Psychedelics have always seemed to be the provenance of young people, at least, or especially, when talking about hedonistic use. I'm curious about this.

I put down my psychedelic use at 21, after a particularly mice acid trip. I remember thinking that ''this is it, it's nice, but this stuff has taught me all that it can, I'm done with LSD''.
Then, as they say, life happened, and twenty some odd years later, I'm looking to fix the problems that life brought with it, and here I am, using psychs again, DMT and the previously greatly feared (by me, because it gets so strange sometimes) psilocybin to this end, with great erect, I add.

However, most, if not all, of the folks around my age-I'm in my mid forties here- have extreme fear regarding any use of them. Their fear originates from the 'life happening' thing, people end up not doing what it was they wanted too, we do things we never wanted too ot should have done, dreams die, relationships dissolve and are created, etc, and we become fearful off our own consciousness we so eagerly used to explore.

I don't run in psychedelic circles of deadheads, hippies and ravers, if anything all my friends are junkies- active, recovering, whatever, and that populations response probably is contaminating my view.

I'd like perspective on this, from older mexians especially- do you find your peers, and especially those who used to do them, reluctant to take psychs, and why?

I can't speak personally (I'm 19 and still very much in the age where I can get away with hedonistic stupidity ), but I do know that there are many old hats around the Nexus who manage to do psychedelics in addition to things like careers, families and responsibilities.

I imagine it's kind of a self-selecting thing. The people who do psychs just for kicks and pretty pictures loose interest and outgrow it, but the ones who do it for spiritual purposes probably just quietly keep on trucking.

Hell, think about the McKenna brothers.

I may not be of the age group that you want to hear from, but even people my age (early thirties) seem to have this view as well. They'll say things like, "I'm not twenty years old, I have responsibilities" and, "That stuff never showed me anything worthwhile anyway"

It's all fear. They know their life isn't what they once thought it would be and they're afraid to confront serious issues. It's that 'old dog' syndrome, that's what I like to call it. They get set in their ways and become fearful of anything that challenges their view of reality.

I've never really had many friends that were really in the psychedelic community. Just some people who are curious and looking to have fun. Not much serious soul-searching, spiritual development. Those are the ones who actively seek these things out, ask the hard questions, and deal with the fear. Because we all have it...we all get a little frightened when our view of the world and our ego are threatened.

It takes a lot of courage to continue with these kinds of experiences. When you're young you tend to be more 'devil may care' and can shrug things off a little easier. When you've been here a while, you start to see things differently, take things more seriously. Get stuck in repeating patterns. Ironically, I think that's when we need something like psychedelics the most. But people get attached to their fear and their suffering. They don't want to let it go.

The 'old hats'around here are the reason I posted here, respected opinions all.
Thanks for your response too Nat, it's only stupid if you are.
There's nothing wrong with having fun on psychs too, frankly though I've never understood some of the reactions to them you describe, even though I've seen it over and over.
Sometimes I wonder if having a true experience in western society, be it of a spiritual or psychological nature,as provided by psychs, is so anathema to it that is why people avoid it.
Especially when they know they've been living the lie.

Hey null,

I'm 44. I put down the psychs (just acid and shrooms) when I was about 23 - right after my first kid was born. A few years went by and I just decided my time with psychedelics had come and gone.

Fast forward to 2 and a half years ago. My lady and I are at a festy and we're gifted some shrooms by a close friend. Initially I try to tell him I don't do that any more - he says - if I don't use them just give them to my camp neighbors. Let me shorten this up... we ate them and it sparked off a whole new direction. My youthful use had been ALL hedonism and pleasure, but it was different now... now if felt like consciousness expansion... it felt like exploration, it felt like love (or some possible ingredient thereof). Another friend mentioned DMT while we were pitching horseshoes a about 6 months later - it intrigued me - I researched... extracted.... and here I am... 44 and pretty happy to do almost any natural pyschedlic a couple time a month.

My circle of friends is probably best described as a bunch of anarcho-socialist classic rock lovers . I'm pretty sure that 99% of them have tripped and 90% of them have tripped HARD and long in their youth. Most of them took breaks as well. Not necessarily intentional, but as is common, life moves on, responsibilities ensue, psych use takes a distant back seat.

