Psychedelics can; however, cause some permanent changes in you. I'm going to attempt to lay these out.
Realizations- The most common after effect of using a psychedelic is a change in personality or personal actions brought about due to realizations or inspirations that come about during the course of a trip. Generally these are positive things, like a new appreciation for life, or that one needs to change careers or seek spirituality. Occasionally psychedelics will bring you to unworkable or unlivable realizations, ie. Ideas that sounds great while your tripping but don't work so well in the morning. Most people can sort these out from the valuable ideas, in the same way we sort ideas out from what we read or hear on television. Again, generally this is a positive thing, and what the majority of psychedelic users are seeking beyond recreation.
It is perhaps these changes in some people that have led a misguided few to believe that psychedelics can provide some sort of permanent enlightenment. This is not so; or course, only when one puts in the hard work of following up on the realizations does any positive changes result.
Long Term Use Resulting in Permanent Personality Changes- Most of us know somebody who has tripped a few too many times. This person isn't usually dangerous, or altered in any way that is easy to put your finger on. They tend to be just a little bit eccentric, or a little out there.
There are a lot of plausible explanations for this. The most likely seems to be that every time we put our mind through an experience, it burns a memory of that experience into its cells. Do it enough times and there will be noticeable changes. It’s the same theory behind how meditation can lead to enlightenment, or how habitual behaviors are developed.
The mechanism of action behind how this works is complex, and I won't attempt to explain it in detail here. What you need to know is that any excitatory experience (in other words any experience that causes stimulation in the brain, or any experience period) releases neurochemicals which kill some brain cells, at the same time new pathways in the brain are being formed (or strengthened after repeated use). These two mechanisms work to cause changes in our personality based on our experiences. But I digress…
The answer? Moderate your usage.
Pre-existing Conditions- A very small percentage of psychedelic experiences (less than one in one thousand doses) result in latent psychological disorders becoming notable
(
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_effects1.shtml ).
The best advice is to avoid psychedelics if you have a family history of mental illness, have ever been diagnosed with one, have been particularly emotional or irrational recently, or have any other indication that you may suffer from a psychological disorder.
Flashbacks- About one percent of psychedelic users experience flashbacks. Flashbacks are the experience of a change in your thoughts, feelings or perceptions that resemble a previous experience. Any extremely intense experience can cause flashbacks to occur, they are considered a general symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The best way to avoid flashbacks is to be aware of set and setting when tripping, as they are more likely to result from negative experiences than from positive ones. For more information on set and setting, read The Good Trip Guide.
Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder- HPPD is the experience of long term visual problems caused by taking psychedelics. There is no accurate percentage of users who experience HPPD after using hallucinogens, but Erowid believes it to be less than 5%. HPPD can occur after a single use of a psychedelic drug and often does, which leads some people to believe that there is a genetic predisposition for it.
We all occasionally experience visual garbage, weird blobs of color, grainy or pixellated vision, dust and other debris on the eyes, and other weird experiences. For some of us, the use of psychedelics makes us a little bit more aware of this visual "noise". This is not the same thing as HPPD.
HPPD is thought to be when the visual cortex of the brain no longer has the ability to sort the garbage out. It is only considered HPPD when normal life is hindered by the perceptual changes.
There isn't much you can do to protect yourself from HPPD. Beyond watching for the early symptoms, and using infrequently; it is mostly a game of Russian Roulette. Fortunately, most people eventually recover from it within six months to a year and a half. Sadly, some never do.
Erowid has put up an excellent HPPD FAQ which I highly recommend reading.
Generally, psychedelics are some of the safest drugs that you can use. They can be extremely rewarding experiences, but they are powerful ones. Psychedelic Drugs are not toys and should be treated with respect and care. Know yourself, your substance and your source and hopefully all of your experiences will be wonderful ones.
Interessant! Met mate gebruiken en alleen als je je goed voelt is het advies dus eigenlijk.
