A bad trip is a frightening experience associated with use of a hallucinogenic drug such as LSD, salvinorin A, mescaline, or psilocybin. These experiences can range from something which is not present in the real world to a moment of extreme paranoia. The term is also used to describe people who have had panic attacks while using cannabis. Such effects are not seen as threatening or negative for some in the therapeutic community, and may have the potential to be highly beneficial to the user when properly resolved. They have been attributed to the inexperience or irresponsibility of the user, lack of proper preparation and environment for the trip, or unresolved psychological tensions triggered during the course of the experience.^[1] The general group of pharmacological agents commonly known as hallucinogens can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. ... Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called LSD, LSD-25, or acid. ... Binomial name Salvia divinorum Epling & Játiva[1] Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviners Sage,[2] Magic Mint,[2] María Pastora,[3] Sally D, Sage of the Seers, or simply Salvia (although the genus name is shared among many plants), is a powerful psychoactive plant, a member of... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Psilocybin (also known as psilocybine) is a psychedelic alkaloid of the tryptamine family, found in psilocybin mushrooms. ... A panic attack is a period of intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting no more than 30 minutes. ... A dried flowered bud of the Cannabis sativa plant. ... Set and setting describes the context for drug experiences: ones mindset and the setting in which the user has his experience. ...

It is suggested that, at a minimum, such crises be managed by preventing the individual from harming oneself or others by whatever means necessary up to and including physical restraint, providing him or her with a safe and comfortable space, and supervising him or her until all effects of the drug have completely worn off.

Aspects

A multitude of reactions can occur during a psychedelic crisis. Users can experience many general senses of fear. Some users may be catapulted into a anxiety attack, a disabling reaction in which one is overcome with extreme fright.^[2] A user may be overwhelmed with the disconnection many psychedelics cause, and fear that they are going insane or will never return to reality. This can cause the user the fall into a profound depression. Other reactions include an amplification of nameless fears; that is, fears that are unfounded and are usually not encountered in normality. An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... The general group of pharmacological agents commonly known as hallucinogens can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. ... Inmates at Bedlam Asylum, as portrayed by William Hogarth Insanity, or madness, is a general term for a semi-permanent, severe mental disorder. ... Grieving Thai females. ...

Users may exhibit actions suggesting harm to themselves or others around them.^[3] This harm could take the form of suicidal ideation, or full blown suicide attempts. Because of the magnification of emotions many psychedelics cause, death or thoughts of death can cause intensely adverse reactions in some users. Users can believe that their death is imminent or that the very universe itself is collapsing.^[3] Rapidly accelerated aging of other people may be experienced, irritating the aforementioned fears even more. Suicidal ideation is common medical term for the mere thoughts about and of plans of committing suicide, not the actual following through or act itself. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The general group of pharmacological agents commonly known as hallucinogens can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. ...

Some users may experience disorientation. The normal views of time, space, and person can be substantially altered, causing fear. Some can worsen their condition by trying to fight the psychedelic experience after embarkment. There can be illusions of insects crawling over or into one's self, or of being in dirty places such as sewers. Orientation is a function of the mind involving awareness of three dimensions: (1) time, (2) place and (3) person. ... A pocket watch, a device used to tell time Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Space has been an interest for philosophers and scientists for much of human history. ... The classical definition of a person is a human being regarded as an individual. ... A psychedelic experience, or trip, is characterized by the perception of aspects of ones mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ordinary fetters. ...

Unpredictability of the experience

The effects of psychedelic drugs vary widely from one individual to the next, and from one experience to the next. Sometimes individuals under the influence of such drugs forget that they have taken them, and believe that the wildly distorted world they perceive is real and will be with them indefinitely. In cases where the individual cannot be kept safe, hospitalization may be useful, though the value of this practice for individuals not mentally ill is disputed by proponents of investigative or recreational use of psychoactive compounds. Psychosis is exacerbated in individuals already suffering from this condition. Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a loss of contact with reality. Stedmans Medical Dictionary defines psychosis as a severe mental disorder, with or without organic damage, characterized by derangement of personality and loss of contact with reality and causing deterioration...

Intervention

Generally, a person experiencing a psychedelic crisis can be helped to either resolve the impasse, bypass it, or, failing that, to terminate the experience.

