Detailed LSD Experience Report


Table of Contents


  • Introduction
  • Pre-Trip Preparation
  • Trip Onset and Initial Effects
    • Musical Experience
    • Physical and Mental Sensations
  • Deepening Into the Trip
    • Cycles of Thoughts and Emotional Waves
    • Exploring the Concept of Sleep
    • Changing Postures and Cognitive Challenges
  • Visual Distortions and Mindset Shifts
    • Swastikas and Political Thoughts
    • Internal Dialogue and Connection to Hippie Philosophy
  • Music’s Influence and Reflections on Time
    • Time Perception
    • Music and Thought Processing
  • Coping Strategies and Returning to Reality
  • Conclusion



Introduction


On the 5th of February, 2022, a male in the 20-25 age range experienced an intense psychedelic trip. The substances consumed included both psilocybin mushrooms and LSD, with the latter dose at 200 micrograms. During this trip, the individual noted significant changes in their perception of reality, marked by forgetfulness, altered physical sensations, and distorted thought patterns. This report outlines the trip's progression, with a focus on the sensory and psychological effects that unfolded.



Pre-Trip Preparation


Before beginning the psychedelic experience, the individual prepared the mushrooms by brewing them in boiling water. The initial brew steeped for 10 minutes, and after drinking it, the individual made a second infusion of the mushrooms, which was consumed 5 minutes later. The taste of the mushrooms was mild, with a light mushroom flavor, and the mushrooms themselves floated on top of the liquid, making them easy to chew.


The trip began shortly after consuming the second infusion, and the individual noted that the effects of the substances intensified very quickly, signaling the onset of the psychedelic experience.



Trip Onset and Initial Effects


Musical Experience


The individual initially listened to positive music on their laptop, which enhanced their mood. To further immerse themselves in the experience, they transitioned to an Indian music album by Nina Hagen titled Om Namah Shivay, with the seventh track, He Shiva Shankara!, resonating most powerfully. As the music played, the individual described feeling as though they were floating through a yellow space, bathed in sunlight. Their physical sensations seemed to diminish entirely, replaced by visual imagery in the form of fractals and geometric patterns that appeared vividly behind their closed eyelids.


Although the individual had initially prepared a playlist of psy and trance music, they gravitated towards more human-centered music with lyrics to anchor them to reality. The role of music in their life became clearer during the trip, as they realized how well the music reflected their personality and emotions.


Physical and Mental Sensations


As the trip deepened, the individual felt increasingly disconnected from reality, caught in cycles of thought and sensation. The thoughts repeated in circles, each cycle evolving but ultimately leading to the realization that nothing new could be learned from this particular trip. The desire for the trip to end began to form, yet the individual remembered advice from a Netflix movie about "going with the flow" of the experience, which helped them to relax into the unfolding trip.


At some points, the individual compared the trip to a “good” trip overall, despite the intensity and philosophical nature of certain moments. Some parts of the experience were incredibly pleasant, while others felt more neutral or challenging.



Deepening Into the Trip


Cycles of Thoughts and Emotional Waves


The trip continued to evolve with repeated thoughts and emotions, making it difficult to focus on any one thing for too long. This forgetfulness—both in terms of memory and emotional responses—created a fluidity to the experience, where the individual did not become fixated on a single thought or feeling. Despite the disorienting nature of these cycles, there was a sense of freedom in the constant change of mental states.


Exploring the Concept of Sleep


At one point in the trip, the individual remembered having been half-asleep earlier in the morning, prior to consuming the mushrooms and LSD. This memory led them to explore the sensation of falling asleep consciously. They recalled how some people attempt to enter lucid dreams and used this thought as a framework to understand the sensation of sleep, feeling the various emotions associated with it.


Changing Postures and Cognitive Challenges


Simple actions, like moving from lying down to sitting up, became monumental tasks. The individual described the complexity of such actions, which involved numerous cognitive steps:


  1. Sorting through the mental chaos created by the substances.
  2. Reorienting oneself to the environment and understanding what was happening around them.
  3. Figuring out the position they were currently in and the one they needed to move into.
  4. Understanding the necessary physical actions to change their posture.
  5. Finally, executing the physical shift.


The entire process felt confusing, emphasizing how the trip distorted even the most basic bodily functions.



Visual Distortions and Mindset Shifts


Swastikas and Political Thoughts


At one point during the trip, the individual watched a video of a concert where the artists froze in a pose and began to transform into swastikas, spinning in a disorienting manner. While the image was disturbing, the individual had a strong defense mechanism against engaging with negative or political thoughts. Whenever thoughts about war, death, or politics surfaced, they consciously blocked them to prevent mental distress.


Internal Dialogue and Connection to Hippie Philosophy


Despite being in a room with a girlfriend, the individual found it extremely difficult to communicate verbally due to the rapid speed of their thoughts. However, they engaged in an internal dialogue with themselves, reflecting on philosophical ideas and recalling the concept of living in communes. They thought about the importance of freedom and the communal lifestyle often associated with hippie philosophy.



Music’s Influence and Reflections on Time


Time Perception


Time perception was one of the few stable aspects of the trip, although it was deeply distorted. The individual could observe the time on their locked phone screen but was unable to determine when the trip had started or when it would end. Despite this, the changing numbers on the screen gave a sense of stability. The feeling of time was warped; a single minute felt like an eternity, and a few minutes felt like multiple eternities. This perception of time becoming elastic was a hallmark of the experience.


Music and Thought Processing


Music continued to influence the trip, and the individual noted that different styles of music elicited varying cognitive states. Sometimes, listening with one headphone felt distinct from listening with both. At one point, the individual found solace in the sounds of birds singing outside the window, as the harshness of certain types of music, like downtempo or ambient, felt overwhelming.


In another moment, a song by Cyndi Lauper, Money Changes Everything, left the individual contemplating the concept of money. They were struck by how money could change things, and the lyrics’ meaning felt profound in the context of the trip.



Coping Strategies and Returning to Reality


Throughout the trip, the individual employed coping strategies to stay grounded. They would lock and unlock their phone to help establish a sense of reality, despite their confusion about time. They would also occasionally pause, take a deep breath, and reaffirm that they were "alive"—which helped them maintain a sense of stability amidst the chaos of the experience.



Conclusion


The LSD and psilocybin mushroom trip was one of the most intense and profound experiences the individual had ever encountered. The trip featured overwhelming sensory distortions, emotional cycles, and vivid visual patterns, with music playing a pivotal role in both grounding and deepening the experience. Through forgetfulness, confusion, and intense emotional and philosophical exploration, the individual learned valuable lessons about the role of music in their life, the elasticity of time, and the importance of staying grounded in moments of intense mental and sensory chaos. Ultimately, the trip was deemed “good” overall, despite the challenges and philosophical struggles encountered throughout the experience.