Bad trips—frightening experiences of losing oneself or going crazy—are common among users of psychedelics. Based on interviews with 50 Norwegian users, most described such episodes but said they could be avoided by following rules based on tacit subcultural knowledge. This knowledge served as symbolic boundary work distinguishing insiders from outsiders. Some rejected the term bad trip entirely, arguing the experience reflected a lack of competence. Crucially, most participants said these unpleasant experiences had been beneficial, sometimes yielding deep existential and life-altering insights. Storytelling transforms bad trips into valuable experiences, serving as a coping mechanism that helps users make sense of frightening episodes and integrate them into their life stories, enabling continued psychedelic use.
Interviews with 50 psychedelic drug users reveal that their experiences consistently follow archetypical mystical narratives, including the transcendence of time and space, deep euphoria, and a sense of oneness with a larger whole. These narratives have clear roots in traditional mystical thinking but also reflect current cultural and political influences, such as themes of oneness with plants and animals and the need to protect nature. The findings suggest that mystical experiences from psychedelics have archetypical patterns but are shaped by culturally specific storylines.