Bad trip: what to do

If you are the one having it

1. Tell yourself the plain facts. You took mushrooms. This is the drug. It will wear off: effects peak within one to two hours and then subside. [The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act, Neuropharmacology, 2018, read 28 October 2026]
2. Breathe out slowly. Longer out than in, ten times.
3. Change one thing. Lie down or sit up. Eyeshades off, or on. Different music, or silence. A blanket.
4. Stop fighting it. Research guidelines encourage volunteers who see a frightening figure, such as a monster, to approach it and ask why it has appeared, rather than flee. [Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety, Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2008, read 28 October 2026]
5. Ask for help. Tell your sitter. Hold a hand if that was agreed.
6. Do not take anything else. No more mushrooms, alcohol or cannabis. DRUGSinfo says alcohol raises the chance of a bad trip and cannabis can make it stronger or less controllable. [Paddo's: combinatiegebruik, DRUGSinfo, Trimbos-instituut, read 28 October 2026]

If you are with someone having one

• Stay. Get to eye level. Speak slowly and use their name.
• “You took mushrooms. You are safe. I am here. This will pass.”
• Go through, not down: accompany them through it rather than trying to stop it. [Zendo Project guide: the four principles of psychedelic support, Zendo Project, read 28 October 2026]
• Move them somewhere quieter and darker if the room is busy. Keep them away from stairs, roads, water and windows.
• Offer water. Do not give food or medicine unless a professional tells you to.

For emotional support from people trained in psychedelic experiences, the Fireside Project's line in the US takes calls and texts on 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433), 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific. [Fireside Project: psychedelic peer support line, Fireside Project, read 28 October 2026]

Why bad trips happen

Dose, mindset and setting all play a part. Set and setting shape the response to a psychedelic. [Constructing drug effects: a history of set and setting, Drug Science, Policy and Law, 2017, read 28 October 2026] In a survey of difficult mushroom experiences, risk was higher at higher doses and when physical comfort and social support were missing. [Survey study of challenging experiences after ingesting psilocybin mushrooms: acute and enduring positive and negative consequences, Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2016, read 28 October 2026] DRUGSinfo adds that alcohol raises the chance of a bad trip. [Paddo's: combinatiegebruik, DRUGSinfo, Trimbos-instituut, read 28 October 2026] Potency also varies: cultivated mushrooms have been shown to vary in psilocybin content by a factor of four, [The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act, Neuropharmacology, 2018, read 28 October 2026] so the same weight can be much stronger than last time; see the dose calculator.

The days after

Rest, eat, sleep and talk to someone you trust. Write down what happened; the integration journal has prompts. If anxiety, low mood, sleeplessness or unusual perceptions continue, see a doctor and say what you took. An integration therapist can help make sense of a hard experience.