How to Trip Alone on Shrooms

Tripping Alone on Magic Mushrooms

One of the coolest things about tripping alone is that it lets you fully focus, and get deep into your psychedelic journey, without distraction. It opens your psychic gates to let in the deepest thoughts. You can more freely let go, and not have the social expectation to interact and share with friends, and vice versa. Fans of tripping alone say it’s the best quality time you can give yourself.

Think about it, even if you’re tripping with friends that you adore, sometimes having people around can just be too distracting — especially if you and your friends find yourself on different vibe planes. Sure, being with friends can help you to feel more at ease, especially if you’re relatively new to the psychedelic experience. However, with the right preparations (such as reading and following this guide! 😉) you’ll hopefully feel empowered and prepared to go it alone. Read on for our hot tips for solo trips!

Preparing Your Trip Environment

Be Deliberate When Choosing Your Trip Location

Location is everything, especially when it comes to tripping on magic mushrooms and magic truffles. Of course, it does ultimately depend on what experience you’re looking for, however, many claim that a controlled, relaxed environment is the best when tripping on ‘earthier’ substances like psilocybin.

If you’re indoors, it’s best to pick somewhere familiar and cosy with a bed or couch. Alternatively, magic mushrooms and the great outdoors go together like Peanut butter and Jelly. (If PB & J made you feel at one with a tree!) However, to trip alone outdoors is a bit more of an undertaking. Be sure to pick somewhere relatively familiar and definitely safe.

How to Set the Tone

Now that you have decided on your location, you’re on to one of the most important steps: setting the tone.

If you’re indoors: that means cleaning your room! Dedicate time to declutter your space. Remember you’re going to trip alone, so make sure that you get the most out of it by really thinking about ways to prepare. Think about it like vacationing alone – you’re probably going to be planning your itinerary a little bit more, right?

Once you clean your room, it’s all about improvising & customizing — making it feel special and cosy just for you. Collect some blankets, hide your mirrors, gather some pictures or items you might enjoy looking at or playing with when high. Some people like to have some pictures of loved ones nearby. Others like to get creative with lights — from classic string lights, to funky laser lights or night sky galaxy effects! Whatever works for you! You should also read out full guide on Set & Setting.

Clear Your Schedule

It’s called a trip for a reason. So, if you can, dedicate around 3 days: 1 day before your trip, the day of your trip, and 1 day after your trip. (If this really isn’t possible for you, at least make sure you’re entire trip day is free — no responsibilities or distractions! And if you can, take the day after as easy as possible.)

A shroom trip is a fun, sometimes hilarity-inducing experience. But with solo trips, you are perhaps more likely to embark upon some very personal and spiritual breakthroughs. To prepare for this possibility, dedicate your three days to relaxation and aim not to over-stress. Try and have completed any deadlines or tied up any unfinished business in a neat little bow, so nagging thoughts do not raise their head during your trip.

Set Your Intentions

You and your trip buddies may have made ‘intentions’ lists before. But, listing intentions can be even better when you’re tripping alone. This way you can really focus on yourself, and interrogate your spiritual and emotional desires. List goals or topics you want to reflect on, but don’t stack heavy expectations on them. It’s just you and your thoughts — so really think about: “What do I want to get out of this shroom trip?” Just having a guide or a general direction for your trip can anchor you and make a world of difference.

Psychedelic trips can give us insight and new perspectives into our lives, even major epiphanies that we weren’t necessarily searching for. Thus, we recommend being open to the potentials and possibilities that psilocybin brings you — even if they weren’t on your mind!

Have A Support Network on Speed Dial

This depends on both your environment and your housing situation. You might have the luck of living with close friends or a partner. This means that they can easily be trip sitters, or just keep an eye and ear out for you (though be sure to ask them first!)

However, you may live solo, meaning that it’s more likely you’ll be actually home alone during your magic mushroom experience. If this is the case, just make sure you have someone on speed dial. This means that on the off-chance things become too intense for you, you’ll have someone prepared and ready to talk to.

Trippy Activities for One

Create A Music Playlist

According to research, music can play an essential role in enhancing psychedelic trips. Apparently, a mix of ambient music, combined with artists you’re unfamiliar with are most likely to positively influence your trip. So, a cool idea is to explore unfamiliar artists and see how you experience this new music on shrooms. However, a familiar playlist of your favorite songs can also be both a comfort, and a way to see your personal classics a-new. Remember you’re the driver of this trip. From classic rock, to classical music, you’re sure to find something you like. Some favorite’s from the psychonaut community online include:

• Greg Haines
• Pink Floyd 
• The Doors
• Jhené Aiko  
• Haitus Kaiyote 
• Henryk Górecki

Everyone has different preferences. So prepare a music set for yourself that makes you feel positive A trip generally lasts between 4 and 8 hours, so you can make one this long, or simply loop it. The choice is yours 🙂 

Go For a Walk/Stroll/Hike

This can be a cool idea for those living in rural areas. Or perhaps you have a backyard that you can explore, or even a hiking area near where you live?

Always make sure you know the area where you’ll be walking very well. Stay safe, and have someone on speed-dial.

Play with Crayons, Legos, Puzzles, Clay, etc.

Sometimes when you trip alone, you might be hit with a wave of energy, or even itchy feet, and find yourself in need to something to do. Therefore it’s a good idea to have some stimulating activities that involve your creativity and your hands. It’s highly likely you’ll be too immersed in your internal trip — however, just in case you get stuck in a loop, or need a distraction, have something ready to stimulate yourself with simple creative pleasure.

