rupertsky said:

I'll talk it with my doctor first to get his opinion on this, it could be a good input

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Bardy said:

I, myself, ended up having conversation after conversation with my mum about the reality of different drugs having different amounts and types of risks associated with them and over the years I think I’ve managed to open up her mind significantly to the facts.

If your parents partake in the consumption of alcohol, or have done in the past, but demonise other drugs (like my parents did), then they’re being hypocritical to some degree. Most people are like that because it’s what they’ve been led to believe by governments and sometimes religion.

After a lot of talks with my Mum I think I’ve finally brought her to see that my own drug use is usually pretty informed and safe. I try to steer clear of the most harmful and addictive substances and gravitate towards lower doses of things generally. She’s much less worried about it all than she used to be and she doesn’t hound me about it at all anymore.

So I guess my point is not to worry because over time your actions of being sensible with your drug use and possibly your commitment to being open and honest about the facts will eventually prove that there is not much to worry about. Just relax and try to have faith that the ones you love will accept you for who you are.

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Quote:

rupertsky wrote: Has anyone had a similar experience? How can I overcome this overthinking? Or am I missing something related to that trip that could be beneficial, perhaps pointing to an internal conflict with something I haven't figured out yet?

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I think that regardless of your personal opinions, over time you absorb a lot of mental baggage from the media, government, society, family etc that creates a negative mental image of "taking drugs."

Much of this is understandable when you think about serious drug addiction, but it puts all drugs (except alcohol) into one category, whether its meth or mushrooms. I've found this negative "mental baggage" surrounding drug use can sometimes creep into my trips, although to be honest I usually find the idea that I'm "on drugs" to be quite funny during a psychedelic trip.

I remember one trip where I was lying in bed with eyes closed, and in my CEV I had this mental image of being surrounded by police, police cars, police dogs, all just milling around within my trip. The police dog in my CEV (an alsation or something) had this strange cartoonish spiral for a body, and was giving me the side-eye as if to say "look what you did, you made this happen." The idea of being guilt-tripped by imaginary police dogs with spiral bodies makes me laugh, but it's expressing an underlying feeling about "drugs" that is influenced by all these social pressures.



There's been a lot more positivity surrounding psychedelics in recent years in society, with various academic research ongoing and more positive information making its way into mainstream media, such as when Michael Pollan published "How to Change Your Mind."

Overthinking, thinking differently, questioning things about your life or about reality are all part of the psychedelic experience. If you feel anxious or guilty about psychedelics, it may help to look at some of the more positive reporting on them. For example, I'm partway through Albert Hoffman's book "LSD: My Problem Child" - the title acknowledges the "drugs are bad" stereotype but the book is very positive about the potential of psychedelics.

Also I think being a regular on the Shroomery, and having an online community where you can discuss psychedelics (not always a great idea with your family) can help. Not everything about psychedelics is all sunshine and rainbows, as you can see on this forum. They do require some care about how you use them and how much you take, but in the grand scheme of things I think taking mushrooms (or magic truffles) is a low-risk activity with a lot of rewards, something that can open up your mind to new ways of thinking.