Are psychonauts off-putting?

>>18060432
In the end, it depends on the girl. It won't necessarily be a turn off if you say something along the lines of "I enjoy tripping for x reasons" but when you get into "i saw the light, my wavelengths synchronized, and my third eye was opened" is when you start to dip into weird territory.

I don't know. I was in a similar situation as you while I was in undergrad (abnormal psychology) and am even more interested in their use as a therapy tool now that I'm working towards my phd. I just feel that being able to actually experience various states of mind provide the best means to actually empathize with patients rather than, well, treating them as a patient.

>I never considered my personal drug use to negatively impact my life, as my use is rare and very methodical in nature.
This is the biggest thing. I know too many people who have simply let go of their minds in their psychedelic pursuits. As long as you can keep that grasp and hold it tight, you're fine. You know that song, by the beach boys, "hang on to your ego"? It's basically that.

Really all it comes down to is you and the girls (or people in general) that you connect with. If you do end up getting a girlfriend, and regardless of how she feels about tripping/psychs, just don't let it get in the way of the two of you building a strong relationship with eachother. Like, if she wants to go out for the day, but you want to trip, just go out with her. Who knows? Maybe she'll pick up your interests in psychedelics, which is most likely a good thing since I feel (when used properly) they're some of the best tools to bring people closer.

Good luck :)

>>18060432
>30 y.o. female
It's a bit depending on the life stages you are in, I guess. Years ago I wouldn't have minded someone who took the occasional psychedelic, and I considered it myself. I never did it however because through what we learnt about toxicology of certain molecules it became clear that stuff considered much more harmless (SSRI, adderall) have long-lasting effects, some life-long. I think that if you're bent on experiencing different states of mind meditation and other things can give you a good intro and I grew a dislike of all the drug aspect.

The main issue I had with people who took drugs was that back when I was young they would all get them from the black market, and I'm not for that. You're literally sponsoring crime. For a while our group of friends had an organic chemist as friend who would synthesize compounds and they used that but he got busted and they retracted his degree.
It felt like nothing good could come from it.

Now at an age where I'm trying to build up something steady and a place I can call home, with a family, I feel like that's not compatible with doing drugs like that.

So, I think it's sort of off putting, but it will increasingly become so as you grow older.

>>18060432
My girlfriend gave me my first ecstasy experience, my first DMT experience, and my first good mushroom experience.

She's a college graduate and about to start working at BMW.

So..............you just gotta find the right girl.

>>18060432
Tbh anon, being a psychonaut sounds kinda hot, but since people wouldn't know what 'being a psychonaut' is, they'd just assume youre some weird sociopath.
Just try to explain it to them (without sounding spergy) and hope they're cool enough to think the same

>>18060489
Anon, this is one of the most valueable answers i have ever received here.

Our views seem to intersect quite a lot as i too believe in the clinical application of psychedlics to be a good thing.
>Harris-Carhart et al. (2016) - First fMRI LSD study.

>>18060510
I am not here to 'convert anyone', but you are bringing up what i tried to emphasise.
My interest has from the very beginning been founded on scientific pursuits. This goes hand in hand with special precautions as testing and safe acquisition of the chemicals.

It makes sense that you as a 30 year old, are more 'weary' of such interests. And the point you are making in this regard is clearly valid.

Then again i am only 20 yo and not in the same situation as you.
>in this vain, would you think that in the 20-24 year range, being a psychonaut would be off putting?

>>18060529
I always try to explain psychedlics from in a sober way as possible. Yet i have noticed that i do have a pro-psychedics bias (based on my scientific research) and that many people (especially girls) are even put off by that approach.

>what you do drugs?!
>why are you harming yourself?
>are you crazy?
>eww. you junkie!
In the best case:
>are you not afraid of jumping out of your window?

>>18060565
>in this vain, would you think that in the 20-24 year range, being a psychonaut would be off putting?
Thinking about how I was back then:
No, as a young 20-21 y/o, I wouldn't have considered it offputting, I was shouting stupid stuff drunk out of my mind in the streets once in a while so I don't see how that's any different. I'd be a bit "meh" until I knew for sure it was done safely and with a tripsitter etc.
However I think I would expect it to be a phase.

Now, how I think now, it's different. 20-25 is also the age at which your brain finishes to mature so I would try to wait a few years before you actually try, to make sure it has had the time to mature well.

>>18060489
>I know too many people who have simply let go of their minds in their psychedelic pursuits
As a relatively new psychonaut this is what scares me the most and I don't know why
Because how would one know if they were beginning to loose grasp? as someone who is perpetually uncertain of everything, the constant nagging question of 'am I beginning to loose my mind/do permanent damage?' would probably drive me insane in and of itself

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>>18060583
I don't drink alcohol or smoke (scientific conviction), so i rarely socialise with people who's main life pleasure is partying/shitfacing.

