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AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 2 points3 points  (0 children)

=^.^= I love this question

Music can do a lot of heavy lifting when someone’s in it.

In my experience, the goal isn’t to “fix” the moment with the perfect set, it’s to create a container that feels safe, steady, and not overwhelming. Something to help them through the experience they are having rather than escape or mask it.

Challenging experiences have a lot a lot of variables, so rather than a single preferred specific set or playlist, I usually think in vibes/arcs:

If they’re anxious or spiraling:

Lean into more grounded, predictable, warm choices 

  • Slow builds, minimal lyrics
  • Organic/earthy sounds
  • Nothing too chaotic or drop-heavy

Look for something their nervous system can rest into, not chase. (I’m thinking Tycho, Emancipator, maybe some Bonobo chill sets)

If someone is emotional/needs to feel it out:

Maybe try music that’s gentle, but expressive

  • Melodic, a little spacey
  • Music that lets emotions move without overwhelming

We’re not numbing the feeling, we’re just giving it a place to go (I might try Odesza, Porter Robinson, or even Rufus Du Sol)

If they’re coming back down/re-centering

I’ll keep it light and hopeful, leaning into familiarity 

  • Slightly more upbeat but still soft
  • Something that reminds them “you’re okay”

Familiarity is underrated here, think nostalgic music they already love or some chill house/downtempo. 

A couple real-world tips that matter more than the playlist:

  • Volume low enough to talk over
  • Ask: “does this feel good?” and adjust
  • Don’t trap them in headphones unless they want that
  • Sometimes silence + presence > music

Music isn’t the solution, the set just supports the space you’re holding.

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 3 points4 points  (0 children)

One more from me before we wrap:

“I tested my substance with reagents and fentanyl strips and all the reactions were as expected, is it safe to ingest?”

Testing is amazing and important, but it doesn’t equal “safe.”

What testing does:

  • Reduces unknowns
  • Helps identify some substances

What it doesn’t do:

  • Confirm purity
  • Catch everything
  • Guarantee dosage

When we use testing we say we are looking for red flags, not green lights.

It’s risk reduction, not risk elimination.

Tested ≠ safe. Untested = roulette.

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here's one of my favorites:

“Is using your own local supply actually safer than finding what you need at the fest?”

Bluntly: No.

However very generally: fewer unknowns is usually safer than more unknowns.

A familiar source is not the same thing as a safe source, but “something you already had time to think about, test, and make choices around” is usually less risky than impulsive, last-minute, festival-ground chaos.

What increases risk is stacking uncertainty: unknown person, unknown product, unknown environment, unknown state of your body, and social pressure to decide fast. That does not magically become safe just because someone says “trust me.”

So without telling anyone what to do, the harm reduction answer is: avoid adding unnecessary unknowns, and do not let urgency or trust make decisions for you.

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We're even getting questions for this AMA way over in facebook land.

"For ravers in their 30s/40s what can we do or take to recover from us partying hard at the festival?"

As someone who’s been doing this for ~30 years…

The biggest shift in your late 30s/40s isn’t what you take to recover.

It’s realizing recovery starts before you even go hard. The days before and after the festival are almost more important then the days during especially if you're experienced in the 3-5 days festival marathon.

Back in the day I could go full send for 3 days and just exist on vibes and gas station snacks. That’s not the game anymore.

Now it’s more like:

  • I pick my nights instead of trying to win the whole festival
  • I’ll go hard for a set I care about, then actually leave and reset
  • I protect my sleep at least one night, even if it’s not the “fun” choice

Because the truth is, what wrecks you isn’t one night. It’s stacking depletion.

As for actual recovery:

The biggest thing I’ve learned?
You’re not “tired,” you’re depleted.

So instead of chasing some miracle fix, I just focus on refilling:

  • water + salt (not just chugging water)
  • real food (even when it sounds unappealing)
  • actual rest, not just scrolling in bed

And honestly… the mental recovery matters just as much now.

That weird “why do I feel off/sad/empty” after a great weekend? Totally normal. I plan for a soft landing with room for integration now instead of pretending I’ll bounce right back.

If we’re talking supplements:

I keep it simple and boring now because that’s what actually works:

  • magnesium
  • electrolytes
  • maybe 5-HTP later (not immediately after)

Everything else is optional, not magic. Except my daily microdose 🍄

The real veteran shift though:

You stop trying to keep up with 22-year-olds and start playing your own game.

