Ask Pat

What is it about Shrooming that causes such bad trips?

Q)What is it about Shrooming that causes such bad trips, and depression to the point that you even consider killing yourself. What can be done to prevent this sort of thing happening, and why is it that when you do go into a bad trip you get this sensation that you are going insane, and you will not come out of the high sane again. Still after a day the level of brain activity, confusion and depression is high. But when you have a good trip it is so different.

A)

The use of any hallucinogen (and too a lesser degree, pot) involves "set," i.e. mind-set, mood, emotional state and "setting," the environment and/ or people with whom one is tripping at the time. The combination of set and setting in conjunction with the effects of the drug produce the kind of trip one has, good or bad. People do experience psychotic breaks from reality in a bad trip and this can be extremely traumatic with long-term and lingering after effects. A good trip can be very euphoric and transcendent in comparison. Which you'll get is again, dependent on set, setting, the drug and certain amount of luck and randomness. Messing with your neurotransmitters at this profound level should not be undertaking lightly, if at all.