bad trip

These substances can also sometimes produce challenging experiences, sometimes referred to as a “bad trip,” which are relatively understudied and can lead to significant psychological distress, said Dr. David S. Mathai, a psychiatrist at Baylor College of Medicine.

In many cases, people actually report that a so-called “bad trip,” ended up being beneficial for their healing, said Eirini Argyri, a PhD candidate at the University of Exeter who also works with the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project.

Sometimes people experience anxiety, panic and feeling disconnected from their sense of self, but what makes it a "bad trip" depends on the individual's resources, support and integration of the experience, Argyri said.

In a 2016 study from John Hopkins University of about 2,000 people who reported a past negative experience when taking magic mushrooms, more than 10% said their worst “bad trip” had put themselves or others in harm’s way.

If a “bad trip” is a Western phenomenon, it could be because leaders in the Indigenous community who administer these substances undergo extensive training to help guide people through them, and many Indigenous communities in general have these substances deeply embedded in their society.