Bad Trips

Most hallucinogens can be very dangerous. They can bring unexpected panic, psychosis, thoughts of suicide, terrible feelings of imminent death and mental deterioration (Krippner, 1972). Other less severe side effects of hallucinogens are the temporary loss of logical thought processes, inability to direct concentration, inability to control imaginary occurrences, anxiety, constricted verbal communication, and total absorption in the hallucination (Doblin et al., 1999). These effects can be very scary and dangerous. Many artists report having bad trips. These two examples show the severity of the encompassing fear of death and death images in a bad trip.

Jakob von Wyl The House of Death: Depicting a terrifying experience with the sensation of dying and hallucinations of death figures. (Furst, 1986)

A Russian medieval interpretation of a bad trip: swarming storm of hell. (Furst, 1986)