep breath and try to remember there can be no light without dark.

You gotta treat these substances and the experience they bring with respect otherwise eventually they will show you something you were not prepared for.

I really find this part of the health and safety section extremely relevant and useful:

https://wiki.dmt-nexus.m..._trips_.2F_Dark_entities

A lot of my esteemed colleagues here have already said most of what needs to be said, but I think I will point out a few things:

1) You seem to think that being a psychology major will aid you in being a psychonaut. My experience with many friends who majored in psychology (a large number of them went on to be mental health professionals)... is that people who choose to study psychology tend to be somewhat unsure of their own mental health and study psychology to fix themselves. Please don't take offense, and there are plenty of exceptions to the rule... but when I took Abnormal Psych in University as an elective, the class was full of neurotic and manic kids who were worried about their own issues, and looking for solutions. I actually had to drop the class, as the vibe in there was too crazy for me. I have run many medicine circles as well where the psych majors tended to be the ones who had the hardest time. In this way, statistically, studying psychology seems to put you in a higher risk category for bad trips than people who study dance for instance.

2) You seem rather sure that the entities you meet are part of your projections. I would like to point out that their is no evidence to support this assumption, so it would behoove you to at least consider the possibility that entities might actually be independent intelligences that exist in actual hyperdimensional realms. On the off chance that they may be objectively real, you should have some contingency plan other than just surrendering to them, being tortured by them in "agony," or ignoring them. Even if the entities besieging you ARE part of your subconscious or whatever... they are clearly not under your conscious control and are antagonistic to you. Thus, the point of their being part of you or not is rather moot, practically speaking. In one sense, the entire Omniversal being is one mind, so everything is part of you... but that doesn't mean that there are not other individual egos out there, or that some of them might not be dangerous to you. Even a projection could be considered a dangerous and foreign entity if you were schizophrenic.

3) It is not so much what you do before, during, or even after a trip that makes the biggest difference in my experience. Sure, set & setting are important. The music playing, the smell of the launch room, the presence of nature and trusted friends... all key things. Singing and toning at entities and learning to manipulate and navigate hyperspace... brilliant and incredibly effective. And, naturally, how you process and integrate stuff is integral to how you wind up viewing your experiences. BUT... the single biggest influence on entheogen trips IMHO is how you live your life outside of psychedelics. Being a good & charitable person, taking it easy, exercising regularly, meditating regularly, sleeping well, eating well, maintaining healthy relationships, ditching unhealthy ones, and avoiding stress and drama... THESE are the keys to tripping in bliss. You can't say you have learned anything from entheogens if they haven't made you a better person in practice. If you don't make tangible changes to how you live on a day to day basis, DMT will hyperslap you eventually. I don't think that one should even partake of spice again until one has made some actual life modifications and put what one has learned into practice. There is a sense that you are begging for change from people who already gave you money... that you haven't even bothered to spend yet. You don't want to have entities lose patience with you and determine that you need to be discouraged from visiting them.

4) Ayahuasca is infinitely more useful for personal work and growth than smoalking spice. Don't get me wrong, I love me some spice... changa, jungle... yellow, white, red, orange... whatever. But, it is too short, and too much of a rocket powered roller coaster to be truly therapeutic. It is like riding a bucking bronco or a bull. You don't do it to get somewhere... but more for the thrill of the ride... or for the entertainment of people at a rodeo, perhaps. Aya, on the other hand is a like riding a donkey through the desert. It may seem like 6 hrs of tripping would be crazier than 15 minutes, but time is not a factor at the peak of a spice journey, so those 4 minutes can be a lifetime. Aya rarely takes you that far out, and is much more about getting you to see your life from the eyes of DMT. It is not blasting you off to be a tourist in Hyperspace, so much as it is allowing you to view this world from the perspective of your hyperspatial allies. That is just my opinion of course... so take it or leave it.

In fact, take or leave everything I have said. I imagine that you will balk at at least some of this stuff. I promise you I have nothing but good intentions in saying all of this. If you feel insulted by anything in this post... disregard it and try not to hold it against me.