Psychologically

In the event of a psychedelic crisis, one possible intervention is a well lit space. Darkness enhances the inner experience. A change of environment can immediately calm the person, as new stimulus automatically generates new and different experiences. It's helpful to have around a trusted friend (who, ideally, has taken or is educated on the drug(s)-in-action) that can support or "talk down" the individual going through a deep, difficult period of a drug experience. This "trip-sitter" must first get a feel for how distorted or disconnected the tripper feels; it's important for the sitter not to react to these exclamations/lamentations in a way that might make the tripper feel more disconnected, i.e. "Whoa, you must be really high," "You have to calm down," etc. This will only create a sense of urgency. Remind the distressed individual that the emotions and physical sensations they are experiencing are almost certainly just an effect of the drug, they are normal and will eventually pass. It should be noted here that with hallucinogens in particular, the mental high is undulating and dynamic; the intensity is likely just a part of the first few waves, it will not last for the duration of the trip. And so it may be helpful to remind them of the passing time (a bad trip can make time feel intensely dilated, if not destroyed) and to show them how everything around them is okay; there is nothing to panic over and the turbulence is only in their mind. It is also very important to talk calmly to the individual and not become agitated by their behavior, as this will only amplify the most negative aspects of whatever their mind is processing during the bad trip. An experienced or even unexperienced recreational drug user can also "talk" himself down using CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), slow breathing and thinking techniques, it is, however recommended that the individual does have someone he trusts to help him or her through. A novice user of LSD, often administered orally via illustrated blotter paper squares like these, might seek out a more experienced user to act as their trip sitter. ...

Medically

Medical treatment consists of supportive therapy and minimization of external stimuli. In some cases, sedation is used when necessary to control self-destructive behavior, or when hyperthermia occurs. Valium is the most frequently used sedative for such treatment, but other benzodiazepines such as Ativan are also effective. Such sedatives will only decrease fear and anxiety, but will not subdue hallucinations. In severe cases, antipsychotics such as haloperidol can reduce or stop hallucinations, but this treatment is only effective against the so-called "classical" hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin and mescaline, among others). Antipsychotics are not effective against dissociatives such as PCP and ketamine, and should not be used if these drugs are involved. According to Timothy Leary, a simple temporary fix to a bad trip is sugar (in the form of candy, oranges, etc.), since crises may often be the result of people forgetting to eat and experiencing hyperawareness of low blood sugar. Sedation is a medical procedure involving administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical procedure, such as endoscopy, vasectomy, or minor surgery with local anaesthesia. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Diazepam, brand names: Valium, Seduxen, in Europe Apozepam, is a 1,4-benzodiazepine derivative, which possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. ... Benzodiazepine tablets The benzodiazepines are a class of drugs with hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, amnestic and muscle relaxant properties. ... Lorazepam is classified as a sedative-hypnotic and a member of the group of drugs known as benzodiazepines. ... Haloperidol (sold under the tradenames Aloperidin, Bioperidolo, Brotopon, Dozic, Duraperidol (Germany), Einalon S, Eukystol, Haldol, Halosten, Keselan, Linton, Peluces, Serenace, Serenase, Sigaperidol) is a conventional, or typical, butyrophenone antipsychotic drug. ... Dissociative drugs are a class of psychedelic drugs characterized by intense feelings of depersonalization, derealization, and analgesia. ... Phencyclidine (a contraction of the chemical name phenylcyclohexylpiperidine), abbreviated PCP, is a dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent, exhibiting hallucinogenic and neurotoxic effects. ... Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic for veterinary use. ... For the American baseball player use Tim Leary (baseball player) Timothy Francis Leary, (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American writer, psychologist, advocate of psychedelic drug research and use, and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space. ... Magnification of grains of sugar, showing their monoclinic hemihedral crystalline structure. ... A wide range of candies on display on a market in Barcelona, Spain. ... Binomial name (L.) Osbeck Orange—specifically, sweet orange—refers to the citrus tree Citrus sinensis (syn. ... In medicine, blood sugar is a term used to refer to levels of glucose in the blood. ...

Potential Causes

According to Timothy Leary, a crisis can be a result of wrong set and setting. Leary advised that users of psychedelics be sure that they are comfortable before taking the drugs. Leary claimed that the frequency of difficult trips was highly exaggerated by anecdotes and fabrications in the popular press, and was actually about 1 in 1000. For the American baseball player use Tim Leary (baseball player) Timothy Francis Leary, (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American writer, psychologist, advocate of psychedelic drug research and use, and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space. ... Set and setting describes the context for drug experiences: ones mindset and the setting in which the user has his experience. ... An anecdote is a short tale narrating an interesting or amusing biographical incident. ...

