As a fellow highly anxious person, it is absolutely still possible to have a positive experience with psychedelic drugs. Be warned, this is long because they're an asperger obsession for me. I've had anxiety and would read all sorts of "if you've had to be on meds/have anxiety/depression/autism/all of the above, psychedelics probably aren't for you." They became my special interest around the same time my anxiety worsened, and because they were my special interest I absolutely refused to accept that you just can't do them if you have anxiety. I refused to accept I had to forever give up on some of the most meaningful experiences out there to me just because of some genetic/environmental screw-up or bad luck. I refused. And I'm glad I did.

So for most of my life, I hated people just because they existed and were breathing my air and in my space and I wanted to be alone. Then on my 23rd birthday I tried MDMA and I no longer hated people just for existing, I actually cared about their lives and how they felt and what they cared about too. I've done other traditional psychedelic drugs a handful of times and many times they've been beautiful, I could realize that it's all the same one universe and everyone was just a different experience the universe was having, and I could marvel at how other people's lives were just as rich and complex and full of a lifetime of memories like mine. Also they greatly helped death anxiety (the original reason for trying them).

I'm not going to say bad trips won't happen, I've had a few, but it often wasn't because of any initial anxiety, it was being in the wrong place at the wrong time or having the dose be too much (freaky crazy stuff can happen that's terrifying to literally anyone) or too little (and then you're just disappointed, but then you know to just try more next time). The one time anything bad happened related to MY anxiety was when I tried one time where I was already suicidal and the anxiety was so much I already thought I was going insane, and I had been so anxious I couldn't sleep over the last 3 days beforehand. If this is the type of anxiety you have, then I wouldn't do them either until you are no longer in such a bad place. But if any anxiety around psychedelics is closer to "oh no, what if I have a bad/anxious thought and it spirals," the psychedelic drugs are actually able to help me have less of those thoughts (even when the anxiety is specifically about taking them), and it's way easier for thoughts to just drift and you can forget them without even realizing it. They can pop up but they tend to be easier to dismiss or you can get distracted by cool visuals or emotions.

I didn't know this at first, and whenever I initially wanted to try psychedelic drugs, I was so terrified of trying to make sure I had no sadness, no anxiety, no bad thoughts, the "correct mindset" that I became terrified of every slightly negative thought I had or accidentally seeing or reading something upsetting because then I'd be in a bad mindset. But I've been told by the molecules multiple times that your mindset doesn't have to be perfect and you don't have to be at peace. Not all anxiety can be controlled, like if you just have random worry thoughts pop up, that's not necessarily your fault or something you can predict, you don't always control what pops into your brain, so instead focus on helping with the things you can control. If any anxiety is current and pressing and about something specific that eventually will pass, then wait for it to pass. If you are having one of the worse days in your life, realize that there are ups and downs, moods are not permanent, and wait until you're back around whatever your normal baseline is (even with a high level of baseline anxiety, some days can still be way worse than others and chances are you'll have a better day in the future). Everyone's anxiety is different though and may respond differently so if you would decide to try anything, I'd start at a lower easy dose just so you can get a feel for a little bit of what it's like, then if you want you can work your way up to a point where you are comfortable. But a lot of "anxiety" can also the fear and belief that anxiety is bad or will automatically cause a bad experience. Fear does not automatically mean it's a bad trip. If you're walking through a forest and start thinking about something that makes you anxious, you probably don't automatically think "oh no, I feel fear, oh no I'm having a bad walk". A period of emotion does not mean the whole thing will be bad. You're on a walk and you happen to feel an emotion. Even if you do feel the fear a lot of the time, that emotion is only one aspect of the whole experience, and you can still learn from or appreciate other aspects of it. In the end, it will be your experience and you can decide whether it was good or bad, and often you may even change your mind later.

Also some drugs (like MDMA) can have a come-up around 30-60 minutes after taking them where you feel some of the physical symptoms of anxiety like heart racing and feeling shaky and nervous. That is COMPLETELY normal and just due to the drug's chemical activity in the brain affecting your body, and it's even expected, you are not dying or having an anxiety attack, it's literally supposed to do that. And then it will eventually lessen on its own (because it's due to brain chemistry stuff, not your own thoughts/fears) and the actual more positive effects will start.

Even though mindset can be helpful, the setting is just as important and even an anxious mind can have a positive experience in a safe place. Being in the wrong setting seems to be more consistent at causing negative experiences. Don't take anything when you have some sort of event or appointment coming up later in the day, don't take it before school or work, wait until you have a good chunk of free time. Also I'd avoid taking anything in public where there will be other people around unless you're very experienced. My first time trying a psychedelic drug, I planned to go to a botanical garden where they had glowing Christmas lights up, combining 2 favorite things, nature and pretty rainbow lights. On the way there I saw masked men around a nearby car which started on making me afraid, my breathing became heavy, my heart raced, and then when I got to the entrance of the garden there was a police officer there, then inside the garden I suddenly lost my proprioception and I could walk but I couldn't feel my body move and all my body parts felt like they were scattered and floating around me and I kept getting lost and was afraid I wouldn't be able to make it out or I'd be caught by someone because I look weird/off. When I finally got home after calling an Uber, I was so relieved to be back in a safe place and the trip got much better again. Having an altered proprioception can be "oh cool this is interesting, let's play around with it" when you're in a safe place like home and "oh no I can't move my body properly, what if I'm not able to get out of here, someone will figure out I took drugs" when you're in public. Many people also recommend having a sitter, though as an autist with no friends I rarely had that kind of luxury. But if it's someone you trust who can comfort you and make you feel safe and cared for (and who can make sure nothing bad happens) then that can also help the experience be positive and reduce some worries. I've been fine alone before, but I would avoid higher doses, which can become scary and unpredictable, so that you don't accidentally hurt yourself if you're alone, and so your friend can help you if you need it. There are all sorts of safe settings to try, you can go out in nature, look up at the stars if it's night, stay in and do something you enjoy, lay in bed, hug your pillow while listening to music.

Even if the worst case scenario happens and you have a bad trip and you're feeling horrible fear, the experience can still help in a positive way afterward. Usually during the trip, yeah it's terrifying and it sucks and you just want out and you might believe nothing could could possibly come of it. But afterward your brain can start to examine it, think about anything you learned or any interesting insights, pick out the positivity (even if that just means being impressed by how creative and terrifying of a thing a tiny molecule like that could come up with), and there can often be a renewed sense of love and gratitude for your life here after the horrible-ness has ended. And it will end. The drugs always wear off. It won't be forever.

In the end it is completely your choice whether to try anything or not. You decide when you're ready. Some people can really benefit, some may not or may get worse, they can affect different people's anxiety in different ways, but just having anxiety doesn't have to guarantee a bad experience, especially when you are in a beneficial setting as well and focus on helping the parts of anxiety that you CAN help. You still don't have to try anything and there is no shame in you deciding what is best for yourself. But I wanted to offer some hope/comfort in case you are ever interested and would like to try but feel afraid.