In the end, the experiences you have described as troubling are not really all that bad. You can find reams of far more nightmarish trip reports on the Nexus. I can only say that you have yet to have your Hyperslap. I hope you don't have to endure one, but most of us who have been tripping for any length of time have had quite a few. I have been a psychonaut for 35 years.

IMO, experience is another word for failure. Wisdom is taking that experience to heart and not falling into the same traps.

All the best
HF

Re: hyperspace fool

First of all, there is little I balk at except accepted ignorance. That entails rejecting differing points of view outright. That said, I value your input and appreciate the time you took to make a response... That doesn't mean I agree with everything you've said (I do agree with a lot, though), but to each their own.

1.I doubt that you need to hear this to a great extent, but for the benefit of other readers as well, let it be known that this is a stereotype and that one should be wary of generalizations. I have met many psych majors who are very neurotic, but I have met far more intelligent and passionate learners. More than that are the people just looking for a degree to find a better job than either of the other two categories... In my experience the demographic reflects that of any other major in this regards. Alas, I am biased

2. For the sake of argument, you cannot provide evidence one way or another. I agree that one should accept ANY possibility, but what they personally subscribe to is just what makes them who they are. Logically speaking, there is only one route this discussion can go: the views of the agnostic. I can neither say whether entities are sentient, or figments of my imagination, so we may color our view any way we see fit, but ultimately we all must agree that absence and presence are both equally likely. Now my personal experience (from how I have rationalized human psyche) tells me that entities arise from internal bases. That said, this is irrelevant, because even if I think it is irrationally perceived as sentient entities, in the headspace, they are still perceived as sentient entities! In the moment, they must be treated as such until one gains the ability to control them (as one would a lucid dream), if that is even possible. All this sums up to is how we integrate our experiences. You prefer the spiritual explanation, and I the scientific (both fun little dogmas, no?)

Now, back on topic:

I do meditate and look a lot at ego and Buddhism. I partake in Theravada beliefs myself. I also agree that those who meditate will have more to learn and an easier time overall with spice, but I disagree that "you shouldn't do it unless you meditate" You'll see the rant two paragraphs below.

3. Sorry, but "how you live your life outside of psychadelics" is practice, is what you do before and after your trip, is set and setting. Everything that surrounds the present moment makes us who we are in that moment. If I sit around all day and eat ho hos, by the end of the day I feel pretty lethargic and probably have a low self esteem. This is a set and setting in and of itself: mood, perceptions on current state, etc. In my intense "bad" trips, hyperspace throws my lack of preparation in my face from everything I have experienced in the last month, or sometimes the last decade. One thing it has taught me is that everything is connected to the present moment (thank you causality). What you do 5 minutes before a trip may have a larger effect than what you did 2 days before the trip, but nevertheless, everything plays a part. So you are definitely right that practice and how we live our lives outside of hyperspace determines what we experience in hyperspace.

Now this isn't directed at just you hyperspace fool, so forgive the rant and try not to take it too personally. I do agree that those that don't make the changes that are made as salient necessities really do not gain a lot of benefit from their experiences, but please keep the dogma out of it. People that choose not to pay attention to set and setting (to the full breadth I suggest) will have "bad" experiences. They have more to learn about themselves, ultimately. That doesn't mean they don't deserve the same opportunities that the more wise have by partaking in these experiences. Anyone who says "you should just avoid using spice" to anyone, should really keep their opinions to themselves. Who are you to say that another's use of the experience is invalid or detrimental? That suggestion and decision will be made quite easily by any individual using DMT. Their experiences will continue to be negative and they will develop simple avoidance telling them they shouldn't use it and natural human behaviorism dictates that avoidance will be reinforcing in itself and propagate not using the drug. Your words are not needed and are only products of your own ego. Wisdom is not gained from the wise, it is gained through experience. Maybe entities are driving people off like a good ol' fashioned exorcism to a possessed body. Without my scientific or your religious dogma, we should be able to agree that maybe it's that some people perceive the experiences as simply negative that they choose not to learn something. This will lead to natural avoidance from divine intervention or natural behaviorism. Either way, there just sounds like ego in your words when you incite elitism with spice.

