The NeuroSoup Trip Guide: Tips for Tripsitters

Groups that are tripping often decide to have one person become the trip sitter. It is this person’s responsibility to assist the group by maintaining a rational and responsible frame of mind. There is an obvious correlation between the name trip sitter and babysitter; this is because many times trip sitting can be like babysitting. And it is definitely a responsibility that must be taken as seriously.

Sometimes people are motivated to become the trip sitter because they’re unsure whether they should trip or not. This means that they may never have taken an entheogen before. Other times, people decide to be the trip sitter because they have a lot of experience tripping. They often want to help guide more novice users or users that are experimenting with a new substance. Irregardless of a person’s experience level, here are some basic things that every trip sitter should know.

It is important to know the desired effects and the side effects of the entheogen or combination of entheogens the group will be taking. There are too many to discuss here, however, there are many online resources to use for education and reference. The main point I would like to make is that if you know the normal affects of the drug, then you will know what to expect. This way you can be prepared for it (ie. side effects). At the same time, you will be able to identify when something abnormal happens that may lead to an emergency health situation.

It is important to know the health history of the people in the group. For instance, if one of the members has a history of high blood pressure it is good to be informed. This way you can monitor this person’s blood pressure if they start to have a difficult trip. Another example is if one of the members is diabetic or hypoglycemic. They may not have the mental capacity to be able to monitor their own blood sugar. Therefore this responsibility may fall into your hands. And last, if a person has a history of a mental health disorder, it could make them at much higher risk for having a difficult experience.

It is important to know each person’s history of tripping. This doesn’t have to be extremely in-depth, you just need to have an idea of whether they are a novice user or if they are more experienced. This way you can give the novice user a little more attention if they look like they’re starting to have a bad trip and you can give the experienced user a little more space to work it out by their self.

Sometimes this information can be hard to sift through because novice users often try to claim that they have a lot of experience tripping, even if they don’t. Then they compound the problem by trying to show off and take a much larger dose then they are ready for. If there’s no definitive way to tell if a person is telling the truth, you just have to follow your intuition and hope for the best.

It is good to have beverages available, like juice and water, for the group to drink throughout the experience. The members may forget that they need to keep hydrated and should be reminded to drink periodically throughout the experience. It is also a good idea to have a blood pressure cuff and a first aid kit in case of an emergency. There are many other esthetic preparations that might be done to the tripping location, like selecting CD’s to listen to, setting out pillows and blankets so everyone can get comfortable, adjusting the lighting, etc.

Stay Sober. It is important to stay sober to maintain a rational and responsible frame of mind. You need to have all your wits about you so that, if needed, you can make the best decisions possible for the group members. In order to stay awake during an all night tripping session, you might try drinking something with caffeine. It will help keep you alert and will not affect your judgment.

Understand the Trippers’ Headspace. If you have tripped before, then you already know what it is like to take an entheogen. However, if you have never tripped before, then you need to be able to empathize with the group members’ situation. You need to understand that when a person is tripping, they might not be able to communicate like the usually do. Also, their balance and spatial judgment may be off. There are many other aspects to the entheogenic experience, too many to describe here, that you should be familiar with. However, the main idea is to interact with them with the same kind of patience that you have when interacting with children.

Be a Part of the Group. Even though you’re sober you can still be a contributing part of the group and have fun with everyone. One of the most enjoyable aspects of trip sitting is the feeling you get while being present with the group. Everyone’s inhibitions are down and people can converse openly, including you. At times it can feel like you’re getting a contact high from the group. It’s like their high rubs off on you, sort of like when someone giggles and it makes you laugh for no apparent reason, or when someone yawns and then you yawn. It’s a very interesting experience and, if you keep yourself open to it, you will see what I mean.

Stay Calm in Stressful Situations. You must stay calm if someone starts to have a difficult trip. If you’re anxious, then that anxiety will most likely make the person having the bad trip even more afraid. It could also start to make the entire group afraid; and this is the last thing you want to happen. Remember that taking an entheogen causes their senses to be heightened. So, even if you try to cover up the anxiety you’re feeling, the members in the group may be able to sense it.

Everyone has had a difficult experience, or bad trip, at one time or another. It is something that sort of comes with the territory. Tripping is just like life; there are ups and downs, heavens and hells, and we all experience both sides of the yin-yang. A person that is having a bad trip often feels like they are dying, going crazy, or that they are lost in their own mind.

Fear is often the driving force behind their experience. It takes over their thoughts; everything in their trip makes them more and more afraid. Their consciousness is fractured and they’re afraid they might die. They’re afraid they overdosed and took way, way too much. They’re afraid of what their friends are thinking of them. They’re afraid of what you are thinking of them. They’re afraid because they can’t remember who they are or how to speak with words. They’re afraid they are going crazy. They’re afraid they will never come back to reality.

These are just some examples of the many thoughts a person has while going through difficult trip. Also, you have to keep in mind that to them these fears are very real and they often seem to exist in an endless loop that repeats itself for a timeless eternity. So, as a trip sitter, what can you do to help alleviate this endless fear?

