Psychedelic Experience Report: April 23, 2016

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Preparation and Initial State
  • The Trip
    • Early Stages (0 - 30 Minutes)
    • Peak Effects (1 - 2 Hours)
    • Enhancements and Activities (2 - 3 Hours)
    • Conclusion of the Trip (3 - 4 Hours)
  • Post-Trip Reflections
  • Effects Analysis

Introduction

Date: Saturday, April 23, 2016, 5:30 PM
Submitted by: Tymush

This is a detailed account of a psychedelic experience using a research chemical (RC), transcribed from personal notes taken throughout the experience. Although I am a seasoned user of psychedelics such as mushrooms, this was my first significant foray into the world of research chemicals. My previous psychedelic experiences have mostly been with doses of around 3.5 grams of mushrooms, usually more than five years ago. My recent experiences have been smaller doses, but this trip aimed to test a research chemical. Prior to this full experience, I tested the substance orally at a 5mg dose two weeks earlier, resulting in a pleasant body high, altered thought patterns, and a sense of euphoria.

Preparation and Initial State

0 Minutes:
I took a pre-weighed gel cap of the research chemical with a sip of water on a mostly empty stomach. At the time, I was slightly high on some headband cannabis from Tweed, a strong and inexpensive medical strain. My plan was to relax and watch TV until I began to feel the effects, and then follow the experience wherever it led me.

The Trip

Early Stages (0 - 30 Minutes)

25 Minutes:
The effects began subtly. I felt overly smiley and giggly at a TV show that I usually found annoying. The cannabis I had smoked earlier seemed to amplify the initial effects of the trip, heightening my mood.

1 Hour:
At this point, I was fully aware that I was tripping. The light in the room had gradually become brighter, and objects in my surroundings started to morph slightly. I put on some music through my phone’s speakers—an electronic mix I had downloaded recently—but it felt somewhat unsettling, not quite matching the vibe of my trip.

Peak Effects (1 - 2 Hours)

1 Hour, 15 Minutes:
I decided to switch up the environment by turning on a slideshow of desktop wallpapers on my computer monitors. The visuals were more immersive, especially a majestic picture of a lion at sunset, which began to inspire closed-eye visuals (CEVs). The lion’s head transformed into a kaleidoscopic pattern, beautifully colored but not as intense as other trips I’d experienced.

1 Hour, 30 Minutes:
The psychedelic visuals became more pronounced, though still without the mental "push" I was accustomed to from mushrooms. I felt a shift in perspective but found it somewhat mentally limiting, as if my thoughts were slower. I unrolled my yoga mat and started dancing, enjoying the sensation of the floor beneath my bare feet.

1 Hour, 45 Minutes:
I attempted to meditate while lying on the couch but found it hard to focus. Instead, I relaxed into the visuals. One particularly striking vision was that of a bald monk-like figure with a waterfall flowing from his face, spiraling in anti-gravity patterns with snake-like scales. The visual wasn’t overwhelmingly strong, but it had an impressive 50% opacity. I later tried different methods to enhance the CEVs—either by covering my eyes with a pillow to create darkness or by facing a light source—but couldn’t tell much of a difference.

Enhancements and Activities (2 - 3 Hours)

1 Hour, 50 Minutes:
Deciding it was time to smoke some cannabis again, I loaded a fat one-hitter into my bong, this time with an indica strain. The anxiety from the trip’s come-up phase quickly dissipated, and I switched to a more relaxing mix of music on iTunes. I could feel the bass through real speakers now, which was an amazing enhancement to the music.

2 Hours:
The music had shifted to a much more enjoyable, chill vibe. The previous mix had been too energetic, contributing to the come-up anxiety. Now, everything felt calm and psychedelic without being too mentally overwhelming.

2 Hours, 15 Minutes:
I took notes that I should listen to familiar mixes on future trips and write handwritten trip reports for next-day transcription. In a funny moment, I jumped off the couch excitedly to write this down and tore a hole in the crotch of my pajama pants.

2 Hours, 20 Minutes:
At this point, I was feeling euphoric and found everything—from my music to the desktop wallpaper slideshow—hysterically enjoyable. I even thought I looked "sexy as fuck" when I glanced in the mirror.

2 Hours, 30 Minutes:
I decided to test whether drinking a beer would affect the trip. After a couple of sips of Molson Canadian, I felt slightly more grounded and began to feel hungry. I tried some trail mix, which tasted incredible and prompted me to heat up a slice of pizza. The flavors of the food were heightened, and everything continued to feel better and better.

2 Hours, 45 Minutes:
At this point, everything was awesome. I switched to a deep house mix, and the music felt "mind-meltingly great."

Conclusion of the Trip (3 - 4 Hours)

3 Hours, 30 Minutes:
I reflected on the experience and noted that I would go deeper next time, possibly with an 18mg dose, and that I should smoke indica and drink beer early in the trip. By this time, I had finished two tall beers, which were equivalent to four regular beers. The peak effects of the trip had mostly worn off, though the brightness, mood lift, and music appreciation remained. I briefly considered taking an additional 5mg bump to reignite the experience but decided against it, as I could tell I would have no trouble sleeping soon.

4 Hours:
As the trip winded down, I found myself craving chocolate. Fortunately, I found some and also discovered that chewing gum was oddly enjoyable. By the next morning, I felt completely normal, perhaps even better than usual.

Post-Trip Reflections

All in all, I had a fantastic experience with this research chemical. It seemed to possess most of the psychedelic qualities of mushrooms, but without the push or nausea that sometimes accompanies those trips. However, the experience didn’t have the same connection to nature that I feel with mushrooms, though that might have been due to the low dose I tested. I plan to experiment further with this substance, especially outdoors in nature, for a more connected experience.

Effects Analysis

  • Laughter: "Overly smiley and giggly at stupid TV show which I often find annoying."
  • Color Enhancement: "The room slowly got brighter and brighter."
  • Drifting (Visual): "Everything is slightly morphing."
  • Geometry (Visual): "Colored outlines making a lion head in an almost kaleidoscope pattern."
  • Focus Suppression: "Quite distracted and not properly able to focus and meditate."
  • Internal Hallucination: "I remember a wild visual of the upper torso of a bald monk-looking man with a waterfall of sorts coming out of his face."
  • Language Suppression: "Writing and formulating structured sentences is very hard."
  • Increased Music Appreciation: "Chill music is fucking amazing."

This detailed trip report offers insights into the subjective experience of using a low-dose research chemical, comparing its effects with traditional psychedelics like mushrooms.