To those that say that even "negative experiences are just experiences from which we have something to learn and are thus equally valuable to the positive ones," you are truly wise and your words should be heeded. Above all, people, learn from your experiences. These are really intense experiences, so there is a lot more to learn than typical experiences. To those who take "you shouldn't take spice" to heart, only you can make that decision. In this one's personal opinion, one should get back on the horse so long as you feel that you aren't gaining long term damage. Personally, I don't think spice is that detrimental. Powerful, yes. But detrimental? It's just an experience. How you choose to acknowledge it, or what you choose to take from it is completely is on you. If it brings you negative experiences, then I think it is probably one of the safer ways to learn how to make change in your life. I invite any to challenge this advice if you think it could be harmful, but I personally am not seeing it.

yesssssssssssssssssssss

Well, I appreciate the fact that you were open to what I said... to a point at least.

I made it clear those were my opinions, so they should be regarded as such.

1) I know that this is a stereotype and already acknowledged that there were exceptions... but there are certainly plenty who fit the mold. I am not judging, and my University days were 25 years ago. Things could have changed. But, I am willing to bet that a statistically relevant percentage of current psych majors would have a harder time with an intense entheogen experience than their dance major counterparts.

2) I think I made it clear that there is no proof in either direction. The point is that the rational way to deal with a situation like this would be very similar whether they are objective or projections. As long as you can not control them and they are adversarial to you, it makes little difference. People who are 100% sure it is all in their head tend to assume that they can not be harmed, and this is clearly untrue. Even if the entities besieging you are just your personal Mr. Hyde, you must still have a plan for dealing with this adversary. In fact, if it turns out that this seemingly objective individual lives inside your mind, it is a worse prognosis IMHO. You can avoid external adversaries.

You have made the case that you are scientific minded and labeled me as religious. "Without my scientific or your religious dogma" However, there is nothing religious in my post at all, and I consider myself to be rather anti-religion in general. Furthermore, I have studied and practice quite a lot of science. I am critical of science as a monolithic entity, and find that in the areas where science has not provided answers, many people become dogmatic and closed minded. As a mystic, I value direct experience of the mysteries and laud tangible skill in things that are trans-personal and extra-corporeal. I find like minds in the mystic wings of most religions, but I, nonetheless, find all religions to be cumbersome and filled with useless faith, pandering and scheming. You, on the other hand, have specifically claimed to be a practicing Theraveda Buddhist. A religion. As much as I respect the Buddhist point of view (being a lifelong practitioner of Kung Fu), I must respectfully say that it is you who are the religious person.

3) I think you are getting caught in semantics here. As you yourself say, we are in agreement. Your expanded definition of Set & Setting is fine, but I made my comment in the awareness of how most people view this... as being limited to the actual trip space and headspace they go into the experience with. When people discuss what they do before and during a trip, they are by and large discussing the activities immediately leading up to their trip, and tend to neglect the day to day baseline. It is my experience that the elaborate preparations some people require are mostly only necessary because their normal state and normal lives are so counter productive. If it takes you an hour to get your set & setting right for a blast off, you may intuit that your basic lifestyle is not all that conducive.

As for +your "rant." I respect your point of view, and we go through this a lot here. But I find that, personally, there is nothing wrong with elitism as it applies to spice. You are surely not suggesting that everyone on Earth should be using DMT? There are clearly people who should never use psychedelics... without some ridiculously comprehensive changes in their lives. This is as it should be IMO.

The community of psychonauts is not an egalitarian place. We are not all equal. Like most things, there are people who have amassed a great deal of skill and experience, and people who are brand new to the field. You have said yourself that wisdom comes from experience. The wise don't expect that the unwise will become wise simply from their words... but they also don't feel the need to refrain from speaking either. If anything any of us say can help even a few people a little bit, it is worthwhile. You can certainly save someone some pain and suffering of having to reinvent the wheel at any rate. If this was not the case, the Nexus would be no more than a social club.

It is kind of odd that after your speech about wise words not being needed, your final paragraph goes 180 degrees and says that people saying negative experiences are valuable are wise and their words should be heeded. Is this simply because you agree with this sentiment? Note: I agree with that sentiment as well.

