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The Trip

Lia da Giau

How do we define change? Simply speaking, you change when you experience something new, either physically or via activities you try, provoking a shift of perspective due to exposure to new stimuli. This often happens when you travel, and that is the reason why many embark on exotic trips to ‘find themselves’. Travelling is more and more often perceived as a transformative experience; while the change in lifestyle is temporary for the length of the trip, the impact of the experience can be long-lasting. In this sense, one can draw a connection between a physical trip as such and a psychedelic trip. The use of psychedelics allows us to explore reality through different lenses and helps to reach a “pivotal mental state”, where the individual is in the right mental space to undergo a quick process of personal growth and change (Vice). Such a change occurs during the trip, yet the experience is likely to affect the individual’s life and mindset in the long term. But any trip needs a guide, and I am for this article a brochure of sorts. I will try to answer some common questions surrounding psychedelics, from the more basic ‘What exactly are they?” to more contested ones regarding their illegality and potential in the legal market. 

Let us go on a trip to understand the trip.

I. The Planning: What Goes in Your Bag?
A brief explanation of what psychedelics are and how they interact with your brain.

Before leaving you need to make a list of everything you might need and do some research about what you are going to do. 

For the trip in question, we need a psychedelic substance to start with. Some of the most common psychedelics are psilocybin (found in mushrooms), mescaline (from cacti), DMT (present in a root used to prepare an infused drink called ayahuasca), and LSD (a synthetically created compound, not found occurring in nature). Of course, these are not the only substances having psychedelic effects: many other synthetic drugs, like MDMA and other New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), fall under this category. What all psychedelics have in common is the shape of their molecules, which are all similar to the serotonin molecules, a neurotransmitter naturally present in the human body. Thanks to this similarity, psychedelics molecules bind to the serotonin receptors in the brain, and voila...magic happens. Psychedelics consumption increases the brain activity and connections are established between parts of the brain that usually do not interact. This explains why a trip is usually manifested through amplified sense perception and increased introspection, which often lead a user to explore different perspectives and paths of thought. Thanks to the effect of pushing one’s mind to exit the usual mental patterns, the psychedelic experience has been used to treat mental illnesses like depression and addictions, which are all characterised by damaging recurrent thoughts or habits. But to better understand the potential of psychedelics in treating mental illnesses, we need some historical background first.

II. A Historical Tour: Like in Every Boring Day-Trip

(but this is not boring) 

LSD was first synthesized in 1930 by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, who tried the substance on himself a dozen years later and discovered its psychoactive effects. Initially, the drug was studied and used for its potential to cure mental illnesses like PTSDs and depression. The study and use of LSD in clinical settings quickly spread around the world, reaching even the USSR labs and clinics. LSD was given to patients in a safe and controlled environment with few external stimuli to reduce the risks of ‘bad trips’, and a specialist guided the user through the experience. In the 60s, however, LSD became illegal in most countries, and its use was almost solely limited to recreational purposes at parties and music festivals. Psychedelics consumption can nevertheless be traced back way earlier in time, when their consumption had an extremely different purpose than mere amusement. Magic mushrooms and ayahuasca were used in spiritual and therapeutic contexts by ancient indigenous populations, especially in Central and South America. There are shamans that still perform traditional psychedelics rituals, but the experience requires months, if not years, of preparation and it is highly spiritual rather than recreational. 

Psychedelics are powerful substances from both a spiritual and a therapeutic point of view, that is undebatable. How come then that these substances are largely demonised by the public opinion? Maybe, the explosion of reckless psychedelics’ use in the 60s contributed to the general fear towards these drugs, which became almost taboo. As a consequence of the ban, an extensive black market of psychedelics was born, increasing people’s distrust. Of course, psychedelics use implies risks and potential negative side-effects like any other drug, and some sort of regulation on its consumption is definitely appropriate, along with education on the matter to encourage responsible consumption. Unfortunately there is widespread misinformation about these substances, which led to their misuse and to overlook their beneficial effects in fields like mental illnesses treatment. In addition to that, since psychedelics became illegal in large parts of the world, it has been challenging to study psychedelics and develop their therapeutic potential.

