SPIRITUAL TRIPPING: WHAT IS IT?
When you take psychedelics, anything can happen. If you take more than a microdose, you will start experiencing different effects. In general, you can say that your perception of the world changes. Visually, for instance: from seeing more colours and patterns, to gnome colonies or your ancestors from another universe. Other senses, your mood, perception of time, mental and physical energy: it can all change. But what can also happen is that your trip becomes a spiritual experience that stays with you forever. Here we tell you all about spiritual tripping. What is it, and how do you reach this point that many trippers have as their ultimate goal?
What is a spiritual trip?
When using psychedelic substances like magic mushrooms, truffles, DMT and ayahuasca, you can reach different trip levels. In a previous article, we told you about these five levels of a truffle trip. In short, these are the different stages you can reach in the process, which are similar to similar substances:
Level 1
Relaxation, a light high, happier, more intense perception of colours and music.
Level 2
More creativity, extra strong perception of your senses, seeing patterns with eyes closed or open, the world around you changes slightly but still looks completely recognisable.
Level 3
Strong visual effects, different awareness of time, possible hallucinations
Level 4
Now things get serious. Senses may become jumbled, you may have an out-of-body experience, hallucinations may be intense.
Level 5
The world around you may be almost unrecognisable. You feel at one with the universe. Loss of ego may occur: who you are is no longer relevant. You may experience being beamed up to another world or make contact with more special (otherwise invisible) beings. You may gain life-changing insights about yourself and your place in the world or universe.
This last and highest level often gives users a spiritual trip. You suddenly understand what life is all about. With strong trip aids like DMT and ayahuasca, it is even common for people to overcome or deal with deep traumas and fears in one session. But even at levels 3 and 4 you can have spiritual experiences. You can feel certain energies, from those who are with you at that moment or from entities you can't perceive sober.
Can spiritual tripping also go wrong?
Not everyone has equally pleasant experiences when reaching the highest trip level. Just face it: no longer knowing who or where you are, or meeting absurd beings who communicate with you. You may be told and shown things about yourself you weren't expecting. On user forums, you will find an awful lot of such stories. A DMT fanatic who stopped tripping immediately after being intensely questioned by two little girls during a session, people being visited by aliens with disturbing messages. These are extreme examples, of course, but when you take a high dose, such an experience is possible. If you are not ready for this, be absolutely careful with your trip.
How do I get a spiritual trip?
Think you're ready for a spiritual trip experience? The following tips will increase your chances of getting a spiritual trip.
1: Be open to it
Getting a spiritual trip is not simply a matter of taking a drug and waiting for the universe to tell you all sorts of things. It will take some preliminary work. If you are a very down to earth person who approaches life very rationally, it can be difficult to let go of this mindset. What can help is reading up on spiritual experiences. This doesn't have to be very woolly. An interesting documentary, for instance, is DMT: The Spirit Molecule, which you can find on YouTube here. It combines science with trippy experiences of this potent psychedelic drug. Or read The Psychedelic Handbook and delve into the art of psychedelic use for different purposes. This article on spiritual awakening is also full of helpful tips.
You can also talk to experienced trippers who have had spiritual experiences about what this was like for them and how they achieved it. This will give you a small insight into other realities.
2: Your intention
Start your tripping experience with a specific intention. In ayahuasca ceremonies, for example, this is often a set intention. Do you want answers to certain life questions? Get started on a better version of yourself? Address a certain painful topic?
3: The right setting
Setting is everything when it comes to intense tripping. Make sure the following things are right:
- your mood and emotional stability
- your (as empty as possible) agenda on the day itself and possibly the days afterwards
- your company during and after tripping
- your physical environment
- for shrooms and truffles: make sure your stomach is empty
4: The right dose
Find out what the right dose is for you. There are guidelines for this, but they can vary from person to person. Don't go straight for level 5 if you are inexperienced, but build it up. See what feels comfortable for you and how setting affects you.
5: Meditating
Finally, meditating can help you take control of your mind. This is not something you can master in an afternoon, but definitely a skill you will benefit from in everyday sober life as well. Read the following article to get better at this: Transcending: lift your consciousness to a higher level.
