Making busting more pleasant

[iPain]

So, I've finally had the chance to try real busting, and I have had fantastic results with regards to my CH!

However, when in cycle, we clusterheads tend to get very agitated, depressed, sleep-deprived, and all-around unhappy.  When taking our vitamins that tend to enhance current emotions, how do you control the experience into making it positive?  Without getting into a long drawn-out explanation of my own experience, I can just say that I felt a lot of anxiety and fear despite the fact that I was in a comfortable, safe environment with a loved one I fully trusted.  This is something I would live with in order to live without CH, but what can I do to help make the experience more pleasant?  After it was over, I couldn't believe someone would do that recreationally.  It was not pleasant at all.

If I need to give more details, I will.....but I feel like the basic premise of what I'm asking seems pretty self-explanatory.

PF wishes to you all.

[Potter]

Just do a smaller dose,  one that is sub-hallucinogenic.

                Potter

[Bejeeber]

I have had fantastic results with regards to my CH!

YAYYYY!!

I felt a lot of anxiety and fear

BOOOO. 

Potter is one long time veteran knowledgeable CH'er if there ever was one, so I know his assertion about sub-hallucinogenic dose must be true in some cases at least, but there is an alternate take on that:

Some of us have actually found that lower, less immersive doses. say 1.5g, have us riddled with anxiety (it's very common), whereas the doses that get just into hallucinogenic-ville, 2g and above, are more carefree and enjoyable, counter-intuitive as that is.

Now lots of us have had the same experience as you (great CH results, plenty of anxiety during the bust), and it has definitely been discussed here. Instead of going back to a higher dose, I plan next time to try another approach that several of our fellow busters have taken to rid themselves of busting induced anxiety from vitamin M: Take a valium or xanax. From what others have reported so far, it apparently doesn't hinder the effectiveness of the bust.

Here's one thread dedicated to the subject:

http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?action=print;num=1359056938

[iPain]

Great advice, thank you.  I do think a small dose of Xanax could be helpful for the anxiety.  However, I really think that I need to drop the dose more than anything.  No higher than 2 g should be necessary as long as it is properly affecting my CH. 

I guess I was more interested in what people do who have pleasant experiences with mid to somewhat higher doses.  I thought it was safer to err on the side of .5 grams too high and have a good effect on CH than .5 too low and perhaps deal with the cycle for more days/weeks than I absolutely had to.  I was dying to end the cycle. 

Now, I won't be so cavalier.  Nonetheless, I personally had a hard time understanding why someone would want to take a 2.5-3 g dose because my experience was unpleasant.  So, while I intend to keep it at or around 1.5 and perhaps take a small dose of Xanax only if necessary for future busts, I am nonetheless curious to know what people who have pleasant experiences at higher doses do to ensure an enjoyable bust.  Granted, I think a big part of it for me was the novelty.  It was a first for me, which made the experience unfamiliar and scary.  It is likely that should I find myself in a similar situation in the future, I may handle it better and be able to calm myself.  Most importantly, I am PF 4 days now!  So, it is surely a miracle for me whether it was unpleasant for a few hours or not.

[TimeBandit]

For me, music and a cosy environment are the key to a pleasant experience.

You need to create a cosy peaceful atmosphere. A little warmer than usual but not too hot. Not too brightly lit either. Candle light is fine. Black light and fluorescent decorations are awesome to give an impression of dimensionality.

Not all music is suitable for an enjoyable trip. Psychedelic music is your friend. Jefferson Airplance or Pink Floyd are fine. But our modern age gave us psychedelic trance which is an entire music genre specifically crafted for tripping.

There are many variations of psychedelic trance. Downtempo, chillout psytrance might be more accessible to newcomers.

Oldschool Goa trance is my favorite subgenre.

As a general rule, you want instrumental music with a regular beat.

The big secret to an enjoyable trip is TO LET GO.

The easiest way to let go if you aren't an experienced meditation practitioner is TO DANCE! Dance like nobody's watching.

Start dancing at the onset. One hour of honest unrestrained dancing practically guarantees you 3-5 hours of pure bliss thereafter. The trick is to let your body do the dancing. You won't be judged, it's not a competition. You don't have to prepare a choregraphy. The goal is to let go.

A little stretching before is a good idea too.

I practically never have unpleasant experiences with that recipe.

Good luck 

[iPain]

TimeBandit, that was very detailed, informative, and exactly what I was interested to know from the standpoint of someone who has had good experiences.  Thank you!

[Ajax]

A good hike can go a long way on a trip...  AWAY from lots of people as communication can be difficult. 

[iPain]

How do you make sense of reality when you see something one minute, and the next minute it's gone?  I think I would be too afraid to be away from people.  I felt like I needed a babysitter to make sure I didn't accidentally hurt myself.  Again, this is all really just fueling my curiosity.  I fully intend to keep my doses at sub-hallucinogenic levels in the future as long as it does the trick.

[freester]

Hiking is great, but not alone.  Go with a close friend.  Valium or Xanax is key.  I don't think changing or lowering the dose will decrease the anxiety. Vigorous exercise is also helpful.

[ThatHurtsMyHead]

iPain,

From what I gather in your post, I suspect your dose is 'on the fence' of tripping.  Jeebs mentioned above that many here have discussed the same issue, if the dose is just over the tripping threshold, many have increased anxiety (myself included).  If I take 2g it's a completely different experience than when I've taken 1.2g.  1.2 and my thoughts are very distracted and regularly just "want it out of me".  2g and I might have 5 minutes of anxiety then i'm offffffff to wonderland... 

