Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by tfha 2430 days ago
Yeah I have several permanent overhangs from my experiences with psychedelics as well. At one point I did 500+ug of LSD in a single trip and I am still working through PTSD from some of my delusions.

That said, the net effect on my life has been massively positive and has directly contributed to me being comfortable with myself, my body, my mind, my friends, and my place in this world.

Despite the overhangs, I highly recommend psychedelics as well. Though maybe stay under 400ug :)
1 comments
ytwySXpMbS 2430 days ago
When you say PTSD, would you mind expanding on how that manifests? Is it a low level constant anxiety, or more akin to sudden anxiety due to a certain trigger, or something else? I understand if it's too personal a topic. I'm very interested in psychedelics, but am worried about the potential negative side effects. Someone I know said LSD caused them anxiety once, and it lasted for a few months but eventually sorted itself out. Is your PTSD sorting itself out slowly? How long ago was your 500+ug experience?

Also you say you have some permanent overhangs; would you mind telling me a bit more so I know what to expect?

link
tfha 2429 days ago
Trigger oriented, usually related to existential feelings of emptiness. Asking the question "does my existence have meaning" for a long time would spike my pulse to 150+ and cause me to freeze up. Took maybe 18 months to wear off fully. I can still psyche myself out if I try today.

Other triggers were anything that seemed too unlikely to be reality. Waking up with 11111 karma on Reddit, strangers winking at my like they could read my thoughts, things of that nature.

It honestly wasn't that bad to live with.

After my 4th trip I had really sharp HPPD. That burn in effect you get when you stare at something for a minute plus, that took about 0.5 seconds for me. And then it took about 60 seconds to wear off. For about 2 weeks I had a constant triple or quadrupole or more image burned into my eyes. Eventually I learned to cope by shifting my eyes every 0.5 seconds like a crazy person, but it did stop the after images from accumulating.

That went away after maybe 3 months, hasn't been a problem since.

My advice would be to space out trips 12 weeks or more to avoid hppd, and stay under 400ug to avoid PTSD and crazy delusions. And if you are inexperienced with LSD really you should start at a dose of 150ug or so.

link