Two Unconventional Tips That Might Save You #
In the spirit of being as practical as possible, here are two tips that might help when everything gets weird. Both are controversial — but for completely different reasons. I don’t care about convention. I care about what works.
🐙 First, a quick story about Jean-Paul Sartre #
In 1935, Jean-Paul Sartre volunteered for a mescaline experiment in a French hospital. Mescaline — the psychedelic compound found in peyote and San Pedro cactus — was being explored for its psychological effects.
During the experience, Sartre was plagued by intense hallucinations: crabs and sea creatures crawling around the room, following him relentlessly. In some versions of the story, it was a giant squid or octopus that loomed at the edge of his vision.
These visions didn’t fade when the drug wore off — they lingered into his sober waking life and disturbed him for weeks.
Not long afterward, Sartre began writing Nausea (1938), his first novel and a cornerstone of existentialist literature. While he didn’t claim the mescaline trip directly inspired the book, he admitted it cracked something open in him. The feeling of realization sickened him and persisted into his novel.
But he might have recovered faster — if he’d known what to do with what he saw.
1. Make an Offering #
Sometimes, altered states lead to unexpected encounters. Whether you see them as projections of your psyche, symbolic representations, or real entities, things can get deeply strange. If only there were a long-standing tradition for dealing with that…
In shamanic and indigenous practices, travelers to other realms make offerings — tobacco, cornmeal, rum, breath, songs, blessings. The point isn’t the substance. It’s the gesture. A sign of respect, humility, and boundary-setting.
Sometimes, the right offering calms the chaos.
We’ve forgotten this protocol — but it still works.
2. Small to Moderate Amounts of Alcohol Will Ground You #
If you’ve done a deep experiment — especially visual or energetic practices — and days later you’re still feeling “buzzed,” seeing flashes, sensing subtle energy you can’t turn off… you might just need to ground.
Alcohol dulls the higher circuits of the brain. The weird buzzing noises and visual flashes will shut down pretty quickly after ingestion. It can interrupt feedback loops and settle the system. Not enough to get drunk — just a couple beers or glasses of wine in the evening, alongside plenty of real-world grounding: nature, social time, good food, no more weirdness for a while.
You’ll often feel noticeably better after 2–3 days.
Use These Responsibly #
They’re tools for when integration fails and weirdness persists. Try everything else first: sleep, walk, talk, journal, rest.
But if you still feel like Sartre and the squid is watching you?
Try a little rum and a prayer.