Fuck it, Ayahuasca made me dox myself.

My name is Taylor Sterling. I was born in '97 & raised in a small town on the Oregon coast. Both my parents are teachers & I grew up hunting, fishing, and cooking with my dad. Since I was young, I knew my purpose in life was to help other people.

At 7, I created a volunteering project called 'Read for the Need' that collected donated books and sold them to buy food for my local food share. It ran for 10 years & raised ~$65,000.

How To Test Your Drugs: A Harm Reduction thread

A guide on using fentanyl strips, reagent tests, and some tips to stay safe while using the most common psychedelic & recreational drugs. DISCLAIMER:
This thread is not meant to promote drug use— it is meant to keep people who use drugs safe. Drug use comes with major risks— physical, psychological, & legal.

View this as an introduction and please do additional research outside of this thread.

Huachuma (San Pedro), is a psychedelic cactus active in mescaline that Native Americans have used for millennia. Today it remains relatively obscure, legal in most countries, and is popular for landscaping in the American Southwest.

Tripping on psychedelic cacti, a 🧵
(1/11)

DISCLAIMER:
This thread is meant to reduce harm & not designed to encourage drug use. Using drugs comes with physical, psychological, & legal risks.

Before trying a new compound, make sure to do your research & be mindful of set/setting/dose. (2/11)

Magic mushrooms are the most popular & easiest to access psychedelic worldwide. Every day, another article, celebrity, or scientist seems to be discussing their benefits.

But what is psilocybin & how do you use it safely?

The ULTIMATE psilocybin mushroom guide, a 🧵



DISCLAIMER:

DO NOT consume psilocybin if you or your family members have a history of psychosis/schizophrenia.

Psychedelics are illegal in many countries & can be psychologically harmful under certain circumstances.

This thread is for harm reduction & education purposes.

48 years ago today, Sasha Shulgin was the first human to test his creation 2C-B, a psychedelic phenethylamine that he repeatedly claimed was "his favorite trip".

But how does 2C-B compare to other psychedelics & how do you use it safely?

Nexus tripping: a guide to 2C-B, a 🧵



DISCLAIMER: This thread is meant for harm reduction and is not designed to encourage drug use. Be aware of local laws, test/measure your drugs, and always do further research than simply reading a Twitter thread before you try a new compound.

The Aztec Empire is famous for many reasons - their massive cities, architecture, calendar, religion, and human sacrifices. But did you know they also had a rich and wide-ranging history of entheogenic use?

9 drugs used by the Aztecs, a thread: 1. Ololiuqui(Morning Glory) & Tlitliltzin(Sea Moonflower)
Seeds were ground and soaked in water then strained, creating a beverage active in LSA. The drink was used for visions, healing ceremonies, & as an anesthetic when combined with tobacco leaves.

Let's talk about the first legal psilocybin sessions in the United States and why they cost $3500.

The structural issues with state-based psychedelic systems, from someone that helped campaign for Oregon's Measure 109, a short thread: Oregon's Measure 109 was advertised as a safe, accessible alternative to full legalization(dispensaries). It was certainly an experiment, but an experiment that most advocates thought would *work*.

Here's a poster I made back in 2019 (!)

MDMA is one of the most popular festival drugs in existence. Whether you're dropping at a rave with friends, taking MDMA with your partner for a spicy night in, or participating in psychedelic therapy, here's the info you need:

Rolling Safe: Using MDMA for the First Time, a 🧵 DISCLAIMER:
This thread is meant to be harm reduction, it is not meant to encourage drug use.

This thread is being co-released as a full article on @Tripsittermag, there are slight differences between the versions. The article can be read here:
tripsitter.com/mdma/first-tim…

Festival season is approaching so it's time to talk about how to use LSD safely.

Here's everything you need to know whether it's your first time, you haven't taken it in a while, or you just want to help other people during their acid trips:

LSD: How to Have a Good Trip, a 🧵 DISCLAIMER:
LSD can be life-changing; for the better or for the worse. If you have mental health issues, research the risks associated with psychedelic use. DO NOT take LSD if you are suicidal or have a family history/symptoms of schizophrenia or psychosis.

If you went to school in the US from 1983-2009, chances are you attended a DARE (Drug Abuse & Resistance Education) program. The ubiquitous, well-funded federal program was meant to keep kids from using drugs. Instead it did the opposite.

8 reasons why DARE failed, a thread: 1. Police Officers Taught
Not only are cops bad teachers, they often have very poor (or straight-up incorrect) drug knowledge. As a result, their authority on the subject was undermined. Many students also reported being "bored" during these sessions.

Steven Pollock was a doctor, researcher, mycologist & author that discovered psilocybin truffles & then became the largest distributor of them in the world.
He was murdered at the age of 33 & despite ample evidence, no one was ever charged.

