Who are you tripping with? Choose your travel companions with these tips!

When you choose to use psychedelics, you're faced with the question of who you'll trip with. Who's present during your trip can significantly impact your experience. These people can contribute to a pleasant and profound experience, but are also unpredictable. In this blog post, we'll give you tips on choosing your travel companions consciously.

Who will you trip with? Who's a good fit for you?

Set and setting are important when tripping, as anyone who knows anything about psychedelics knows. If you'd like to learn more, read more on Erowid, for example, the article Make Sure to Check Your Set and Setting. The people who are also present with you in the room (or outside) are part of the setting. They can contribute a lot to the atmosphere, but they can also be changeable and unpredictable. It's important that you feel comfortable and safe with them. But how do you choose these travel companions?

What can help you choose is to consider psychedelic compatibility or similarities. This means asking yourself if you can trip well with someone without any problems. As mentioned: this person is your travel companion, even if it's a psychonautical journey. So you can also consider whether you could actually travel with this person, or whether you could work together.

You have friends you really love, but wouldn't want to live with. Maybe you also have someone you enjoy working out with, but wouldn't want to travel with. These are always in which you have similarities with someone in some way, but not in all. So, it's important to figure out who you'd like to go on a psychedelic trip with.

The following factors are important:

• Similarity in goals or intentions
• Similarity in expectations
• Flexibility
• Openness

If there's little or no common ground, the trip will likely be disappointing.

Tripping when you're not compatible

Suppose Rob is going tripping with his friend Michael. They're both excited and looking forward to it. It would be fun to do this together, but they have different perspectives on the trip. Rob is looking for an experience that allows him to turn inward. He's grappling with existential questions and hopes the experience will help him see them in a new way.

His friend Michael is looking for a completely different experience. Michael sees it primarily as a relaxing, enjoyable experience and focuses less on the introspective side.

The differences can quickly become apparent. Rob prefers a quiet environment, with soft lighting and some soothing music. Rob sees the trip as a moment of personal reflection, in which he hopes to gain insight into his emotions and existential questions. He's also put together a great playlist.

Michael doesn't think soothing music is really appropriate right now and wants to choose music when his mood changes. He wants to be able to move and dance, but Rob finds that far too distracting. He'd rather just lie quietly on the couch. Michael finds that boring. He'd also like to chat with Rob, make jokes, and enjoy philosophical discussions. Rob finds inspiration during the trip and wants to write in his journal. Michael wants to cuddle. It's clear that in this case, there's little psychedelic common ground, and Rob hasn't fully considered who he wants and can trip with.

Changing psychedelic common ground

It's helpful to remember that psychedelic common ground can change. Rob and Michael might not be compatible now, but Rob might also want to trip for fun and companionship. Or maybe Michael wants to delve deeper next time and trip to get answers to certain questions. It depends on what's going on in your life. So, before you trip with friends, it's a good idea to discuss whether you're on the same page.

In such a conversation, try to clarify things that could cause problems, such as: what if someone wants to go outside during the trip and others want to stay inside? What do you do if someone really can't stand the music that's playing? How do you handle it when you're tripping together and one of you wants to talk, while the other wants peace and quiet?

Who are you tripping with: Finding your travel companion

If you share your goals and expectations, you're much more likely to find the right travel companion. This increases the chance that you'll both have a good trip together. To agree To find this, you can make agreements about goals, expectations, and style.

Expectations

Do you agree on what you expect from the trip together, or do you allow room for everyone's own expectations? Could expectations perhaps shift during the trip?

Style

What are your thoughts on the style? Will you maintain a structure, perhaps a ritual? Will it be about the inner journey, will you do things together? Is there room for making art or music? Will a film be shown? Or will you let everything go and not need rules? Make sure this is clear.

Goals

What are everyone's goals for the session, and are they consistent? Possible goals include: fun, discovery, introspection, partying, spiritual discoveries, or experiencing emotions.

Music

Will you listen to a playlist that everyone can hear? Will you choose the songs together, or will someone be the DJ? Or will music only be played when needed?

If you decide to use psychedelics, it's wise to agree beforehand with whom you'll be using them and what everyone's expectations are. Share your wishes and thoughts about tripping and see if you can agree. If not, you can look for a different travel companion.

Be careful with psychedelics. They can have unpredictable or negative effects, especially with overdose or if you have fragile mental health. A trip can also have negative effects, especially if you take too much or are not feeling well. People experiencing mental health issues should avoid using mind-altering substances.

Curious about what's available in the field of psychedelics? Then take a look at our selection, for example here.

Medical disclaimer and risks

Note: The use of psychedelics is not without risk. This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. If in doubt, consult a doctor, especially if you are experiencing mental health issues or are taking medication. Psychedelics can cause anxiety, confusion, psychosis, or flashbacks, especially if you have fragile mental health. Using psychedelics for self-reflection is not a substitute for professional help for mental health issues.

More info: Trimbos.nl

Blog written by: Mirjam Sprenger, copywriter for the Taaldomein.
She focuses primarily on writing about health, nutrition, and supplements, prioritizing reliability and clarity of information.