r/Psychonaut • u/psyched622 • 1d ago
How can you tell someone does/did psychedelics or not upon first meeting them?
I ask because I met someone and one of the very first thing they asked me was if I do psychedelics. I asked how they knew, and they said that it was just a feeling/vibe. I don't come off as traditionally hippie or stereotypical, most others don't know that I trip, but when I meet others that do psychedelics they just sort of know
This got me thinking..I also get this vibe about certain people but I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps psychedelic use gives people a certain personality trait Maybe they're more open? Calm? More intentional? Idk. What makes you meet someone and make a (correct) educated guess that they do psychedelics or did them in the past? What's a dead giveaway?
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u/Afraid_Ad_1536 1d ago
Humans in general are inherently really good at detecting subtleties. That's why most of us still feel uneasy if we look at an AI image. Most people just numb themselves or are either too preoccupied or numbed to pay attention to pick up on them. I think that if you are open to the use of psychedelics then you're also more likely to listen to those little voices that are giving you clues about the world around you so it's easier to recognise those changes in others.
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u/headspreader 1d ago
Usually its subtle, maybe a sort of ludic plasticity in their thought patterns, or a willingness to really go down the road with a wider range of ideas. But it's a dead giveaway when they seem like they would think that they can tell if someone has done psychedelics just by vibe. I've actually had this situation come up a bunch of times for me before, and I've wondered the same thing, a few times were really out of nowhere with a stranger. But it's also possible that the strangers and acquaintances that approached me just approach a lot of people and ask them if they have done psychs. Namaste.
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u/Interesting-Lynx-989 1d ago
A Grateful Dead hat or shirt
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u/420GreenMachine 18h ago
When I broke my leg on acid I was wearing a Grateful Dead shirt. The doctor asked if I had taken any drugs and I said I took LSD. He said "OK, your shirt makes a lot of sense now"
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u/Ok-Picture2656 23h ago
Damnit you beat me to it, bonus points if they've never heard a grateful dead song
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u/rodzag 1d ago
Hmm, dunno about that. I've met plenty of people that have never touched drugs that gave me that vibe.
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u/PsychoPete555 1d ago
Same. Some people donāt need it. I most certainly gave out a āpsychedelicā vibe during my whole 20ās where I didnāt touch it and only drank copious amounts of alcohol. When I at last dared to try it out in my 30ās it just clicked.
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u/Supermundanae 1d ago
You just... 'know'.
I've had countless moments, where I'd meet a stranger(who 'knows') and we'd just look at each other with an understanding of each others depth.
Usually goes like:
O.O?
O.O?
O_O
"...ever heard of Terence Mckenna?"
O_O
"A kindred spirit! I knew it!"
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u/Ooogli_Booogli 1d ago
Psychedelics cause a drop in neuroticism and and increase in openess almost every time. So if you meet someone who has these traits you are most likely talking to a psychonaut.
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u/Zhuo_Ming-Dao 22h ago
The interesting thing about that is that we thought nothing could make significant and lasting changes to an adult's Big Five personality traits. Now we know that even one time using psychodelics does exactly this, moving trait openness by at least 10 points.Ā
I suspect long term, serious mediation does the exact same, but that would be much harder to study.
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u/Ooogli_Booogli 13h ago
Do you think openness is a good thing for all people? Thereās a perennial discussion here that they should āput it in the waterā with the counter argument which I agree with and have seen first hand is that psychopaths such as hitler given psychedelics would be more open to killing more Jews.
But isnāt it the same with all medicines? For instance, statins cause a wide range of muscle side effects but they are still given as on average people benefit (marginally). Does this nullify the Hitler argument and strengthen the water side? Would openess as a personality trait on AVERAGE do good?
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u/jhamtoast 23h ago
Go to a psychedelic conference. That will quiet your mind that wants to reduce things into boxed categories. The diversity is refreshing.
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u/Clear-Garage-4828 1d ago
The same way you can tell if someone wants to have sex with you: its in the eyes š
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u/Puzzled-Ad-4270 1d ago
Me as a person I analyze every little thing, Iām also an empath , so it always a wild guess game , half of time Iām right half of the time Iām wrong , but yeah never judge a book by its cover ,
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u/HyphyMikey650 1d ago
Hear me out now. Ever wonder how a dog is able to detect an earthquake minutes before they occur? Theyāre clearly sensing something that we humans simply cannot tune into in a sober state of mind.
