Bad trip

The infamous "bad trip" is simply an experience with a hallucinogen that the person perceives to be unpleasant or negative. They are commonly characterised as being disturbing in nature, however a bad trip can be as simple as the one having the experience feeling down or sad. Bad trips are entirely subjective - one person may find the patterns on a carpet morphing into one another to be hilarious whereas someone else may find it frightening. Susceptibility to a negative experience depends entirely on the personality and frame of mind of the one having the experience. Bad trips can sometimes be traumatising and on occasion can cause hidden mental disorders to emerge in those who were already susceptible. Common results of a bad trip include paranoia, fear, panic attacks, depression and inability to sleep following the experience. The risk of a bad trip can be reduced by having the correct set and setting. Some have theorised that bad trips are internal conflicts within the user's psyche which emerge, forcing the person to deal with the problem and to engage in a self-healing process. There are cases, however, when attempting to help someone out of a difficult experience is absolutely necessary. It must be noted, however, that bad trips are not necessarily confined to use of hallucinogens - substances such as alcohol are also known to cause profoundly negative psychological experiences. Methods of making a trip pleasant again or easing the negative effects include reassuring the tripper that they are safe, that the effects will soon wear off, changing the environment to something soothing and sedation through the use of benzodiazepines such as lorazepam.