Disclaimer: What someone decides to do with their body is their choice and their choice only. I am in no way attempting to persuade someone into doing somethig they're not comfortable with. I am simply sharing information for the purpose of educating on this subject, so that people can make informed decisions for themselves.
"Open your third eye man! Experience life in a new dimension! It'll change your life man!"
Paraphrasing obviously, but within those quotations is essentially what it sounds like when someone is trying to convince you to take a psychedelic drug. They tell you it'll change your life, it's like nothing you've ever seen before.
This sometimes turns people off. There's a lot of stigma attached to psychedelic drug use. The drugs are normally associated with hippie behavior, and phrases like "third eye" "trippy" and "crazy" are thrown around when talking about them.
Momentarily disregard any stereotype or negative association you have towards psychedelic drugs for just a moment. Most people will describe the drug like they were still going through a trip. But for the purposes of appealing to the common, rational person, I will lay out what I see as benefits of psychedelic use in one's life as logical and non Woodstock-esque as I can.
They change your thought process for the better.
Knowledge is power, and critical thinking comes along with it. If society had more of that, we'd be a better society. Controlled scientific studies show that the human brain is more active in more parts of the brain while using psychedelics. This allows people to approach the things they normally think about, from completely different perspectives that they've never had before.
And while the drug itself wears off eventually, the new methods of thinking stay with you. From my personal anecdote, psychedelic mushrooms allowed me to open my mind and think from viewpoints that I've never been able to have before. I was able to explore different philosophies and think critically at a level I'd never seen. Acid did the same thing in a different way, it was much more of a logical, analytical experience. I was able to see my thoughts much more clearly, and piece things together much more effectively.
In simpler terms, acid makes you feel like Einstein, and mushrooms make you feel like Aristotle.
Your ego dies.
While on a trip, it feels like your mind is transcending the body. Your individual thought and conscience are no longer attached to human limitations. This is significant because the loss of ego detaches you from worldly problems such as addiction, fear of death, and other negative life events.
Without worry, people are more adept to analyze their own problems, as if they were analyzing someone else's. This impartial state of mind can help make improvements in your real life situations.
Context is everything.
Disclaimer: No one solution is the be all end all for mental illness. Mental illness is a very serious and legitimate medical condition that must be addressed with professional help and a strong support system of friends and family.
Having said that, psychedelics can be used as an effective tool to contribute positive change to someone's mental health.
One reason mental illness is so difficult to treat, is because there's much more to someone's pain than meets the eye. Often times there's a root cause for someone's state of mind. A psychedelic trip enables you to activate more parts of your brain, which allows you to zero in attentively on the vices of your life, and incorporate the context needed to make progress.
Addiction Killer
In some small controlled studies, psychedelics have shown to be an effective medical treatment for addictions to substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and painkillers.
Your overall quality of life improves.
Now to the "trippy" part.
The benefits of psychedelics are apparent. But how is it so effective? The answer is found in the trip.
Obviously, psychedelic drugs are going to alter your senses. And the hallucinations are so powerful, they can leave lasting positive effects on your life.
From my personal experience, I've found that psychedelic trips made me more open minded to other people's perspective's. I learned to count my blessings. And it made me realize that (most) of my problems were nowhere near as bad as they seemed, and my anxiety regarding those problems were (mostly) self inflicted from over thinking.
These benefits stayed with me, and it has made small improvements in my day to day living. And I'm very grateful for that.
Psychedlics still have their risks
Like all substances, safety and precautions are always important.
I had a bad trip once, and it was one of the worst things I ever went through. It's very important that the no matter what you decide, the decision is yours and yours only. Psychedelics only benefit you if it's something you want for yourself. So don't give into peer pressure, do what's best for you.
Also know your dosage. You never want to take too much of anything, and that goes for psychedelics. There have been cases reported where people thought they could fly, and they jumped off buildings. This can happen if you take more than you can handle, so at the very least, make sure you have someone with you making sure that the situation is safe at all times.
As long as things are planned out and safe, a psychedelic trip will do wonders. I've described it as best I could, but it's hard to grasp what I've said fully without experimenting for yourself.
Again, I'm not trying to force anyone to do anything. But when it's time to make a decision, be safe, and have fun!
