Trip Reports

Trip reports from online forums reveal that psychedelic intoxication follows observable patterns shaped by both context and inner experience. Context includes psychosocial factors like expectations and material surroundings such as interior design and other people present. Inner experience covers psychological reactions and how users narrate them. Analyzing about 100 reports from Bluelight, Erowid, and Shroomery, the authors demonstrate that these experiences are structured but not necessarily framed as mystic or religious, suggesting trip reports can complement existing research. Further study of these patterns may aid harm reduction and therapeutic applications.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: Experiences of intoxication elude scientific research because of their immediate and 'inner' nature for the intoxicated individual. In this chapter, we show how 'trip reports' – reports of psychedelic intoxication – from online drug information forums and libraries allow for further understanding the experience of psychedelic intoxication from LSD, DMT and psilocybin by examining psychonauts' (i.e., recreational psychedelic users) own understandings. Methods: The chapter draws on textual ethnography to analyze the trip rapports, approaching the reports as 'native' texts that allow for understanding constructions, conventions and practices of intoxication among participants in online psychonaut culture. We reviewed approximately 100 reports from three online drug information forums and libraries: Bluelight, Erowid and Shroomery. By focusing on nine of these reports, we demonstrate how they can be used to analyze psychedelic intoxication. Results: Our analysis shows how psychonauts construct their experiences by combining the context of psychedelic intoxication with inner aspects. The context refers to psychosocial factors of the psychonaut, such as expectations, and their material and social surroundings, such as interior design and other people present during intoxication. The inner experience refers to the arguably psychologically internal reactions and experiences of intoxicating effects, and how the psychonauts narrate them. Conclusions: Our findings show that intoxication follows observable patterns which may best be unraveled by approaching it as structured experience. Yet, the structure of these experiences is not necessarily framed in mystic or religious ways, suggesting that trip reports may complement current research on psychedelic intoxication that approaches it as religious or mystic experiences. Moreover, we suggest that further research should examine the systematics of context and inner experience of psychedelic intoxication which might aide the development of better methods for harm reduction and the study of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.