Bring Nature Indoors

If you’ve plumped to take shrooms or truffles indoors, you can still bring nature with you. In fact, there are many things you can do, such as gathering the plants around your house and arranging them in your ‘trip cave’. You can queue up a playlist of the sounds of nature (bird song is the zennist). And of course, you can just immerse yourself with the classics of nature documentary; Attenborough is of course the gold standard, but even video compilations can usher the natural world inside .

Bonus points if your screen can handle 5K video. A visual orgasm!

Listen To a Podcast or Lecture

These days, in terms of podcasts, our cup runneth over. Or for a slice of specialist insight on literally any topic a Ted Talk will do. Looking up tips on psychedelic forums can bring some insight you might not have had otherwise — such as one reddit user recommending Ram Dass’ “Be here Now” for a truly psychedelic experience. In fact looking for recommendations from the online psychedelic communities is a must!

Meditate

Since meditation is already an introspective experience, why not do it while tripping on shrooms? It can help you remain calm and relaxed, and potentially bring forth spiritual insight more easily. Our recommendation is to take a slightly lower dose if you plan to make meditation your main focus. This way you will still have some psychedelic effects, but you can also tap into your body and your breathing.

Prepare Some Interesting Snacks

One of the coolest things to explore on psilocybin mushrooms is your taste buds. We recommend fresh foods with interesting textures or zingy flavors like oranges, sashimi, Nutella, strawberries, nuts, dark chocolate, or watermelon!

Get Under the Blanket

If you start to feel a bit ‘weird’ or vulnerable make like a little mouse and get cosy! Enjoy the fuzziness of your blankets and wrap yourself like a burrito. 

If you’re keen to observe some of the tenets of ‘psychedelic lore’ you can try what Terence McKenna recommended AKA the ‘heroic dose‘. Basically, it’s a solo trip of 5g of (dried) shrooms, on an empty stomach, in total darkness and silence. So, turn off those bedroom lights, get under your blankets, put on those eye shades, and get the most of what psilocybin truly has to offer. 

Have a Come-Down Movie Sesh

Your preference for cinema varies based on the psychedelic trip you’re experiencing (as well as personal taste). Many love the idea that after hours of tripping, they can gently come back to reality with a film.

If you’re feeling a silver screen ready, you can check out our list of psychedelic films, “Top 5 Classic Psychedelic Films to Watch in Quarantine”  

Self-Care = Cozier Experience

Wear Something Clean and Comfortable

Like we mentioned earlier — the tidier your environment, the more relaxing and cosy your shroom trip will be. That includes yourself! So bring on those sweatpants, colorful socks, and your best sweatshirt! 

Bonus points of solo tripping: you can always just trip nude.

Hydrate

It’s a no brainer, but keeping yourself hydrated when you consume any mind altering substance is an essential element that many can forget in the heat of the psychedelic moment. Forgetting to sip on a beverage can result in headaches after the trip. Always have a bottle handy!

Sometimes when you’re peaking, it can feel really intense. Perhaps there’s nausea or many heightened emotions coming at you all at once. Drinking water can help with the come up to your peak (especially for nausea), since it’s both distracting and refreshing.

Have a Journal to Hand

When you’re tripping alone and have no one to share your thoughts with, having a journal comes in handy. You never know when boredom might hit, an epiphany happens, funny thoughts appear, or drawings come to life 🙂 !

This way you can go back to your journal and remember certain things that you might’ve forgotten after your trip.

Turn Off Technology

There may be reasons you trip alone (we’re looking at you covid). But look at it on the other side: tripping alone will bring you valuable insight about yourself. It would be a shame to be stuck in an endless loop of scrolling down your Instagram feed while tripping. In fact this can actually increase your anxiety — making a challenging trip far more likely.

Digital technology is a part of our life, and sure, it has a lot to offer. Maybe you’ll use your phone to stream music or call a friend — fine! But, what we’re trying to say is: minimize as much digital technology as you can for a few hours and maximize the amount of time you have with yourself.

You’ll end up taking a well deserved screen break and connecting with simple pleasures around you.

Remember That All Things are Temporary

If you do start to have challenging thoughts during your solo shroom trip, then don’t panic. This is always a possibility when taking shrooms. It doesn’t mean your trip will be any less thought provoking or cool, in fact some studies show that so-called ‘bad trips‘ can have the most lasting positive effects on people. So if you’re having intense visuals or challenging thoughts, remind yourself that all things are temporary.

Remember that a deep mindful breath can do wonders in terms of bringing you back to yourself and to the ‘ground’.

Ready To Blast Off ?

Now that you have our basic guide, we hope you’re ready to blast off and trip solo!

Keep in mind that our guide isn’t universal, nor the ‘official’ rule book. It is just some general best practice tips and some habits picked up through careful experimentation and experience. There are many unique ways to trip. It’s up to you to find your sweet spot!

Tripping on Shrooms Alone: The Takeaway

• Many people favor tripping alone because it becomes about true connection with the ‘self’. There are no distractions from your personal psychedelic journey.
• When tripping alone, being in a safe, familiar environment (whether inside or outside) is essential.
• Prepare your trip-space, clear your schedule, and think about your intentions for your trip.
• Have a trusted friend or trip-sitter on hand for support if you need it.
• Plan some activities for your solo trip: a music playlist, a walk, some creative activities like drawing, and prepare some tasty snacks.
• Stay hydrated!
• Wear comfortable clothes.
• Remember that all things are temporary.
• Be safe, but aim for the stars!