Magic Mushroom Trip

Track 04/07

Difficult moments

  1. How common hard trips are
  2. Where the hard moments fall
  3. What helps: the ARRRT steps
  4. When it is an emergency
  5. After a hard trip
  6. Lower the chance next time

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Track 4 of 7 · 4 min read · Updated

Difficult moments on a mushroom trip, and where in the trip they come

Where the hard moments of a mushroom trip tend to fall, from come-up nerves to thought loops at the peak, and the calm steps that help someone through them.

On this page · 6 chapters
  1. 01 How common hard trips are
  2. 02 Where the hard moments fall
  3. 03 What helps: the ARRRT steps
  4. 04 When it is an emergency
  5. 05 After a hard trip
  6. 06 Lower the chance next time

Difficult moments on a mushroom trip are common and usually pass. Jellinek describes a bad trip as becoming anxious and panicking, and names a difficult or overwhelming experience as the main risk of using mushrooms or truffles. The physical risks are small by comparison. Most hard moments fall at predictable points in the trip, which makes them easier to recognise and to sit out.

How common hard trips are

A survey of 1,993 people about their single most difficult experience with mushrooms gives the clearest numbers (Carbonaro et al. 2016). Of them:

  • 39% rated it among the five most challenging experiences of their lifetime.
  • 11% put themselves or others at risk of physical harm during it.
  • 2.6% behaved aggressively or violently, and 2.7% received medical help.
  • The difficulty of the experience increased with the estimated dose.

These figures describe the worst trip of people who chose to answer, so they say nothing about how often an average trip goes wrong. They do show what makes the bad ones worse: a high dose, a long and hard experience, and no physical comfort or social support.

Where the hard moments fall

During the wait: "nothing is happening"

The commonest mistake happens before the trip has started. FRANK, the UK information service, notes that mushrooms can take more than 30 minutes to work and advises waiting before taking another dose. Eaten after 40 minutes, a second portion arrives together with the first and pushes the peak far beyond what was planned.

During the come-up: the body first

Nausea, a dry mouth, poor balance and a faster heartbeat are listed by Jellinek among the physical effects, and they arrive before the mental ones. In this gap people can become convinced that something is wrong with their body. It helps to know in advance that this phase exists and that it usually settles within half an hour.

At the peak: loops and losing the frame

Jellinek describes how thinking becomes associative during a trip and how some thoughts keep returning in loops. Combined with slowed time, a single worrying thought can feel endless. At higher doses the sense that "this is the mushrooms" can weaken.

In the middle: interruptions from outside

A phone call, a visitor, a stranger on a path or a noisy room can tip a calm trip into paranoia. In the Carbonaro survey, the absence of physical comfort and social support increased the likelihood of risky behaviour. This is where set and setting pays off.

Late in the trip: impatience and cannabis

During the waves, a quiet stretch can feel like the end, and then the effects return. Jellinek warns that hash and weed prolong and strengthen a trip and can turn a pleasant one into a difficult one, and Dutch-Smart's product page for Atlantis adds that smoking cannabis during the comedown can reignite the effects.

What helps: the ARRRT steps

Jellinek recommends five steps developed at the Haight-Ashbury clinic in San Francisco for someone who is having a bad trip:

  1. Acceptance. Accept the person as they are, without judging. Make sure they trust you.
  2. Reduction of stimuli. Go to a quiet place, turn off loud music, dim the lights.
  3. Reassurance. Tell them they are having a bad trip or a difficult experience, and that they are somewhere safe with people who want to help.
  4. Rest. Make sure the person can relax.
  5. Talk down. Speak calmly and softly about pleasant, quiet things. Avoid subjects that can cause fear, make no sudden movements and do not leave the person alone.

If they can still swallow well, water or juice is fine. Jellinek also advises the person who is tripping not to fight a difficult experience: going along with it tends to make the hard parts easier over time.

When it is an emergency

Call the emergency number straight away (112 in the Netherlands and the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US) if the person stays very agitated, becomes aggressive or does dangerous things. That is Jellinek's threshold. Also call if someone is unconscious, has a seizure, has trouble breathing or has chest pain, or if you suspect they took something other than what they think. Tell the emergency services what was taken and when.

After a hard trip

Most difficult experiences end with the trip. In the Carbonaro survey, a small minority reported problems that lasted: 7.6% of those whose hard trip was more than a year ago had sought professional help for lasting psychological symptoms. If fear, low mood or changes in perception persist after the trip, talk to a doctor. In the Netherlands the Drugs Infolijn of the Trimbos Institute answers questions on 0900 1995. The day after page covers the normal after-effects.

Lower the chance next time

The most reliable levers are the ones from the research above: a lower dose, a calm and familiar place, a sober sitter and no extra substances. In the Netherlands, where truffles are legal, that also means starting at the mild end of the scale. Dutch-Smart describes Mexicana as the mildest strain in its range and Pajaritos as a step stronger but less intense than Atlantis. More in the choice guide.