
Guide on How to Be a Good Psychedelic Trip Sitter If your friend called you up and asked you to be their psychedelic trip sitter (sober sitter or co-pilot), how would you react? In all likelihood, you’d freak out and tell them you’re not ready for that kind of responsibility. True, a tripsitter isn’t exactly the same as a designated driver, but with the right kind of preparation it’s certainly something you can hack. More importantly, you can also be there for your friend in their hour of need
A trip sitter is someone who’s assigned to look after the person who’s taking a hallucinogen, whether it’s LSD, or DMT. This usually happens when it’s the tripper’s first experience with psychedelics. Ideally, the tripsitter should stay sober so they can monitor the tripper while they’re under the influence of the drug.
The concept of trip sitting can be traced back to Timothy Leary’s book The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which was written as a guide on what to do when someone’s going through aespecially how to handle ego death. The h book advocates for the presence of psychedelic guides to help trippers during the different phases of ego death
If you don’t have that much experience with psychoactive drugs, you need to do your homework first. Find out all you can about the substance the tripper is using (including the dosage) so as to fully appreciate what its effects are and how long they may last. Most , for example, take 10 to 30 minutes for the effects to kick in, and a full psychedelic trip may last 6 to 8 hours depending on the dosage taken.
Understanding the five levels of psychedelic experience is also important. At level 1 the user will feel relaxed and only experience subtle changes in their visuals, while at level 5 they’ll be completely disconnected with reality.
Needless to say, it’s also important to know if the tripper has a medical condition that could be affected by taking the hallucinogen.
Ensure the tripper is in the right state of mind i.e. they’re positive and relaxed, rather than anxious about the experience. Discuss with the user what you’ve gathered from your research and agree on some ground rules before starting the session like what dosage they should take and any guidance they may want during the h experience. You should also agree on how to deal with emergencies that may arise, and whom to call in case of an emergency.
As for the setting, you’re less likely to have a bad trip if the surroundings are familiar and comfortable. Your friend’s living room or bedroom, for example, can provide the right environment for a trip. Adjust the lights, ensure the place isn’t too warm or too cold, and turn on some music to create the right ambience.
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