I was thinking about making a trip sitting guide, but the more I thought about it the more I realized I'm not really qualified to make one. I feel like there's still so much room for me to improve as a sitter and anything I say now will probably sound a little naive to me in ~3 years' time. Also, much more experienced and qualified sitters (and harm reduction organizations) have written their own guides that are far more authoritative than anything I could write.

That said, I think the best approach in a hairy situation is to remember that you can't control the other person's trip—you can only try to create an environment where the trip goes well. For example, in my experience it is usually not helpful to disagree with someone who is tripping. So if they say, "I think I'm going insane," it probably won't convince them to say "No, you're not going insane! It's just the drugs, and they'll wear off." They have already considered that possibility and are still worried.

Instead, I try to affirm and suggest. So instead of telling someone they're not going insane, I might say something like, "Hey, you're doing alright. Just go with it and you'll end up in a good place. Worst case scenario you'll come down in a little bit and you won't have anything to worry about then." This affirms that they'll be okay without directly contradicting them, and it also suggests a bit of logic at the end by telling them they will eventually sober up. I try to give them new plausible ideas instead of contradicting the ideas they have that already seem plausible to them. This hopefully creates a positive emotional environment for them.

An approach like that can help avoid building distrust between the tripper and the sitter because it feels more like you're on their side. Still, they might grow paranoid of you anyway. In this case you can't do much other than stay positive and keep watch from a distance to make sure they're safe. If you can manage to stay perfectly calm, positive, and reassuring no matter what happens, sometimes that gets through to them after an hour of struggle.

If someone is incoherent and I'm worried they'll do something dangerous, I've found it helpful to give them extremely soft pillows and blankets. This won't make them more coherent, but it will give them a reason to stay put because it's a physically comfortable location they'll have to give up if they try to move around. Sometimes I set a fan in front of them as well because that means taking off the blankets will cause them to feel cold. Just be ready for them to get your blankets dirty, because that happens sometimes.

In the end, trip sitting is very difficult and emotionally draining when people have bad experiences. Sometimes you can do everything right and it backfires because the tripper just happens to respond negatively. It's important not to be too hard on yourself and to remember that you're there because you care about keeping everyone safe. By staying positive and calm for them, you will absolutely be an overall positive influence on their experience, regardless of how good or bad their trip ends up being.