Today it just popped into my mind the thought of how to increase your mental resilience by using psychedelics. Personally, I have never been able to get over the anxiety or fear before a DMT trip and I don't think it has made me more "though", but probably because I rarely do high doses.

But a few years ago I was in some peyote ceremonies and the "marakames" (shamans) that directed the ceremonies have been taking peyote at least once a week for a couple of decades and they seem pretty chill and strong.

So I'm wondering if repeated use of some of the psychedelics can help us overcome some mental barriers or fears in the long term, given that you really try to face whatever comes at you during each trip.

What are your thoughts/experiences on this?

Not sure if my story is relevant to what you are asking, but I recently had my first aya experience, and it was nauseating and terrifying, but my past experience with sacred mushrooms and LSD definitely helped me through. In fact, I felt the mushroom whisper to me, "It's ok, this is familiar, you've done this before, you've got this". So yes, on this occasion, my experience with psychedelics definitely game me strength.

Toughening can occur from doing any strenuous or frightful activity repeatedly. Psychedelics fall into this category in particular as they assault the primal part of our being responsible for fear: our egos.

I think using psychedelics for the express purpose of mental toughening may not be entirely sustainable, as this process can be egotistical in its own right. After one very tough vaporhuasca trip, I remember thinking how mentally strong I must have been to get through that ordeal. However, looking back, this thought was simply my ego recovering and trying to reconcile its prior destruction.

The higher you build a tower after an earthquake, the harder it will fall during the next one. For overcoming irrational fears, though, psychedelics can be incredibly effective. They helped me overcome many of the irrational fears I had as a result of childhood OCD, likely because such fears were based in my ego. For example, I used to be afraid of touching toilets. My thought process was, "If I touch this toilet, I will smell, get dirty, and/or get sick. I will be unclean. If this happens, people will not like me and I will have trouble living with myself."

After using psychedelics enough times, I realized firstly that such a thought process was totally irrational (and that people probably didn't like me for being so particular about toilets...). But I also realized that my desire to be "clean" was a subjective, social construct based in fear, which I no longer needed. Today I can touch toilets with ease.

So yes, they can be used for self-improvement that often is in the form of toughening your mind or emotions with regard to certain fears in your life. But I do not think that using them to make yourself a stronger person in general is that sustainable, as they may very well make you question the point of pursuing "strength" and "toughness" in the first place.

Get into a headspace of courage. Act as if you are a warrior and run head long towards it all! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Works for me anyway!

^^^ This

I think psychedelics can have it go either way...
I know from personal experience that if you have a couple tough ones, your sober threshold to tolerate stress can become lowered.

How ever that was when I still didnt know how to move through this psychedelic space properly and when and when not to trip.

Now I woudl say toughening is not the right word. The intention should rather be to soften into any experience that can arise. And if you acquire the skill to consistently soften and relax(just accept) into any insanely powerful sensation you can have on psychedelics, this will reflect in your daily life.

How ever I personaly would much rather go the route, to train this skill mostly in sober daily life, and as I see progress, start toincrease, if I want to, the frequency and dosage of my trips.

Toughening, not. Improving the quality of thinking/thoughts and of mental/emotional processes overall, yes. And that's a lot already.

Getting to the summit of a mountain can be hard. Sometimes you get half there and run out of steam and have to turn back. Sometimes thunderstorms roll in and you turn back because it becomes too treacherous. Sometimes you didn't plan your trip and run out of water for your journey and have to turn back.

Just because you sometimes do not reach the summit does not discount the fact that you are on a mountain. Being on the mountain itself is healing and wonderful and beautiful.

When you finally reach the summit and see the view you remember the journey that it took and can take tremendous pride in your accomplishment. You know if you made it this once you can make it again.

I think the mountain helps you up once you make up your mind to reach it's top. It cheers you on and rewards your courage when you get to the top. It takes courage to even attempt the climb. Good for you any which way you slice it. You are on the mountain and the view at any time is amazing!