I think our brains are like an antenna of sorts. We are able to project & tune into certain frequencies that are free floating all around us. Perhaps thatās why we sometimes feel extremely drawn & connected to a person we meet while not quite being able to put our finger on why that is, or conversely, why we feel extremely uneasy or have a bad feeling about someone we just met, yet we canāt determine why at face value. Sometimes, you just know.
With psychedelics, it appears to me we able to tune into certain frequencies that can otherwise be difficult, if not unattainable (without years of practice) while sober. I think that when you experience something as profound & unforgettable as the psychedelic experience, you can sense it in others when you encounter someone else that has rode that same frequency.
In short, Humans are like magnets. We all have an inherent energy about us that cannot be seen with the naked eye, an energy that detects, attracts and repels.
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u/Anxious_Wolf00 1d ago
In a similar way to how I might guess that someone is a sports fan or into anime. Being involved in certain interests and activities causes you to subconsciously develop particular quirks to be a part of the āin groupā for that activity. After youāve been a part of that world youāll know to pick up on the subtleties.
Thereās always exceptions of course but, we typically just subconsciously pick up on these things to find people that are like us and we will have an easier time connecting.
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u/Ok-Reflection1005 1d ago
A Grateful Dead shirt is an absolute guarantee, especially if the wearer has grey hair.
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u/East_Specific9811 1d ago
I was talking to my wifeās cousin once about music and she asked me, āDo you know who Shpongle is?ā
Thatās how I could tell.
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u/jimmy_luv 1d ago
They didn't know.. they guessed and you admitted it. My guess you have the stereotypical look of a stoner and you just think you don't look like a high guy and now think there's some magical traits to check that would reveal the fact someone ingests psychedelics.
When I was a child, people said I looked.lile a high guy. Then I grew up and stopped looking like some broke hippie on the hunt for a bag of mushrooms and a joint and people stopped knowing anything about my life style.
It's way cooler to not look like a high psychedelics-eating bum than it is to look totally vanilla, make 6 figures a year and eat psychedelics in the comfort of my home without anyone being able to suppose fuckall.
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u/More_Mind6869 20h ago
It takes one to know one... lol
But there's lots of folks that I'd never suspect as Trippers.
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u/chaoticbitlogic 19h ago
If I mention something in passing that I know they're passionate about, but they choose not to explain how I'm slightly wrong in some obscure / irrelevant way.
I immediately give em a mental upvote and internally acknowledge that they've clearly broken through some of the mental chains.
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u/thespicebush 1d ago
Yeah we have a 6th sense and psychedelics/spiritual practices allow you to pick up on this and you can kinda learn who's good vibes and who isn't with a bit of practice!
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u/CroMag84 1d ago
I can tell sometimes if people start talking to me and their perspectives on life.
One time I took my son to the park and there was these grown men and one of them stroked up a conversation with me about the childrenās construction equipment and how genius it was. Pretty sure the two of them were on mushrooms.
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u/BoggyCreekII 1d ago
People say that to me a lot, too. I take it as a compliment. In my case, I assume it's my creative thought that tips people off.
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u/uselessplantmom 23h ago
A few years ago my mom ate shrooms by mistake .. the first night I met my now husband ( tinder date at the time ) I felt so comfy that I shared the story with him . Almost like I knew I was safe sharing that with him . Heās definitely not the hippie looking type lol
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u/Bobarctor1977 20h ago
I think it's good to keep an open mind and not make assumptions either way, people are full of surprises.
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u/EpistemicMisnomer 8h ago
I once went on a very short little holiday to the coast. On my way back, I first stopped at a small convenience store. In front of me was a guy with a tie-dye t-shirt that exploded with color. He was a little overweight, at least in his late 50s, wearing sunglasses, and was very chill, optimistic and friendly. You could see it in his body language. He was all smiles. I thought to myself that there is no way this guy doesn't do psychedelics at least now and then.
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u/dimethylwho 7h ago edited 7h ago
The trauma etched onto our faces and burned into our eyes from our encounters with the... unfathomable totality, lol
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u/allensaakyan 5h ago
spacious. they are spacious. they donāt project. they arenāt anxious. they are calm. they are open. they will love you, understand you, and listen. shits deep work.
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u/loginheremahn 21h ago
If they seem immediately insufferable
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1d ago
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u/amy000206 1d ago
Jim Morrison , The Ghost Song & My Wild Love
Idk if it fits, you should definitely give em a listen. The second one you can picture a group of 20somethings banging the best on the railroad tracks singing it, beautiful
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u/Signifi-gunt 1d ago
Ha, I just met a dude for the first time and he goes "you strike me as someone who likes psychedelics".
Idk man, I guess there's a certain vulnerability and openness and nonjudgmentality and curiosity.