Hi,
I’ve been a fairly long time customer of Psychonauts and thought it might be helpful for others interested in trying their products to read about some personal experiences.
For some background I have high functioning autism which means generally I cope well in society but I do have some difficulties with empathy, reading other people’s emotions and forming bonds with other people. As there is no prescribed medication for autism I just had to cope as best as I could but this lead to some severe burnout and also depression.
Unrelated to this I had a burgeoning interest in psychedelics through reading works such as Aldous Huxley’s Doors Of Perception and Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. Also I would recommend the excellent documentary ‘The Sunshine Makers’.
I eventually found the Psychonauts on LB and decided to give their ‘Leisure Time’ a try. The first experience was subtle but also life changing, the visual effect was what stood out the most and suddenly the world seemed a much more beautiful and interesting place. I took it gently as it was my first time but was keen to go deeper. The following day I tried again and had a much less intense experience - the first important lessen for me was that my tolerance builds incredibly quickly, there’s no point trying to trip two days in a row. It was quite saddening, I felt like I had been shown something beautiful only to have it snatched away immediately.
Thankfully after taking a week off and trying again my body had reset and I was back in the beautiful world that Lucy reveals. This time just wandering around and seeing other people go about their business I felt a deep joy in witnessing the connection between others, and it felt like this was missing from my life and I wanted to seek it out for myself. This was an unexpected lesson as for 30 years I had thought I was quite content as somebody who functioned on their own.
I eventually moved on to trying the Deep Dive, and I soon found out how appropriate that name is! This was intense, I completely shut down and went on an internal journey that was initially quite difficult. I felt like I was the only conscious presence in the world and the few relationships I had were just a figment of my imagination, these people had never existed. I finally knew what it meant to be completely alone, and it was scary. I came out of this trip with the realisation of how important other people are to me, and that I was not content living life as an island even if I had told myself this was the case.
So for me, whilst the trips themselves can be very pleasurable, music sounds incredible, nature looks beautiful, it is the lessons that you take away and practice in your daily life that reap the most benefits. After a few years of using Lucy my relationships with other people are so much better, and consequently I am much happier. Long gone are the periods of depression that I used to suffer. I also feel a deeper appreciation for the beauty of the world, it feels like I’m seeing everything with fresh eyes like a child.
Massive shout it and thanks to the Psychonauts, they were always helpful in offering guidance as I started on this journey. They offer impeccable service as well, fast, discreet and willing to address any concerns.
I’m incredibly grateful that something I started initially for recreation actually taught me some of the most important life lessons.
Interested to hear what lessons other people have learned!
