When my dad learned I was using psychedelics

I wanted to share a little anecdote which is related to my journey with psychedelics. <br><br>Years ago when I was 22 I told my dad I was using psychedelics and his response was very interesting, so I wanted to share. <br><br>In the 1960s my father was a college drop out and was traveling around the country, basically just raveling from one hippie commune to another, with his head shop buddy, visiting and attending some really iconic festivals and events, and learning about and using psychedelics. He describes a very unique time and space for that generation. <br><br>I’ve been using psychedelic drugs since I was 15, so now they have been part of my life for almost 11 years, and I try to work with them as often as I can. <br><br>When I was 22, I decided to tell my dad about my psychedelic use and he was really excited, but with some reservations. <br><br>This was my first experience sharing my interest in psychedelics with someone from my older family members, and it was a very interesting conversation. <br><br>He highlighted some highs and some lows from his time using psychedelics. <br><br>He said that he didn’t know anyone who had used psychedelics for a long time and it helped their lives, and that most people he knew who consistently used psychedelics ended up with some kind of problem. <br><br>He said that he had basically stopped using psychedelics during his mid 30s and hasn’t used them in a long time. <br><br>He said his psychedelic use stopped when he realized that he wasn’t finding what he was looking for anymore. <br><br>It was a very eye opening conversation for me. <br><br>When you first learn about psychedelics, you are often inspired by stories like Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception, and how they helped expand some of the most creative minds of the 1960s, and you get a very rosy view of the power of psychedelics. <br><br>But it’s pretty rare to hear a negative perspective about psychedelics, unless you’re familiar with the anti-drug propaganda which often demonizes them. <br><br>People don’t really talk about the negatives in the psychedelic community, at least not in a constructive way. <br><br>I think this is probably for a good reason. <br><br>You don’t want to plant negative seeds or fears about psychedelics into people, which could prevent them from opening up to psychedelics and having their own experience. <br><br>Psychedelics are very heterogeneous and affect people in a wide variety of ways. And the same psychedelic drug will have a different effect in different people, and even in the same person under different conditions. <br><br>But for me, my dad’s warning really stuck. <br><br>So I began to think more critically about how I was using psychedelics, and what my motivations were, and how I could work with them in a more intentional and structured way. <br><br>I realized that there was a huge problem in the way I was using psychedelics. <br><br>I was basically just voyaging into the depths of my own psyche and soul, and encountering very profound and deep experiences. <br><br>But when I returned, to my normal daily life, I realized that I wasn’t really integrating anything. <br><br>I was still struggling with the same problems. I was still using psychedelics as a kind of escape, or as a way to feel special, or to basically obliterate my ego and have some kind of spiritual or cosmic revelation. <br><br>So I realized I needed to work with psychedelics in a different way. <br><br>I realized that I had to intentionally integrate my experiences, and apply the insights I was getting into my daily life. <br><br>I think this is one of the biggest problems people are facing when they get into psychedelics. They aren’t integrating anything, and they just kind of float around in the psychedelic space, never really evolving or growing. <br><br>I still work with psychedelics, and I feel like I’m getting really profound insights from them, but I’m still working on integrating those insights in a more intentional way. <br><br>I’m curious to know how others might approach this. <br><br>Do you intentionally try to integrate your psychedelic experiences? If so, how?<br><br>What are your thoughts about psychedelic integration?<br><br>What kind of problems have you encountered when working with psychedelics?<br><br>How do you stay grounded while working with psychedelics?<br><br>What are your thoughts on intentional integration of psychedelic experiences?