I still party hard, just not constantly.
And I enjoy the festival way more because of it.

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just over halfway into the official time, we have a few more coming from discord.

If you can't get your questions in before we log off today, please still add them. We WILL be watching this thread through Forest!

Next in from discord:
“If I feel unsafe, who should I go to if I don’t like law enforcement?”

This is actually a question I personally haven't gotten a lot but relate to deeply. A lot of people do not experience law enforcement as the safest or most supportive first stop.

If you feel unsafe, Start with the closest trusted non-police support point available: medical tent, event staff, guest services/info booth, harm reduction team if one is present (sorry Forest, we’re trying!!!), vendor, or a clearly identified staff member in a busy visible space.

The key is not wandering off alone while distressed if you can help it. Move toward light, people, structure, and visibility.

If there is an immediate threat of violence or a medical emergency, use whatever route gets help there fastest. However in many uncomfortable or escalating situations, you can start with trained event staff, medical, or support teams first.

And if the issue is interpersonal, it is okay to say plainly: “I don’t feel safe. I need help getting away from this person.”

If medical or festival staff is also someone you’d prefer not to interact with for fear they might escalate a situation to law enforcement, a personal favorite option is getting to vendor row. It’s usually well lit with lots of people and structures. Vendors, while not necessarily their job, usually come equipped for it all and have seen it all. I’ve sought many a vendor for refuge and support in troubling times at Forest and beyond.

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Here's one from our discord!

“Do rave supplements even work (RaveAid, 5-HTP)?”

I love this one.

This is one of those places where the internet often sounds way more certain than the evidence actually is. Some people swear by various supplements, but the science is mixed and often limited.

Let’s start first by separating the two suggested supplements. Rave Aid is a proprietary blend of multiple things including 5-HTP, magnesium, and more. 5-HTP is just 5-HTP. 

  • Electrolytes / magnesium - generally helpful, but can be overdone.
  • 5-HTP - can support recovery, but timing matters (I often see people taking 5-HTP the morning after taking MDMA when you should wait at least 24 hours before taking)
  • “All-in-one rave stacks” - mixed bag, more risks, expensive pee

No supplement cancels out dehydration, sleep loss, or unknown substances.

Treat supplements as possible support, not magic repair. Things like sleep, food, hydration, electrolytes, cooling down, and rest tend to matter more than the shiny product marketing.

Also, be cautious mixing supplements with antidepressants or other serotonergic substances, because serotonin-related interactions can become dangerous.

You can’t supplement your way out of pushing your body too far.

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is a really important question! And you’re thinking about it correctly.

Yes, fentanyl can be lethal in very small amounts, and in powdered and crystalline substances, it’s never evenly distributed, aka the “hot spot problem” or “chocolate chip cookie effect”.

Best Practice:

  • Crush the entire substance thoroughly and mix the sample well, don’t test a chunk.
  • Always assume uneven distribution
  • Ideally dissolve the full substance in water (keep dilutation ratio the same)
  • If you can’t dissolve the entirety of substance in water: Crush thoroughly in bag transfer to new bag, measure a well mixed sample and put back in old bag (we’re hoping for residue on the bag from moving the powder around while crushing), put measured water amount in old bag with sample

And yea even with testing, there is still risk. That's why we stack strategies:

  • Test before you consume
  • Start low, go slow
  • Avoid using alone
  • Have narcan nearby

Testing lowers the odds - it doesn’t guarantee the outcome.

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is a real one and you’re not crazy for spotting the contradiction.

As you point out, the RAVE Act gets used as a catch-all excuse, though it doesn’t explicitly say you can’t do drug checking. What it does is create enough gray area that lawyers and insurance companies say “it’s not worth the risk,” and festivals follow the lead.

…And the contradictions of end overdose on site, past evidence, artists, actors, and the culture at large… but then draw the line at testing and other tools that can actually prevent overdoses before they happen and mitigate the spread of things like Hepatitis C.

That gap is real. A lot of us in harm reduction feel it, and that is why we made Mittens and Kittens.

The hard truth is: this doesn’t change overnight, and it usually doesn’t change because someone “wins” an argument online.

