[civilian]

I rate of people who have bad trips is very low with MDMA. You're right that it's a thing with LSD or Psilocybin. The tripping community has these ideas of "set and settings" that you should strongly adhere to. Make sure you'll be in a chill environment. Eat lightly beforehand. Don't trip if you're not already in a relatively stable spot. I think the idea is that with a therapist (or a seasoned trip-sitter?) they can help guide you out of any bad trips, bad trips being anxiety spirals or something.

Often the most important thing to reassure people who are having a bad trip is that this too will end, and they will feel normal again soon. The fear that the trip will be the new normal is a big fear.

Sometimes people are having bad trips because they are performing the introspection they've long avoided--- they're facing trauma. And in that respect, I think that having a bad trip is actually a _good thing_. Sure, you aren't avoiding what's in your subconscious, you're facing it head on. You might have a bad time in the moment, but it helps the healing process overall.

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The idea that trips are just a beautiful illusion is... kind of flawed. Our brains are weird, and our thoughts can re-wire how our brains work. If someone is living is the cognitive distortion that they are unloved, but a trip of MDMA reminds them that there is love and unity in the world, then it doesn't really matter whether it's an illusion. Going through life with the belief that everyone is capable and deserve of love and unity and respect _fundamentally makes your life better_, especially if you compare it to the opposite distortion, where you are paranoid and wondering how people are out to take advantage or humiliate you.

I think that MDMA is more about breaking down cognitive distortions with a temporary "well what if PLUR??" thought experiment than it is about just creating an illusion.