We don't do much on ayahuasca. Neither of us has taken it, neither of us has been trained on it, and our focus is specifically on providing education to people who take psychedelics outside of a supervised context, which is usually how ayahuasca is used.

[removed]

Microdosing. Safest, easiest way to take mushrooms.

Another safety thing to consider for solo journeys is only dosing yourself with product you've taken before so you know the potency and aren't going to accidentally get too high to navigate your environment safely. This is especially the case with dissociatives like ketamine.

There are high doses one can calculate that still allow you to find a bathroom or use your phone to call for support or help if needed, and then there are high doses where it's hard to tell if the phone or bathroom even exist at allllll, man....

I used psychedelics and other recreational drugs that were sourced well and tested by myself prior to use. Everything that I used had a relatively green physical safety profile, but I did not follow harm reduction practices very well after I started tiptoeing and then walking over the line with frequency and dosage. Eventually, I had an extremely horrific bad trip that I would probably call a psychosis episode and ended up in the ER. I stopped using recreational drugs completely after that episode (about 5 years ago), however, I still experience occasional but identical episodes that last between 4 and 6 hours. They never involve violence or anything dangerous but they are, by far, the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I would take back every positive drug experience I've ever had to undo that bad trip.

They negatively affect my life in a serious manner and cause me to somewhat subscribe to what most professionals would consider delusional beliefs. I lead a relatively normal and healthy life outside of these episodes - I have a good job and friends that I love.

I'm not sure how to get a grip or understanding of what, if anything, is wrong with me. I've never seen a mental health professional and have what I consider a valid fear of diagnosis and medication. Would you have any suggestions for something I can do by myself to reduce the frequency or intensity of the episodes that I experience?

How much public education do you do on ayuesca and it's immense psychologically healing and purifying properties? That shit has the capacity to heal this planet, likely even the pedos and murderers too.

Part of having a trip sitter is to have someone who can take care of you if you need it and the intention behind that is solid, so one way to split the difference would be to trip alone somewhere with a friend close by, like in another room in a house.

What do you think is the best first step for someone with zero experience but who would be interested in trying mushrooms? (Sorry if this is a poor question.)

We're safety people, so the main questions we think about with solo journeys are:

"What are the things that could go sideways during a solo trip?"

"How many of those things can I prevent in advance with good technique, preparation and awareness?"

"What are the risks I can't fully prevent, and how do I need to set myself up to access whatever help I might need to address those things in the absence of another person?"

Would you be able to share your thoughts on the difference between Drug Induced Psychosis and ego death? I feel like anyone who takes enough of any drug will experience some sort of psychosis, and it is up to the environment (and biochemistry of the user), whether that experience is good or bad. I for one had an ego death, where my sitter's couldnt keep me under control - and thus the scenario ended up pretty bad. But I cant help feeling like if I was in a different environment, things would have ended differently. General thoughts?

Ally here: can confirm, much more handsome.

Dax here! No, I'm far more handsome than he is.

You're welcome! We're trying to create the resources we wish we had when we were younger.

Hey this is great! absolutely a real, good beginners checklist.

Do you get mistaken for Dax J ever? His career is certainly also conducive to psychedelics!

Fuck yeah. Erowid rocks. They're a huge influence for us and our fledgling website doesn't hold a candle to the groundbreaking thing they made.

That said, we've found there's much information on Erowid that it can be overwhelming if you don't know how to synthesize all the info and plug it into a clear, repeatable safety protocol.

So we made one. Here! Have it for free!

I've logged over 250 trips with various plant medicines and lab created psychedelics over my lifetime.

Started off as an avid microdoser and then one day took way too much of an unknown paper containing LSD-25. Then I became a macrodoser and never looked back.

I'm always a big fan of overdosing in terms of having enough of the chemical to shortcircuit the brain and allow the ego to dissolve, if only for a few hours. I very much appreciate Terence McKenna's attitude to take 5g of mushrooms in complete darkness and silence. Also the native Americans would take a large does of Peyote and venture off into the wilderness solo.

Now it's not always sugar and spice when it comes to dropping in at heroic doses, but I truly believe we are always being taken care of. I never trip with anyone else, in many years. Because someone would call 911 if they saw some of the shit I go through on an average trip. Lol.

The most prevalent trend is to have a trip sitter. However, it feels more personal to trip alone and let the universe show you what it will. What are your thoughts about solo journeys?

This editing slaps

Do you promote erowid.org as a quality site for information? Perhaps along side your own? A lot of safety should be managing expectations and preparing both mentally and physically.

Hopefully, one day everyone will be able to explore the possibilities in peace. GL

Have you received any death threats or other kinds of threats?

Word.

One category of psychiatric medication that's contraindicated with a ton of other drugs is the MAOI's, which one could argue might fit under the "categorically dangerous" header.

Our application is currently pending! If it's accepted, all you'll need to do is look for the most fabulous people in the room.

Amazing work, I am very excited to learn more about your organization! Will you have a presence at Psychedelic Science 2023 in Denver?

It's very promising! We're excited to see all the research starting to come out on this subject, which has validated reports of people successfully self medicating. Here's a fun preprint study that just came out a few months ago.