While I firmly believe that a psychonaut's quest can be aided by the company of companions, there is value in undertaking a psychedelic journey alone so long as user is experienced and comfortable with the intensity of a trip. Others can be a great source of strength. They can help one another through a difficult trip, for certain. However, free from distraction, one's journey will gain depth and the psychonaut can venture to places, within the mind, where others cannot follow. In tripping alone, one gains a greater sense of connection to the experience. The knowledge that he or she carries back concerns the "self" and has considerable impact on he or she views his or her place in the world. Simply put, traveling upon the oceans of the mind and through the deserts of the soul with no one but oneself has different rewards and a greater potential for self-discovery than group tripping.
Taking these substances alone can be great but it should only be done by an experienced user. I continue to believe that the vast majority of bad trips are not actually bad but they can still be unpleasant. Someone who uses psychedelics with friends has a support structure around them to help if his or her trip turns dark but a lone psychonaut must know how to cope without aid. With a bit of experience, one can develop strategies to avoid or diminish the negative aspects of a difficult journey. The best thing one can do is always try to go where the trip wants to go. These drugs are powerful and fighting them is futile. If one tries to resist, he or she will become frustrated and waste valuable energy and time trying to do the impossible. If things have already gotten unpleasant for the psychonaut, he or she can try taking some simple steps to change the feel of the trip. Going into another room or changing things like the music, lighting, or even a seat can greatly improve the perception of the experience. The specific action that a psychonaut proforms is unimportant. The thing that matters is that he or she knows how to take that action when it is needed.
Using psychedelics by oneself has some differences from group usage. Without other people around, there is less to tether the psychonaut to the sober world. One can more easily focus on the trip, its visuals, and the thoughts and feelings which they will bring. When strange emotions manifest the user can face them without the fear of judgement (in reality, companions likely wouldn't judge, but that may not be apparent in the moment). The cavern of the mind can be more fully experienced without the need for commentary or explanation. The user and the experience may become one entity existing and existing again within itself. There is no longer any need for the psychonaut explore because he or she is the stranger and strange land. The mental monsters needn't be tamed or slain by the psychedelic hero because he or she is both the warrior and the beast. The lessons learned become lessons known because the user is both the student and the teacher.
The oneness of a solo psychedelic experience is the source of its value. This state of mind leaves one with the feeling that he or she is both nothing and everything. The lone psychonaut can reach the core of consciousness where only the self exists. He or she understands that everything around them is only his or her perception of stimuli. The distinction between reality and unreality breaks down because he or she understands that oneself is the center of all things and everything else is a perceived "other". Whether this "other" is real or unreal makes no difference within the mind. This revelation can change the way one approaches life. It increases the value and impact of fictions. It reduces the pain of loss. Most importantly, however, it teaches one that he or she must always question his or her experiences and memories, lest he or she confuse the solid and the intangible. If one knows that perception does not accurately represent the solid world around them, he or she is forced to always seek verification and, as a result, misunderstandings are limited, lies are exposed, and the thirst for knowledge is increased.
Peace.
This was another installment of my continuing series of Philosophy of Use posts. If you liked this little essay, please feel free to visit my page for more similar content.
Unless otherwise credited, all the images in this post are sourced from the free image website, unsplash.com.
I much prefer tripping alone. If something goes wrong, I can cope with consequences myself.
I agree with that. Once I knew what to expect I really didn't like tripping with others. Sometimes one other person is ok but groups always sent me off to places I didn't like to go. Plus the trip gets trippier when you are on your own.
I do think someone who is new to psychedelics needs to be shown the ropes a couple of times though.
I agree. The worst experiences I had tripping always occurred with three or more. There's just too much happening.
Yeah that is a lot of the problem and sometimes people get a little too weird and that can throw off the whole feel of the trip.
A person who is under the influence of psychedelic does he has the ability to control himself to know if he is alone or with other persons.
I once sat at my typewriter and banged out several pages of supposed "drivel," which I accessed a decade later to help me write a passable hallucinogenic scene in a crappy novel I was working on. I guess I had the ability to control myself. I wouldn't want to give a talk in front of a large crowd of people, but all in all, things are enhanced: noisy floorboards and surprising patterns on walls hold your attention; your breathing takes on a new significance and wonder; your peripheral vision becomes more dominant and catch your attention. Frankly, there is so much happening in this enhanced state, you are too preoccupied with the "wow" of it all to be hung up with worrying about "controlling" oneself. At least that's the situation with me. I always liked to pick up a harmonica and play it. Perhaps, anyone in the near vicinity would suffer, but it became very mystical to me and became my guide to blend myself with the "oneness" of it all.
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I have always been more partial to tripping alone, even if I start with a group I will always end up by myself...it always feels like something is trying to "get through" to me but cant if others are around. When people talk about solo trips I always think back to a story that Paul Stamets tells of when he was about 17yrs old. At this age (and for all his life previous) he had quite a serious stutter that made communication of any kind almost impossible. One day he decided to take some mushrooms (it was his first time and he didnt know anything about amounts...so he took about 50g!) - he climbed up into a big tree and the trip took him away...long story short, he confronted that which was bothering him most in his life during his trip and the very next day his stutter was completely gone...never to return ;-)
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Interesting article, really hit home for me based on my limited use of psychedelics.
Although it was a weak dose, dmt was a real experience.
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Nice post .All the best.
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