As I got back into it... my closest friends, I think, saw that psychedlic use didn't have to mean whole lost weekends, cars in ditches, and unexplained fireworks burns, lol. I think most of them, once again, are definitely into tripping a couple times of year and 2 or 3 of them definitely have a more active psychedelic life.

So, while they may not have the interest or wherewithall that I do as far as pychedlics right now, I wouldn't say they fear it.
That being said, this group isn't a fearful, regretful group. Most have made piece with their past wonky decisions and possible regrets. Only one is really a junky (bless him) and even he likes to eat mushrooms and frolic in the forest occasionally.

My best friend, in fact is a Viet Nam combat veteran. Chock full of PTSD and 64 years old. He's gotten back into shrooming... it's helping him, he feels, to get in touch with some of those "untouchable" feelings that are at the root of his issues. If anyone should fear regurgitation some intense and sad pyschological stuff - it should be him.

So, with all that backstory, I'll answer your question now, lol.

Yes and no.

Most friends will trip, most of those won't trip more than a couple times a year. The ones leftover still like to trip balls with regularity, but I think it's more pointed at engaging the cosmos and not just to "feel groovy" for all of us. any Reluctance stems more from having busy life and not so much from facing dredged up emotion.

Dio, thank you four your thoughtful reply.
Pup, you and I sound like we have a lot in common, same age, similar associations and experiences.
Kinda funny, really, the timeliness are almost identical,ha!
I just don't know too many folks that use psychs at all, except online. And they are so beneficial to us when we have gone thru the years, heartbreaks and traumas. Although with our country at war for almost two generations now, those traumas are coming harder and younger.

I don't know, I just see all these hurting people who could be helped, and things line DMT require neither the time commitment nor the dopamine depletion that other things do..

That's though, y'all are brightening a foul mood. Moved in with the weather

This explains it for me. I just don't know the right people, other than online.

I'm so grateful for this community and all the others on the internet. You've literally saved my life.

I second that emotion-DMT nexus.,

I was born in 1951 and am probibly older than most of you...
Im very healthy for my age i eat healthy and bike everyday..
I ..like many of you.. at age 21 stoped tripping on LSD and other similar drugs...and thought i had enough of this . stuck out my thumb and hitchiked across america in search of something?..
When this happened the movie [easy rider] was exciting many young minds including mine..
But after more than 30 years im back at it again..and happy to be...
Ive seem how many people are..good and bad.. and im convinced that life is an illusion...
I have practiced lucid dreaming for 8 years ..been a paranormal investigator ..
A dream of mine [if i only had the money] ..would be to spend many starry nights on the grounds of an ancient english ..scottish..or irish.. coastal castle listening to the gulls and the crashing waves in a state of medatational bliss..and inner peace..
There is a reason that people take drugs or drink booz..ect..
We are all looking for freedom in any form available..
And the manna found in the desert.. the bible speaks of.. [ posibly magic mushrooms] was like food for the soul..as is many other drugs of this type today..
DMT intrests me very much as i want to experiance an Alex Grey type of breakthrough..
I find DMT a very wild horse to ride but my frear of it is getting less and less and ill break through soon..
Salvia similar to DMT.. but seems more earth based but very ancient breaks me through every time!
These substances were put on earth for all humanity to experiance if they choose to..
This doesnt make anyone an addict or a looser because those terms are just another form of illusion they dont exist..except in the mind of the one who invented it..
As the late Dr Tim Leary said..remove the programed chains from your mind..always be a good person.. but be free..!
Dr Leary smoked DMT just a week before he died of natural causes at an old age..and he really enjoyed the experiance.. and ..[instead of showing fear].. he looked forward the the death experiance with a wink in his eye! ..
He was an awesome person with courage i cant express...
Mind expansion is a beautyfull thing...

Does anyone feel that the psychadelic experience is different after so many years?


I found the manner in which Dennis Mckenna described returning to freebase DMT after having not smoked any for so many years (though still regularly drinking ayahuasca) rather interesting in his book, The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss, something along the lines of hyperspace being abandoned and empty, nothing like he remembered it.