Is there a good part to a bad trip? Some suggest that any challenging experience is an opportunity to grow and that self-growth clues may be illuminating (and
that is indeed true), but some experiences can be seriously destabilising for people and certainly should not be idealised. Tough experiences may instil fears that prevent people from continuing with what may have been a hitherto positive journey. The days following the trip are key. If a person returns to a supportive environment and has the space to integrate the experience, possibly with a trained therapist, then it is more likely the person will be able to stabilise and view any difficulties in a more positive self-growth context. Not only is it about set and setting, but the post-journey reality one may return to,
according to 1960s psychedelic researcher Betty Eisner.
In the latest episode of Uncharted Territory, Mattha Busby and fellow journalist Mary Carreón discuss how the psychedelic world is addressing the reality of challenging trips and how some ceremony and retreat providers are failing to provide sufficient integration and aftercare to participants. Mattha shares a humdinger of a story. If you'd like to read more around all of this, check out Mattha's Vice piece, '
Tourists Are Now Smoking Toad Venom in Mexico’s Hipster Town Tulum', and Mary's Psychedelic Spotlight piece, '
I Tried Recreational Mushroom Therapy and This is What Happened'.