No worries, not all hopes are lost. Lately, many more companies and people started to invest in psychedelics and the interest to use them in clinical contexts has increased again. The cultural phenomenon behind this redemption of psychedelics is known as the ‘Psychedelic Renaissance’. 

I stumbled upon a report highlighting the progress of the Psychedelic Renaissance in 2020, which describes the phenomenon as “not simply some passive increase in ‘interest’—or consciousness—surrounding psychedelics, but that this interest is matched with tangible contributions from individuals and organisations from a variety of fields.” The idea of ‘renaissance’ is particularly emphasised, as it highlights how the use of psychedelics to treat mental and physical illnesses is rooted in indigenous knowledge and past research. The current science and market of psychedelics are contributing to a process that started long ago but was forced to slow down, especially due to Nixon’s War on Drug and the ban of psychedelics in most countries.

The Psychedelic Renaissance is expected to create a space for these drugs in the legal market. Increased funding and a widespread discourse around drugs’ legalisation for therapeutic and medicinal use contributed to the expansion of this field of research, and its market includes numerous actors. Pharmaceutical and biotech startups are developing new drugs based on psychedelic compounds created in a lab to aid in the treatment of mental illnesses, some clinics are already offering treatment programs for patients using legally available psychedelics like ketamine, and there are many other ancillary industries supporting the cause, like providers of medical devices and digital therapeutics tools and media companies. Such a process is taking place mainly in North America, especially in Canada and the US. Oregon, which recently decriminalised several drugs and legalised Psilocybin Mushrooms, is starting to concretely develop mushroom-assisted treatments to be provided in licenced clinics. 

The effectiveness of psychedelics in treating mental illnesses and addictive behaviours has been confirmed, but there are some issues yet to be resolved. One such concern is how to design the clinical settings, as psychedelic trips are quite long and a therapist doesn’t always have time to sit through it all. There is time to explore this sector and understand the extent of its importance in a therapeutic context. We are just at the ‘Renaissance’: the history of psychedelics in our society is still being written.

III. Fellow Travellers: Trip Tales 


As you are on the road, many interesting characters will cross your path. The beer you drank together in that quirky pub while listening to their stories is probably going to be one of the most memorable moments of your trip. So I thought: this trip through the trip would not be a proper trip (yes, you will keep on finding the word ‘trip’ again and again in the article) without meeting somebody on the way. I collected for you the stories of people I met, to whom I asked to share their psychedelic experiences through some form of art. Let their words, images and feelings flow. 


i am sitting on the bed and the room is turning and she turns back to me with an almighty woosh and a smile that a frog could lazily swim in cleaning its fingernails but that’s unimportant because the bed is gone and she is gone and the frog was never born because im inside, inside the outside, outside looking in the window-glass upside rightside frontside turned towards me “this is a thought” i see it before i think it, i see it because the upside topsy-turvy place is MY brain this is YOUR brain on drugs kids maybe Nancy Reagan was right maybe this is too much but one again i see that written on the walls before it is MY thought. closer to the walls, this is very important for me you see because they aren’t walls it is neurons firing so quickly it hurts to focus your eyes so i let go and grab this writhing tadpole, which is of course an odd sensation because im touching MY brain. A frog chirps.