PFW,

[weatherman]

iPain,

Anxiety ..... an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behavior, somatic complaints and rumination.  It is the subjectively unpleasant feelings of dread over something unlikely to happen.

Fear ....... an emotion induced by a perceived threat which causes entities to quickly pull far away from it and usually hide. It is a basic survival mechanism.

It would seem that your actual tripping experience is different from what you though it would be.  I know we all see the "Hollywood" version of mushrooms .... or maybe you just read "Fear and Loathing" one too many times.  It's the perceived lack of control that causes the belief that an outcome will occur that could be unpleasant.  That somehow translates into getting killed, hurt or at least embarassed.  The difference in information leads to confusion.  There is no lack of control.

No matter how comfortable/safe the environment (with trusted companions and all) you just have to realize that another level of consciousness is going to be reached.  And it's a better level too.

I always use excercise to moderate the "trippiness factor" when busting.  Walking or bike riding works very well for me, because it takes your mind from a complete inward focus, to enjoying what is around you and what your physical senses can gather.  The outdoors is the only place to be.

I've sat in a very nice/comfortable/safe environment and got lost in the ozone listening to Pink Floyd's Umaguma and Atom Heart Mother before.  Wholly cow, I didn't see God ...... I WAS GOD.  Then again, on the same dose, an afternon ride or walk can be a very pleasant time. 

The key (for me at least) is to realize that normal relaxing activities, like TV watching, reading, hobbies, cooking, chores, etc ...... cannot be done.  They are simply WAY to far down the priority list for the mind to accept.  All of the daily humdrum rituals are totally unimportant when entering the realm of a mind that better understands its universe.  Just let it go to where ever it needs to.  You will never get hurt, injured or even embarassed.  This is why its illegal.  If too many people did this, humans would live in a large very happy society with no one controlling or profitting from anyone else.  We'd go extinct in weeks.

I did Shrooms plenty of times in the "college days" ..... always heroic doses with lots of friends.  It was fantastic.  The only side-effect was the sore ribs the next day from laughing so hard for hours on end.

I too don't enjoy it that much today, and would most likely never trip unless there was a medical benefit tied to it.  I just don't like having to set aside 6 hours of time for "recreational receptor-resetting therapy".  I calm the "butterflies from Hell" in the pre-trip phase be eating a small meal before.  Best I've come up with so far.

As a side note, I could never Bust with my wife (of 22 yrs) around.  She's just too conservative, and although she allows me to Bust and grow, could NEVER understand what is going on between the ears with shrooming.  Besides, she thinks its cute to "mess with my head" when I'm really cookin.  Gotta admit, we both laugh pretty hard afterwords.

Lastly, Potters advice (of taking a smaller dose) is most likely the best advice.  At high amounts (depends on individual tolerance) nothing can stop the music-colors or sounds of sight from occurring.

The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.

Hunter S. Thompson

Best of luck and PFW......

weatherman

[CHfather]

This is why its illegal.If too many people did this, humans would live in a large very happy society with no one controlling or profitting from anyone else.

Love it.  Kinda like these guys?? :) :) :)

[Guest]

this is going to sound strange but nyquil works wonders if things get out of hand..   just an adult dose helps shave off the edge...    not dayquil,, that will do the opposite..

[Potter]

this is going to sound strange but nyquil works wonders if things get out of hand..   just an adult dose helps shave off the edge...    not dayquil,, that will do the opposite..

    Nyquil contains 25% alcohol. Alcohol is one of the big triggers and would be counter intuitive to busting.

                Potter

[iPain]

Weatherman, that was an absolutely brilliant and fascinating post from the shoes of a newbie. Thank you so much for taking that much time to write it.

I will be taking the smallest effective dose possible now and in the future. Nonetheless, I am going to read your post before my next bust to to help get me in the right mindset. As I understand it, not all shrooms or even parts of the same shrooms are created equally. So I couldn't wind up in that situation again some day even on a much smaller dose.

Thanks again!

[Guest]

sorry potter i meant the nyquil gel tabs..

[Bejeeber]

Nyquil gel tabs....hmmm I'm going to look into those.  8-)

I suppose it's the "Doxylamine succinate 6.25 mg (Antihistamine)" I see in the active ingredient list that is responsible for taking that edge off (just as some find with Benadryl--diphenhydramine) unless it also interacts somehow with the Dextromethorphan.....?

[Guest]

yeah, gives you more of a relaxed calm flow  ..     especially if things get out of hand

the only thing i guess over the counter easy to take..     it works wonders.. hope this help someone

[MoxieGirl]

90% of my busts, I've done on my own. When on my own I would always line up a movie to watch. Something funny, something I've seen 100 times so there are no surprises.

I've also learned that having someone around (a babysitter I think everyone calls it) isn't enough on its own. This person needs to engage with you. Let me explain.

When my best friend and I rented this place together, she was 'around' when I busted. That is to say, probably in her room or off doing her thing, but in the house. I felt safer cause I wasn't alone, but was still left to my own devices. Eventually she agreed to try a small amount of mushrooms to combat her depression, and when she did her bust, we also invited her son over, (who has plenty of experience with mushrooms). The two of them split a 1.2 gram dose, and I was the sober babysitter.

The two of them had a GREAT time. They laughed, watched funny films, talked. My best friend REALLY enjoyed her minor trip. She then realised that leaving me alone when I busted isn't what I needed. I needed to engage with people.

I think the dose level has a lot to do with it too. I've found 1.2 gram is a good dose for me. I've worked my way all the way up to 2.4, and really did not enjoy that. Granted, this was during the time I was more or less on my own. Even at 2.4 I didn't hallucinate.

MG