And the 'nerdy' girls who don't do it usually are prudes who are frequently scared even the word -drug-.
To find a chick among those, who is into 'stoned 'n' chill' (or even the occasional 'shroom sex session'), feels beyond hard and frustrating.

>>18060878
I think that is the difficulty.
Rest assured that, when you follow the harm reduction advise properly and constently, LSD, shrooms, DMT, ketamine are NOT neurotoxic in any way.

That being said i think you are refering to the psychological harm.
Well, as a student of the subject i can tell you that no correlation has been found between LSD and psychosis.
>http://www.nature.com/news/no-link-found-between-psychedelics-and-psychosis-1.16968
>nature magazine
but psychedlics can lead to personality changes because they can give you a new perspective. Here is where i would to emphasise that one should be knowledgable about one's reason for tripping.
>Exploration
>Escapism
The former is clearly the safer motivation.
One should therefore recognise that these are tools and not fantasies. And to be able to distance oneself from them, if one recognises that one is prone to the escapism (even if it just a temorary state).

>>18060432
> clinical psych major female 24

I rarely find others interested in the same things as I am and usually notice people's eyes glazing over. I too find neuropsych interesting and would love to read about your research if you've the time to send it to me. [email protected]

>>18061076
Thanks for interest.
Tried to PM you, but the email address you supplied does not 'seem to exist'.

Please repost your address or supply an alternative.

bump for interest.

>>18061043
As a neuroscientist and a scholar, how do you feel about MDMA?

I have tried all of those psychedelics with great success, fantastic shifts in perception and yet it was MDMA which for me perhaps had the most profound effect.

Sadly, as I understand it, this has some neurotoxic potential.
I have in the past taken it in an ill-advised manor e.g consecutive days/ large doses/ in conjunction with other drugs and have yet to have a bad experience.
Rather crudely, I also took IQ tests, brain training exercises and puzzles before and after to try to guage any change in cognitive performance...no noticeable changes.

The only thing I do wonder about is my body's temperature regulation ability.
For some reason I warm up super quick when I play basketball/do yoga now and start sweating profusely before I've even really over exerted myself. I've tried seeing the effect of cutting out caffeine and changing my salt intake, but neither of these measures had an effect.

It makes me wonder if taking MDMA somehow permanently fucked up my temperature regulation mechanism.

>>18061483
I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. It's [email protected]

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>>18061995
I personally have not tried MDMA, because it seems to considered by many people to be a 'stimulant' first and a psychedelic second. I plan on trying it in the future.

>consecutive days
>large doses
>in conjunction
Are clear signs of overuse, which can be damaging with any psychedelic, however harmless.
Polydruging makes find the cause of negative sideeffects very difficult, as there are hardly any controlled studies/meta analysis of psychedelic polydrug use.
That being said, yes, MDMA is considered more toxic and abusable than other psychedelics (LSD, DMT, Psilocybin). This seems partially because MDMA has a less pronounced 'anti addictive' (self regulating) effect than other psychs, also due to its more stimulant nature. Also there have been studies which seem to indicate that prolonged MDMA use can lead to (at least temporary) memory problems.

At the same time it is still safe enough to be clinically tested for PTSD treatment.
>https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/dec/01/fda-mdma-ptsd-final-trials
>http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_1-11-2010-15-43-18

I am not a pharmacologist or a doctor, therefore my advice is this:
>take a break from all drugs for at least a few month
>see whether side effects subside
>if not, consult your GP (they are bound to confidentiality)
also, the brain training routines are useless and won't reduce the side effects.

>MDMA can be harmful and mildly addictive when mixed or used regularly.

>>18062141
PM re-sent.
Reply if you received it.

>>18062312
Used secure mail.
Also check trash folder.

>>18060432
>I tend to talk about psychedlia a lot, also because it is the topic of a scientific paper i am writing.

Just curious, where are you planning to publish it. Setting ethical considerations aside. In what way is your work any different, since the effects of all major psychedelics are well documented.

>>18062347
It will not be published as it is a curiculuum assignment.

>effects are well documented.
Although i agree that most drugs have been very well described and compiled (psychonautwiki.org), not few studies have done so with contemporary scientific rigour.

Furthermore little is know about the psychopharmacological functioning and neurological effects of psychedelics.
>the first ever fMRI study of LSD only happend last year
Also the therapeutic benefits of psychs have hardly been explored. Hypothesised but never well studied.

My paper discusses how LSD could potentially be used for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

>>18062377
>Also the therapeutic benefits of psychs have hardly been explored. Hypothesised but never well studied.

