DOSE:	2 hits	smoked	Cannabis
	2 hits	smoked	Salvia divinorum

BODY WEIGHT:

130 lb

My experience with salvia was brief, but substantial.

I was sitting in a park with two friends, both of whom I've shared a multitude of positive psychedelic experiences. I’ll call them G and V. G and I hadn’t tried salvia before, and V was excited to introduce us to it. He packed a regular-sized bowl in a pipe along with some weed. I should also note that we’re all avid weed smokers; I’ve experienced a variety of highs, from the uncomfortable to the euphoric. However none were like this.

It was a beautiful day; there were few people around, other than the occasional jogger passing by. We were relaxing and listening to some 60s rock. First, G took two hits, holding them 10 secs each. Afterwards she said “woah” and went quiet. During her experience we all listened to the music, sometimes asking her what she was feeling and seeing. Mainly we laid back and watched the sky peacefully. Her relaxed demeanor made me less nervous to try it myself.

Soon after hers was over, I was ready for a bowl. V packed me a new bowl, mixed some salvia in, and I took two hits. The harshness of the smoke was very unlike weed, so I struggled to hold it in for so long. On the exhale I started coughing, and my chest contracted painfully.

Then, two things happened, and I’m not sure in which order. One thing was that as I coughed, everything I saw glitched like a Windows screen error. Every movement had a copy until there were infinite copies. I struggled to make sense of my surroundings and the order of time.

Another thing was that, as I continued to cough, it felt like I was in a movie theatre. Everything I heard sounded further away, and loud like some Dolby audio. My vision was like a rectangular movie frame, just surrounded by black.

During all this I struggled to regain my breath. Usually while coughing I'm inhaling fresh air, which relaxes the pain in my chest. Well this time that wasn’t happening. It felt like I was trying to inhale some fresh air, but my throat was closed up. I was gasping.

Right when I had the realization that I couldn’t breathe, everything went from stereotypical psychedelic weirdness to overwhelming. I held my head in my hands to try and compose myself. I didn’t want to ruin the fun of G and V; they were talking and humming along to the music.

I looked up and saw the sky was neon pink and I didn’t recognize my surroundings. I knew that the people near me were my friends, but I couldn’t remember how I knew them. I couldn’t remember who I was. Suddenly, the audio of the music was so loud I couldn’t think. My heart also joined in the chaos; it beat so loud I could feel it in my head, similar to the way a migraine feels. I still struggled to breathe.

All these phenomena added onto each other and I realized I couldn’t hold my shit together anymore. I interrupted the conversation and asked for them to turn the music off. My chest was heaving and looking back, I now know I was hyperventilating and having a panic attack. I’ve never experienced that before. It just felt like I was dying.

Immediately G and V turned the music off and comforted me. They told me I was going to be okay and although I had no clue who they were, I knew I could trust them. V’s voice in particular was especially comforting; hearing it made a feeling of warmth run over me, and I felt incredibly safe and secure. After about 3 minutes or so, my heart stopped beating in my head, and the sky gradually faded to a more reasonable pink.

My friends asked how I was, and I told them how terrifying it all felt. We all spent the rest of the day sober.

Ultimately, I’m grateful I tried salvia. I’ve always had a deep curiosity for psychedelics, so I’m glad I tried it in a safe place with people I trusted. At that same time, I can say with complete confidence that I’ll never try it again.

Exp Year: 2020	ExpID: 114423
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: 20
Published: May 22, 2020	Views: 539
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Salvia divinorum (44) : First Times (2), Difficult Experiences (5), Combinations (3), Small Group (2-9) (17)