A🧵on the mysterious man & his murder: Pollock was born in 1947 in LA and would go on to graduate from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1975. He took a research job at University of Texas Department of Pharmacology but spent his nights researching, growing & isolating different strains of psilocybin mushrooms.

The problem I have with heavily regulated psychedelics is that it makes them inaccessible.

In 2020 Oregon voted to create a psilocybin service system- two years later there are no open centers, training programs are going bankrupt & sessions will cost ~$3500 just to breakeven. Countless other issues as well. The crux of it for me is that a poorly designed service system takes a simple transaction (paying for a facilitated experience) & turns it into something so bloated that it fails in multiple ways.

Later this year, the FDA is set to legalize the popular party drug MDMA(Ecstasy) for the treatment of PTSD. But what makes MDMA such an effective drug for the treating trauma, and how does it work in the brain?

A thread on why MDMA is so good at healing trauma: MDMA is an empathogen, a class of drugs with stimulation, euphoria, increased empathy, & psychedelic-like effects, without the fear or hallucinations that occur on classic psychedelics. But why does MDMA have a different effect than psychedelics? It's all in the brain👇

With great power comes great responsibility, and psychedelics are a prime example of this. Since we discovered psychedelics, their powers have been abused: for power, for fame, & to control others.

A thread on the shadow side of psychedelic use & history: The Australian cult, "The Family", had a leader who was convinced that she was Jesus Christ reincarnated, and as such, needed to create a master race. She did this by stealing children through adoption scams or from her followers, imprisoning the kids & dosing them with LSD.

You've seen articles, you've heard your friends talking about it, but what actually is microdosing? What can it help with? Are there risks? How often do you dose, how much do you take?

Everything you want to know about microdosing from someone who’s done it on & off for 5 years: DISCLAIMER:
This is not medical advice. Microdosing research is still inconclusive and is yet to been proven fully effective. This thread is based on my personal experience microdosing & helping others do the same, intended to educate and reduce harm.

The most widely known psychedelic pioneers might be men, but behind the scenes it was women holding it together. Women played a pivotal role during early psychedelic research, but despite this are often unknown.

Here's a thread on influential women who worked with psychedelics: Mabel Luhan was a wealthy socialite, art patron, writer & famous for the hosting the first recorded Peyote ceremony in Manhattan in 1914. Luhan later moved to Taos, New Mexico and married a Peyote leader. She was one of the first to use the term "expansion of consciousness".

Hundreds of magic mushroom species are spread across the world. Among those species, there are also strains that have been isolated by cultivators. Each type of mushroom has distinct physical traits & varying concentrations of alkaloids.

A thread on the types of magic mushrooms: Let's start with the classic magic mushroom- Psilocybe Cubensis. Native to Central/South America, SE Asia, Africa and Oceania, it is the best known & most commonly consumed psilocybin mushroom. The two most popular strains are B+ and Golden Teacher.

https://twitter.com/FatherMcKennaa/status/1592239673946312705?s=20&t=3wQKTLG5MADEZ-tmFzE5qw

Originating in the UK, "candyflipping" refers to taking LSD & MDMA at the same time. The combination is loved for its euphoria, visuals & synergistic effects.

But how do you make sure there are no problems during the trip and there's no comedown?

HOW TO CANDYFLIP, a thread: 1. Prep Supplies
A candyflip is a 12+ hour long experience, frequently in environments (festival, party, ect) you exert yourself. It's important to stay hydrated & keep your blood sugar up. Stock up on drinks with electrolytes, fruit(or juice) & light snacks.

Psychedelics are great, maybe even the best.

But there is an ominous undercurrent I'd like to talk about...

Magic mushrooms can sometimes hurt your tummy. Chitin, a fiber, is hard to digest. Making tea or extracting with water/alcohol helps you avoid consuming chitin. Chitin is the fiber that allows mushrooms to be rigid and push through the ground. Because it's insoluble, it doesn't dissolve in water, essentially making it indigestible.

Here are 4 methods to avoid it:

DMT is a unique psychedelic because it induces entity encounters in ~95% of users. These entities have been spotted by multiple people, varying in appearance & motivation.

But what are the different types & how do they act?

🧵on the different types of DMT entities: Aliens
Different from us as to be outside of our myths, their minds feel far more foreign than other entities. Sometimes you appear to them, equally often, they might come to you. Not as scary as they look, but more interested in studying how far we humans have come.

Most people read a travel guide before they go somewhere new. But what if the place you're going to features inter-dimensional travel, hyper-intelligent design, and a variety of sentient entities?

Introducing the Hyperspace Travel Guide, a thread on DMT journeys: 1. Make sure you are in a comfortable setting, bonus points if it is also aesthetically pleasing. You want this space to feel grounded and safe. If you're in your room, clean it. The spot you choose should allow you to go from sitting to lying down immediately.