Some, like LSD are very powerful and I doubt they can be given safely at higher dosages. Seeing what happened with "medical marihuana", I see no safe way of making them legal.

>>18061483
Thank you for your PM. I've sent a reply. Have a good evening PsychAnon

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>>18062406
>Some, like LSD are very powerful and I doubt they can be given safely at higher dosage.
Although you may have have your doubts, an increasing body of research is indicating that there is potential for therapeutic applications in controlled clinical settings.
>pic related.

If this amounts to anything in the coming decade, is to be seen. But i am convinced that it is the reponsibility of the scientific community and the lawmakers to enable peer reviewed research into, what apparently are promising leads.

>>18060878
Usually other people will notice a change in you.

Sometimes it can be a steady progression that can get set off with a bad trip. I wouldnt recommend it if people in your family have a history with mental illness.

>>18062796
Change itself is not a bad things. Many people experience positive change due to encountering a new perspective.

But although psychedelics have not been shown to cause mental illnesses, they are can cause negative mental side effects in people predisposed to them.

Many psychedelics work by temporarily inducing a psychotic state. Letting the user see the world and themselves through different eyes. This altered state of mind can be begin to blur with everyday funtioning if experienced to frequently.

I want to say no, personally I'd have no issue if you decided that's how you like to live your own life. Buuuuut at the same time I also dabble in drugs so I'm more open minded to it. I feel like most people or girls wouldn't be cool with it unless they've experienced it themselves are do it currently. Even that's hard to say because some people claim to be open minded until you bring up something they actually quiet grounded and closed off about it. Good luck OP I'm glad you made this thread because I now know what I'd like to have in another person.

>>18063928
Thanks for your encouragment, femanon.
I feel so as well. The word 'drug' is extremely scary to people, to the point where they will categorically stop listening and label you negatively, even if you try to give a reasoned, rational and intellectual answer.

>How would you think would one be able to find more open minded (but still reasonable) girls.
>what have you realised?

>>18060432
completely unrelated by I'm starting a neuroscience course at uni in a week, anything I should brace for or?
i-it's my first time, anon-kun~...

I'm in a similar boat, OP.

Drugs are a large interest of mine but most people will think of you as weird/unhappy/crazy, and those who will take you seriously are usually insane themselves.

Music is a good way to break the 'drug use' ice, if someone listens to psytrance or techno they're much more likely to use stims or psychedelics.

>>18065432
Insane is a hard word to use in this context.

On dates, restraining from not talking what you are interested in, is quite unnatural to me.

Even the music indicator is very unreliable in my experience.
>i listen to psychedelic rock (like tame impala)
>nice, have you ever done psychedelics?
>NO. It makes you go crazy. / what are psychedelics? Like seeing colours, right?
>......

>>18060432

Presenting yourself as a "psychonaut" is pretentious as hell and immediately off-putting. Drugs can catalyze some amazing experiences, but they are not magic.

If a girl doesn't want to date you because she has issue with drug taking, respect her wishes and move on. If she is willing to give you a shot, be honest and admit that you're doing them because they feel amazing.

if you are successful which it sounds like you are it would not be off putting and would in fact be very interesting

if you are a loser well it looks like you are just doing something to distract you from a lack of personal success

>>18066374
>>18066394

I do not present myself as a psychonaut upfront. It is mainly a convenient label. But when asked about what i do, i tend not to hide that i am a neuroscientist with an interest in hallucinogens.

>Does it make sense to 'hide' this these interests? Or at least delay mentioning them?
>How and when is it best to being such a topic up?

As i mentioned, i do not enjoy being put wholly into one bucket with people doing psychedelics for their escapism/funnzies/magic shamanism.

>loser
Well that is a hard label to understand.
I think interest in psychedelics implies a certain will to explore new things and questions (problems?). I mean that a 'sucessful' business major is less likely to want to do go for psychs vs. a bookish philsopher or whatnot.
What does loser imply to you?

>>18066405
Edit. Not implying that trips are not fun and recreational.
Just that in my experience fun trips end up being quite insightful to me.

>>18060432
Stay smart, keep your use rare, methodical, and as distanced as you can from your professional life. I see that as maybe the greatest danger to you as the line could easily be blurred in your case.

Never forget that these substances are illegal. Any sane person would be cautious when it comes to this sort of thing, for good reason. its still uncharted territory.

but overall, you're in a much better position than most, especially in avoiding anti-intellectuals.

>>18067094
Thanks for your input, i am keeping to my code of conduct.

>avoiding anti-intellectuals
In this field even intellectuals can tend to let their emotions (and politics) get the better of them.

Any suggestions on how to minimise the possibility of backlash (with girls)?
Find girls who are more open?

It can be hard if your scientific interests are still controversial in society.