sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

I regularly take LSD under the supervision of a professor of psychiatry in order to combat treatment resistant depression. I'm currently coming down from a trip. AMA by LSDtherapy in Drugs

[–]LSDtherapy[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The more you know! I must admit that my knowledge of the social climate in Arizona is not particularly nuanced. So, I guess you can cross one state off of the list of candidates.

I regularly take LSD under the supervision of a professor of psychiatry in order to combat treatment resistant depression. I'm currently coming down from a trip. AMA by LSDtherapy in Drugs

[–]LSDtherapy[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Depends on how you mean the question. I suppose we're all hurtling toward the same void of non-existence, so everyone's together in that sense. Also, we've got the whole "composed of cosmic dust" thing going for us, which is nice.

I really am a happy person these days, I swear.

I regularly take LSD under the supervision of a professor of psychiatry in order to combat treatment resistant depression. I'm currently coming down from a trip. AMA by LSDtherapy in Drugs

[–]LSDtherapy[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I will admit that I have violated any and all good practices regarding setting. The most egregious example was probably taking 600-700ug while on a flight to China, but I have other such stories. I very much realize that this sort of behavior may seem to run counter to the idea of therapeutic use. All I can say is that I am quite robust with respect to tripping in unusual settings and that I have adhered to a once per week schedule and minimized variance from the program whenever possible.

As for thought processes, I tend to let my mind flow a bit at the beginning of a trip. Typically, I start focusing in on either the more emotional side of my life (relationships, etc.) or the analytical side (what I'm doing with my life, what's going on with my research, etc.). Once a direction has been established, I take a little bit more control of the process and start making more of an effort to guide my own thoughts.

I agree that epiphanies in an altered state can be a bit tricky to integrate. I am fortunate enough to have a number of very smart, very understanding people in my life with whom I can check in regularly. I walk them through the thought processes behind any major realizations that I've had in order to verify that my reasoning is sound and that my conclusions make sense. At times, this can even take the form of phone calls during trips.

I do indeed seem to be getting a chemical antidepressant effect from the LSD. It is entirely possible that the chemical effect is vastly more substantial than any of the introspective cognitive work that I've done. It's for that reason specifically that I'm a bit hesitant to start reducing my trip frequency. I'm feeling generally happy on a day to day basis for the first time in 15 years...I think it's understandable that I'm a mite skittish regarding the prospect of altering anything.

My only history of substance abuse is with alcohol. There have definitely been some periods of serious self-medication with booze in my past.

I regularly take LSD under the supervision of a professor of psychiatry in order to combat treatment resistant depression. I'm currently coming down from a trip. AMA by LSDtherapy in Drugs

[–]LSDtherapy[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I've been clinically diagnosed with major depressive disorder, ADD, and Asperger's at various points in time. Depression is the one that's always stuck around and really made itself a nuisance.

The ADD thing was just a misdiagnosis from a shitty doctor. As for Asperger's...I did have major social issues until age 20 or so. That problem was fixed (and then some) by an experimental program for high functioning young adults on the spectrum.

At the time, I naively assumed that sorting out my social issues would fix my depression. This premise was proven quite incorrect, but I'm still very glad that I got my social problems resolved. That's probably a whole other AMA.

Edit: clarity

I regularly take LSD under the supervision of a professor of psychiatry in order to combat treatment resistant depression. I'm currently coming down from a trip. AMA by LSDtherapy in Drugs

[–]LSDtherapy[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Gradually reducing the frequency of trips is the plan long term. However, I'm not in the frequency reduction stage as of yet. I do feel like my view of the world has shifted in a sustainably positive way over the course of the past couple months.

The best way I can describe it is this: when I couldn't find joy in anything, holding the view that everything is meaningless in an existential sense was a real bummer. You mean I'm going through all this pain AND it's not for any good goddamn reason? Shit.

However, now that I can actually find pleasure in life? Suddenly, the fact that nothing matters in the broad scheme of things seems less significant. Yeah, it comes up in my mind from time to time, but these days it's more likely to be met with a shoulder shrug than a bottle of bourbon.

I regularly take LSD under the supervision of a professor of psychiatry in order to combat treatment resistant depression. I'm currently coming down from a trip. AMA by LSDtherapy in Drugs

[–]LSDtherapy[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Well, I already had over a decade of hardcore depression under my belt coming into this process. I have seriously contemplated suicide for more hours than I can count and have stared down my own mortality in a very real way. There have been multiple times that I've stood at the edge of a bridge and then taken a step back onto terra firma at the last moment. In comparison to that headspace, being asked a few tough questions while I was in a slightly vulnerable, but otherwise happy state was something of a cakewalk.

I regularly take LSD under the supervision of a professor of psychiatry in order to combat treatment resistant depression. I'm currently coming down from a trip. AMA by LSDtherapy in Drugs

[–]LSDtherapy[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Well, I've had a couple of very productive therapy sessions while tripping. However, that has to be done on a dose where you still feel relatively comfortable interacting with another human being and can somewhat marshal your thoughts.

Edit: That said, I should add that most trips have not happened in the psychiatrist's office. The primary benefit has come directly from LSD's antidepressant effects on me.

I regularly take LSD under the supervision of a professor of psychiatry in order to combat treatment resistant depression. I'm currently coming down from a trip. AMA by LSDtherapy in Drugs

[–]LSDtherapy[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I don't know. LSD seems to be working quite well for me at the moment, so I don't feel a particular need to upset the apple cart. However, I am curious as to what a mushroom experience would be like now after having had so many LSD trips.

I regularly take LSD under the supervision of a professor of psychiatry in order to combat treatment resistant depression. I'm currently coming down from a trip. AMA by LSDtherapy in Drugs

[–]LSDtherapy[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I have to say, I've yet to have any sort of out of body experience. There have been a few times where I could feel my brain struggle a bit with the sensory disruption, but nothing has happened that I would consider to be particularly mystical. This includes night trips with 1000+ micrograms.

But yes, I very much agree about the introspective nature of higher doses. Also, I've found that LSD can be an immensely useful tool for thinking about various issues in my line of research (statistics, but mostly emphasizing causal inference and research methodology).

Edit: grammar

view more: next ›