There’s no definitive answer to this question. What works in one experience, might not always work in another experience. And what works with one user might not always work with another. Each person is unique, which means that, to truly work with this type of experience, the person that is tripping has to figure out what works best for them. However, with novice users, this is not always a possibility. Here are some methods that been successful for me and the groups that have trip sat for.

Reassurance. Sometimes all it takes to smooth out a bad trip is a little bit of reassurance. It helps to talk a person down a bit by explaining to them that everything is alright and that they are going to make it through the trip. It is good to help them understand that they are safe, this way the fear they are experiencing will have a chance to pass.

Calm. It is important to try to help them calm down. I know this is easy to say, when their fear is causing them to freak out. With a little patience, there are several things you can do to help them relax. The first is to remain calm yourself. You can share this calmness with them by speaking to them in a soft and reassuring voice. You can suggest that they take slow deep breaths to slow their heart beat, try stretching in some yoga asanas, or laying flat on their back and meditating.

Contact. Human contact can really be helpful in these situations. Try lying down and holding them. This will increase their sense of safety and relaxation. It will also help ground them out and reassure them that they’re still here in this world.

Environment. It is good to have a few easily accessible CD’s with calming music that you can listen to throughout the experience. When a member of the group starts to experience anxiety, it can really help to play the music and create a peaceful vibe. I’ve always found that listening to tribal music, with drums beats and people singing beautiful melodies from other cultures, can nudge a trip into a new direction that has a more universal focus.

The next thing to try is to move them into a different room or location that is a little further away from the main part of the group. This will give you a chance to give them some one on one contact. And it will help them concentrate on their own thoughts instead of the other people’s thoughts in the group. This will also help you contain the situation; fear can be very contagious and the last thing you want is the entire group freaking out.

Also, you might suggest that they try taking a shower. The warm water rushing over their body can feel really calming. Instruct them to try to envision the water washing away all of the negative energy and bad thoughts that are keeping them down. As the water drains out of the bathtub, they can visualize the negative vibes draining out too. Keep in mind that, when trying this, they may be quite out of it so you shouldn’t leave them in the shower unattended.

Pharmacological Intervention. Suggesting that they take a medication to bring them down is the last resort before taking them to the hospital. This is a sticky situation because, unless you’re a doctor, you cannot legally give someone a prescription medication. And because of this, I cannot recommend for any of you to give someone a prescription medication. However, I can explain what has worked for me and you can use this information for whatever purpose you see fit.

There have been several times that I took a benzodiazepine, like valium or xanax, to bring me down from a really strong, bad trip. Each time, I tried everything else that I could think of to calm myself down; yet nothing worked. So, once I exhausted my other options, I would take one valium. I would usually start to relax about half an hour after taking it. Some of the effects of the entheogen were decreased, but at the time I was happy to come out of it and start to sober up.

Earlier we discussed in the importance of knowing the health history of the people in the group. Knowing this health history will enable you to make a better decision about when it is emergency situation and when it is not. For instance, if a person that has a history of high blood pressure and heart attacks starts to complain of shortness of breath and chest pain it is obvious they need to go to the hospital immediately. However, if a person that has a history of an anxiety disorder starts to complain of this, it might be a better decision to give them a little bit of time to work through it.

In many situations, deciding whether a person is having a health emergency will be a judgment call that rests on your shoulders. If you make the wrong decision a person may die or they may have to go to the hospital for something that they could have worked through on their own. Because of this, it is your responsibility to educate yourself on the symptoms of many different emergency health situations. There are far too many to discuss all of them here. Although, there are many readily available resources online for you to consult if needed. For now, we will only discuss serotonin syndrome.

Serotonin syndrome is a life-threatening drug reaction that causes the body to have too much serotonin, a chemical produced by nerve cells. According to NIMH (2008), “To be diagnosed with serotonin syndrome, you must have been taking a drug that changes the body's serotonin levels (serotonergic drug [most entheogens fall into this category]) and have at least three of the following signs or symptoms:

Agitation
Uncoordinated movements (ataxia)
Heavy sweating not due to activity (diaphoresis)
Diarrhea
Overactive reflexes (hyperreflexia)
Fever
Mental status changes such as confusion or hypomania
Muscle spasms (myoclonus)
Shivering
Tremor

Withdrawal of medicines that caused the syndrome
Fluids by IV
Cyproheptadine (Periactin), a drug that blocks serotonin production
Benzodiazepines (muscle relaxants), such as Valium or Ativan, will be used to decrease agitation, seizure-like movements, and muscle stiffness

Patients may get slowly worse and can become severely ill if not quickly treated. Untreated serotonin syndrome can be deadly. However, with treatment, symptoms can usually go away in less than 24 hours.”

When you make the decision to have someone go to the hospital it is important to know what the laws are in your state. The laws in each state are different in regards to whether they consider your body as a container. If they view your body as a container and you go into the hospital with an illegal substance in your blood they can prosecute you for possession. If they don’t view your body as a container, then you can go into the hospital with no legal consequences whatsoever.

Chapter 3: Tips for Tripsitters