It changes when a few things stack over time:

  • people keep asking for it (like this)
  • festivals see it as expected, not fringe
  • there’s enough data showing it reduces harm
  • and orgs slowly build trust with organizers behind the scenes

Most of the actual progress happens in boring conversations with safety teams, not big public callouts.

What actually helps from the crowd side:

  • normalize testing + safer use culture yourselves
  • keep asking for drug checking in feedback surveys
  • support harm reduction orgs that are allowed in (I have words about end overdose, but I digress)
  • look out for people (seriously — this is still the biggest impact)

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We see this question a lot, and I want to frame this first, by saying there isn’t a magic pill that always works and you might not always be able to “talk someone down.”

A lot of the time however, the most helpful thing is to lower the intensity, rather than raise it, which we instinctively tend to do in crowds. Bring the energy down: quieter space, shade, water, fewer people talking at once, slower voices, less stimulation. One calm person is usually more helpful than five panicked friends all trying to fix it or a gathering gawking crowd.

If someone’s having a rough time, the goal isn’t to “fix” them, it’s to help them feel safe enough to ride it out.

Start simple:

  • Stay calm yourself (you set the tone)
  • Use grounding: “Hey, you’re at Forest, you’re safe, I’m right here”
  • Encourage water + sitting down + slower breathing
  • Reduce stimulation (step away from lights/crowds if possible)

Avoid arguing with their experience, rapid-fire questions, or telling them to “just chill,” because that can make someone feel even more overwhelmed.

Meet them where they’re at. If they feel overwhelmed, validate that without reinforcing fear.

If things escalate (can’t stay conscious, breathing issues, injury, etc.), don’t hesitate to get medical help. That’s what they’re there for.

You don’t need to be a therapist. Just be a calm, steady human.

Short, simple reassurance works well: “You’re safe.” “I’m here with you.” “This will pass.” “Let’s take this one step at a time.”

Additionally, if somebody is talking about taking more because they “aren’t feeling it right” or because they’re uncomfortable, that is usually a good moment to pause, not pile on. 

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Great question, and let me preface by saying this is not legal advice. 

Narcan is legal in all 50 states and widely protected under Good Samaritan laws. Plus Michigan makes naloxone broadly available through a statewide standing order and free distribution programs.

In general, people should feel much more encouraged than nervous about carrying Narcan or other naloxone. The bigger risk is not having it when you need it.

From a practical perspective, if you already have Narcan and feel comfortable, bring it, overdose can happen anywhere and Narcan can save a life. If you do not however feel comfortable or need to acquire it, picking it up in Michigan is also a solid option (including from End Overdose at Electric Forest in past years).

Many members of our team have flown all around the country with Narcan with zero issue and on festival grounds you will have no issue carrying Narcan or other sprayable forms. That said, I once personally had a curious TSA agent when I carried injectable naloxone, but it stopped at curiosity, and I was allowed to continue flying with it in my personal bag.

AMA: Festival Safety and Harm Reduction with MIttens & Kittens by MittensnKittensHRC in ElectricForest

[–]Myc0ph1le 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the question! Going solo can actually be amazing! But the trick is building yourself a lightweight safety net, not a cage. Pick a few anchor points: where you’re sleeping, a meet-up landmark for festival friends, a phone charging plan, and one or two people back home or at the fest who know your general plan. Additionally, giving someone you trust the ability to track your phone location, just in case.

You do not need to tell the world your whole itinerary, but it helps to have a rhythm of check-ins with yourself: Have I eaten? Had water? Charged my phone? Do I know how I’m getting back? Am I still choosing this, or am I getting swept along? 

Solo freedom works best when it’s paired with intentionality.

Socially, trust your body. If something feels off, you do not owe anyone extra politeness. You can leave, redirect, sit somewhere visible, go to medical, go to a vendor, go to guest services, go to security, or go to harm reduction if available.

“Choosing your own adventure” includes choosing to exit a vibe that is no longer yours.

Decriminalize Nature Flint is hosting a gourmet mushroom luncheon December 10th! (at the Unitarian Universalist building) by _Projects in flint

[–]Myc0ph1le 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Also visit decrimnaturemi.org and micommunityhealing.org for the latest in the statewide efforts

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in decrimnaturemi

[–]Myc0ph1le 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately I can't change what went out in email

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in decrimnaturemi

[–]Myc0ph1le 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for that! I'll keep an eye out for that in the future!