the paper’s contents seep gently inward

and my body reorients for the journey

i become more tuned in

with each passing moment


as we venture to the beach,

the world grows increasingly prismatic

each step reflects my internal elation

of this temporary elevated existence


every grain of sand reveals its personality to me

each speckle has never looked so individual

my dilated pupils fixate on the vibrant world beneath my feet

captivated by the allure of ground up earth


i pull my eyes upward, acknowledging the low tide 

he ripples in the sand appear as veins of the beach

feeding into the sea’s beating heart

the gentle waves pulse with life as they kiss the shore


the clouds are purple, accentuating the deep blue heavens

i step into the sea, wishing to submerge myself

but opt to dance my joys on the shore instead

i refuse to risk a run-in with hypothermia


the peak comes on quickly

as fear and wonderment mar together

i turn my attention skyward

hoping to settle my agitated body


the azure darkens, and i grow still

settled back into my usual way of being

homeward bound, i slip out into the night

the bathroom floor still dances for my lingering gaze

The objective was to arrive upon a hill, the hill that stood over the town, overlooking my home and freeing up the view of the whole plain. The path to the top was a treacherous one, as it had rained just a few days prior; and the mud, for some strange reason, even with the hottest bashing sun, had yet to dry. Forgetting the mud, I gathered my things -two bottles of water and one cigarette- and started the walk. The day was dying, but the light was not yet red, as the sun was just about to jump over the mountains. The cool October air accompanied me through the first part of the woods, where the trees were beginning to brighten in their autumn leaves, and the crackling ground made the walk strangely more pleasant. I stopped right before the steep hill started its climb and took a sip of water, just a sip, enough to please my lips, and almost courageously, I began what seemed the thirteenth labour of Hercules.

 

 Shivers began to ring through my chest, I didn’t make much of them at first; they grew stronger and then, strangely pleasant, as if my skin rattled from piercing happiness. 

The hill’s steepness frighted me as I was already out of breath but I persevered, sweating, fumbling in my thoughts, and blinded by the now fiery red colours and the deep green abyss. All began to vibrate. The sky melted upon me, the clouds unravelled in front of me and fell loudly on the mountains above.  

I stopped. 

Shapes appeared in the sky, treetops meddled together, colours morphed into dances of vibrant waves, of unsettling beauty, I felt united with the ground; it felt like a river of emotion had swept through my body as it was dying, cancelling itself. 

Nothing prepared me for something like this, for this unique feeling. Nature embraced me, and I, for what I could never before do, embraced her. 

The mind raced, the body tingled, my eyes, oh my eyes filled with tears of absolute, immense joy. I sat on the grass, it was soft, the mud had dried and hardened on my feet. I battled against reality, “but what is reality now”, I said to myself. I couldn’t say, and still I can’t. 

Ah, those illusions, such sweet musical illusions, the tides of my heart winced, and I, slowly, began to imagine, to feel something so vague, so indefinite deep in my chest, that my mind could not grab completely. 

My sight fell onto one lone leaf, stranded on a dying branch. Alone, painted golden brown, it still was connected to everything, free from the human condition of despair; and now, as I stared into it, from the feeling of fulfilled existence I plummeted into a trench of loneliness, into an impossible tension. 

I sat on the grass, and everything was silent, the sun had fallen, the trees rumbled, the music stopped, colours dimmed and the moon popped up through the thin clouds. I sat, and stared at the leaf, that had now fallen, as did I. 

The names of the contributors were omitted to protect them. In the UK, psychedelics are still illegal, and this article does not intend to incentivise their consumption: the aim is to inform and provide some food for thought. 

IV. Souvenirs: What You Take Home 

At the end of a trip, it comes the fateful time to collect some souvenirs. Here’s for you a collection of ‘tokens’ if you want to dive more into the world of psychedelics. 

Documentaries 

Vice

Netflix

  • The Mind, Explained; Episode 5 “Psychedelics” 

  • Have a Good Trip

  • The Midnight Gospel (TV Serie, you can find it on Netflix) 

Something to read

A special thanks to those that shared their trip experiences with me: your art was fundamental to this article, and even if your names are not here, I am really grateful for your work. Thanks also to Ennio for guiding me through the more ‘sciency’ side of psychedelics, and to Harald for taking the time to answer my questions.