Alternatively, psychologist R. D. Laing held that psychedelic crises and other such extreme experiences, drug-induced or not, were not necessarily artificial terrors to be suppressed but rather signs of internal conflict and opportunities for self-healing. The greater the pain and pathos of an experience, the greater the urgency to explore and resolve it, rather than attempt to cover it up or dismiss it. A psychologist is a scientist and/or clinician who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human mind, including behavior and cognition. ... R.D.Laing; photo credit Robert E. Haraldsen Ronald David Laing (October 7, 1927–August 23, 1989), was a Scottish psychiatrist who wrote extensively on mental illness and particularly the experience of psychosis. ...

Likewise, Stanislav Grof suggested that painful and difficult experiences during a trip could be a result of the mind reliving experiences associated with birth, and that experiences of imprisonment, eschatological terror, or suffering far beyond anything imaginable in a normal state, if seen through to conclusion, often resolve into emotional, intellectual and spiritual breakthroughs. From this perspective, interrupting a bad trip, while initially seen as beneficial, can trap the tripper in unresolved psychological states. Grof also suggests that many cathartic experiences within psychedelic states, while not necessarily crises, may be the effects of consciousness entering a perinatal space. Stanislav Grof (born 1931 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology and a pioneering researcher into the use of altered states of consciousness for purposes of healing, growth, and insight. ... Albrecht Dürer - Four horsemen of the Apocalypse This article is about the concept of the end of the world. ... Stanislav Grof (born 1931 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology and a pioneering researcher into the use of altered states of consciousness for purposes of healing, growth, and insight. ...

Effects of cannabis

Though cannabis can lead to panic states in some cases, it does not usually cause "bad trips" when used by itself in moderate dosages. It can however cause anxiety or panic attacks at moderate dosages.^{[citation needed]} Because cannabis can induce anxiety attacks, it could trigger a psychedelic crisis in a user already under the influence of a hallucinogen especially at a difficult moment. It is likely to exacerbate confusion, panic and paranoia. A dried flowered bud of the Cannabis sativa plant. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Panic is the primal urge to run and hide in the face of imminent danger. ... Hallucinogenic drug - drugs that can alter sensory perceptions. ...

At very high dosage Cannabis known to cause to high anxiety and panic attacks is Cannabis sativa, which provides an uplifting, hot, energetic high. Cannabis indica is known for reducing anxiety and inducing calm, cool, "down" highs.^{[citation needed]} Look up Cannabis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

See also

• Psychedelic psychotherapy
• Psychonaut
• Recreational drug use
• Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants
• Responsible drug use
• Hard and soft drugs
• Altered state of consciousness
• Lucid dreaming
• Sensory deprivation
• Out-of-body experience
• Overdose

Psychedelic psychotherapy refers to psychotherapeutic practices involving the use of psychedelic drugs. ... A psychonaut (from the Greek ψυχοναύτης, meaning literally a sailor of the psyche) is a person who uses trance technologies from any of the worlds religions, modern psychology, and other assorted paradigms, to explore the psyche, their own consciousness, and potentially improve real performance of certain psychological tasks. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The general group of pharmacological agents commonly known as hallucinogens can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. ... The concept of responsible drug use is that a person can use drugs with reduced or eliminated risk of negatively affecting other parts of ones life or other peoples lives. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... An altered state of consciousness is any state which is significantly different from a normative waking beta wave state. ... Lucid dreams occur during REM sleep after the person becomes conscious and aware of dreaming within the dream. ... A prisoner at the United States Camp X-ray facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba being subjected to sensory deprivation, through the use of ear muffs, visor, breathing mask and heavy mittens. ... An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of ones body and, in some cases, seeing ones physical body from a place outside ones body (autoscopy). ... A drug overdose occurs when a chemical substance (i. ...

Other Uses for the Term

In Filipino slang, Bad trip is often used to express a feeling of dismay or frustration about something. The term is often used nowadays to convey the feeling of dismay even if the source of the emotion does not come from the usage of any form of drug. The term started appearing during the 70's and still persists today.

References

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ...

External links

• Psychedelic Crisis FAQ: Helping someone through a bad trip, psychic crisis, or spiritual crisis
• Crisis Intervention in Situations Related to Unsupervised Use of Psychedelics
• Last Child in the Woods: Hyperawareness enables nature smart alternatives
• Spiritual Competency Resource Center--Spiritual Emergency