In the end, I still think what you are describing as bad trips and "agony" are not really that intense. I would not label anything you described as a bad trip personally. When a truly hellish experience descends on you, I think you might change your tune a bit. But with that, I will leave you be. I am not trying to challenge you. I respect where you are on the path, and as a young person, you seem to be doing pretty well. I can only speak from the position of someone who has had thousands of journeys... many of them before you were born. Take it or leave it.

HF

1. I acquiesce that your experiences are different than mine. What you are saying makes logical sense, so perhaps I am clouded by my own opinions; that is that the background provided is a strong foundation to approach psychedelics with. An analogy is that some are born strong swimmers, others weak, but take a weak swimmer who has four years of diving instruction and I guarantee he will surpass his innate predisposition and the strong swimmer every time. Not always the case, but I think this is a strong argument for my case as well.

2. It appears we are in agreement here as well. I never intended dichotomizing our beliefs into science and religion to be offensive. I can see how it would be though, sorry about that. My point was that how you rationalize your experiences are different from my rationalizations and thus your advice in this regard just won't work for me. In the trip, they do seem like separate entities, but I am still able to rationalize that they are my ego projecting outwards and back again. Singing and whatnot may be beneficial, but I think your points on set and setting (and practice) are far more beneficial advice to me. At least in my mind, I cannot ward off (entirely) entities with prayer or anything like that; I can only seek to make personal changes so the entities I see are positive aspects of myself. If I am feeling malicious, DMT shows me malice. That isn't to invalidate your rationalizations, because they obviously work well for you (at this point better than my own for me). It's just in my mind, it won't cut it.

3. You are right, I am arguing semantics and I was/am in agreement with you. Like you said, people irrationally think an hour of preparation is enough. I am providing a way people can understand that that is NOT the case with this idea. Everything we have ever experienced comes to fruition in the moment (thanks again, causality) and this is especially salient with DMT. Set and setting span a lifetime (maybe more, who knows).

The rant: heh heh, ever read anything by alduous huxley? I am somewhat suggesting that everyone in the world should use spice. Maybe not those with heart issues, but at least, many more people should use it. I honestly believe that a trip to hell is your mind telling you that there is something not right with your views, daily practices, or approaches in life. If they are not ready, they will either avoid it on their own, or they would never have approached it. You were right that the wisdom thing was a logical fallacy on my end. I was expressing myself improperly. I just think the true words of the wise on this point would just be silence and letting it unfold on its own. Better words would be something along the lines of: this is what you experienced, this is my perceptions of its meaning, assert change in the areas your trip has shown needs it, then you may seek its wisdom again. If they do not choose to make the changes, it's on them and they will make the same mistakes and find the same results. I still argue that saying DMT is not for everyone is a given, but no one deserves discouragement and all deserve the same opportunities to make their own decisions with spice (whether it is repeating mistakes, or growing).

Again, my previous views still stem from the viewpoint that spice is not that harmful so long as people are safe (not doing it cliffside). There is only the capacity to learn (even through immeasurable suffering) and at worst, most of the associations are made with the drug itself. Put the information out there: people with a bad heart, dissociative tendencies, chronic depression, etc. Be wary that you could experience true torment before and after the trip (it will change you). I just think the next rational point (for anyone) would then be to analyze what is going on with them to cause such an experience, or to just say it's a messed up drug and move on. Again, this is my personal opinion, but as you said, I am young in my journeys and I don't know many people who are into psychedelics in general. I am truly interested in hearing agreement, or counterpoints to my views in this regard.

Hyperspace Fool, perhaps I did come off as mildly hostile before. For that I apologize. I enjoyed reading your responses (whether I agreed with them or not 100%). If I hear from you again, great, but either way, thank you for your time.

No problemo... pleasure discussing with you.

The Nexus is a tight circle of freaks, and we love to debate stuff... but in the end we all have more in common than we disagree on. Even when the disagreements seem vast and intractable, a psychonaut is still a psychonaut. We have all had our minds blown... or are gearing up to have it blown anyway (in the case of some lurkers and people researching for their first journey).

yesssssssssssssssssssss

much love and respect HF

antipsychotics