Extended difficulties after bad trips / challenging psychedelic experiences

This short video is a summary of our new paper - 'Extended difficulties following the use of psychedelic drugs', published in PLOS One
- About 9% of people who take psychedelics in naturalistic settings report functional impairment lasting longer than a day
- We (the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project, a group of academic researchers) did a survey of people who have experienced post-psychedelic difficulties lasting longer than a day
- We received 608 responses. One third said their difficulties lasted longer than a year and one sixth said their difficulties lasted longer than three years.
- The most common extended difficulties were social disconnection, anxiety, existential confusion, visual distortions, derealization and depersonalization.
- Many respondents still felt the experience was worthwhile and ultimately led to healing - but not everyone did.
- Respondents also told us what they found helpful in dealing with these difficulties - self-care practices like meditation and exercise, as well as seeking support from friends, loved ones, therapists and spiritual guides.
- If you're experiencing difficulties now, you can reach out to the Fireside Project or the ICEERS support centre. MAPS and the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy also have lists of integration therapists and peer support groups in the US and UK.
- You can reach out to us as well at the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project and we can try and direct you to helpful organisations or resources
- Psychedelics help many people and are often beneficial, but not always.
- Let's learn more about the risks and harms to minimize them, and get the best help to those in trouble.
www.challengingpsychedelicexperiences.com

[@tskr2EPI]

It has been 41 years since my unfortunate experience with an overdose of Psilocybin. Within the last 5 years I have been able to overcome an almost autonomic terror response to the subject and try to learn more about what happened to me all those years ago. I'm am deeply grateful to those who have researched this subject and made their findings available.

[@imomedvidek]

one of the very important parts of psychedelic trip for therapeutic use, is set and settings. For information in this video to have any value, we would need to know specifics of each of those trips, that left long lasting negative effects. Irony is, that (I believe) most people could actually fix their problems, caused by wrong use, with proper psychedelics session.

[@kiewong4870]

I took 5meo dmt (toad) I’ve had very similar symptoms post trip. Around 9 days after. It was hell. Totally lost my shit. Screaming, punching pillows( actually helped) . Now about 16 weeks after. I have moments of fear, dread, detachment thinking of reality. This happens more so if I’m not busy…so I try to keep busy. Running, cold showers/ ice bath, work. Definitely not cool. I’ve struggled with low mood for a very long time. The toad was supposed to help. I went into very naively. I’ve done lsd and mushrooms in the past. The latter not giving me a great time. The Toad is nothing like the above. You literally go into another dimension, or so it seems. I’ll add, the actual trip was unbelievable, I didn’t want it to end! Weird how post trip was so traumatic?

[@larryfroot]

A very timely reminder that irresponsible use / administration of larger doses of psychedelics on novices can be bloody dangerous. Caution should be *the* watch word moving forward. My own modest dosage has stopped a decades long cycle of episodes of depression. I didn't need ego death to reach that point.

[@desaderridian]

Going into a study w/a bias against something, one can easily conclude you’re going to find what you’re looking for.
I know of no one in all my years who experienced these symptoms you are so obviously trying to extol. Seriously, how does one take YOU seriously? Also, who funds these biased studies? An anti-drug billionaire? Some CONsevative group? You never name the benefits of psychedelics.

[@wazefxyt2827]

Hey, I avtually want to day that it‘s true for me. I took LSD once and felt the exact symptoms. Lost og reslity after, detachement of my own personality, thinking if I have been a lie. Thinking that I was broken and couldn‘t change myself anymore becaude I tend to overthink anf that LSD with someone I felt threatened during the trip made it all soooo wrong