Request for assistance: Residual psychedelic-induced cognitive effects

[brandon]

Hi, 

A friend of mine recently underwent a guided psychedelic trip involving huachuma (san pedro cactus, purchased from a Peruvian store in Ichitos). The guide gave her sugar to make the second dose of huachuma more palatable, which we speculate may have precipitated a long and agonizing headache for the remainder of the 13 hour trip. At a particular point towards the end of the trip, the guide introduced coffee as a means of alleviating the headache. The headache was reduced significantly, but the coffee, as an MAOI, significantly amplified the effects of the huachuma for the next hour (accompanying disturbances and distress attributed to an entity (representing the heaviness of the world), strong focus on the divine, and ecstatic dancing to bhajan hindu prayer songs). The dose was 17 grams (of dried cactus powder) initially and then another 8 grams 2.5 hours after first ingestion.

Subsequent residual effects are what are concerning. For 10 days, she has reported with disorientation, dizziness, and poor concentration. These symptoms have diminished over time, and have abated in response to dietary restrictions on MAOI and tyramine containing foods (e.g., cheese, chocolate, meat, coffee). However, the disorientation still comes up, and recently, today, occurred while going on a run. If anyone has experience with this and some good advice, I'd welcome it. I'm heartened by the gradual reduction, but I expected these symptoms to abate much sooner. I also worry that the the coffee and adverse reaction (headache) contributed to some of these cognitive after-effects. My sense is that the coffee functioned as an MAOI, amplifying the effects, but not necessarily interacting adversely with the compound, but I haven't yet found any research on the subject other than reddit posts describing their innocuous sounding experiences. In my experience with ayahuasca and huachuma, there have been notable negative cognitive changes following my experiences, mainly an inability to focus analytically on complex problems. However, I have never experienced the vertigo-like symptoms that are being described, nor have I experienced the duration of these residual effects accompanying a dose of this size. Appreciate your time, and look forward to hearing your thoughts. 

[Leo Gura]

Be patient. Give it a month.

[Aaron p]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

Be patient. Give it a month.

^ aye, probs be sweet in a month. I find the opposite with psycs, I can have wayyyyyy more complex af concepts and multiple concepts going on in my head at the same time....

That's just my experience

[brandon]

12 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Be patient. Give it a month.

Thanks. 

[brandon]

Hi, I've been meaning to update this thread for those who may be happening upon it in search of answers as they navigate similar psychedelic-induced challenges. The residual features my friend was describing did subside following approximately a month. However, she still claims that at times during heightened exercise she perceives some perceptual disturbance in the form of things moving ("My brain was perfect before"). I'm not sure what to make of this, but negative features have almost entirely subsided. Also, her perception was that taking fairly large daily doses of lion's mane was helpful in remediating the negative effects. Just thought I'd post in case helpful for others! Be well. 

[Consilience]

1 hour ago, brandon said:

However, she still claims that at times during heightened exercise she perceives some perceptual disturbance in the form of things moving ("My brain was perfect before"). I'm not sure what to make of this, but negative features have almost entirely subsided.

That’s good to hear, but in terms of the perception of things moving, this is actually a completely “normal” phenomena that can happen with advanced meditators. When one applies a high level of mindfulness to the outer visual space, the solidified objectified perception of the world can break apart into a more fluid, spacious perception like what one experiences on psychedelics. The perception of a solidified world is actually a distorted view of what’s going on; a distortion the mind creates to provide a sense of groundedness and safety. Yet when one pays attention, deeply, no such grounding or solidity is to be found. Again, this is all something we can verify via sober mindfulness meditation.

Id recommend breath work, mindful breathing, and hatha yoga to your friend. These practices all very much emphasize embodiment which can not only help integrate the experiences, but help her reorient and ground herself into “normal” reality. Sounds like it was a pretty challenging experience overall.