The Joy of Tripping
Article Title: “Psychedelic Pleasures: An Affective Understanding of the Joys of Tripping”
Author: Frederik Bøhling
Publication Date: 2017
Background
While research into psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin has a large focus on their therapeutic and neurological benefits, this academic paper shifts the lens to a lesser explored question: Why do people take psychedelics recreationally, and what makes those experiences pleasurable?
Despite their popularity, the scientific literature has paid less attention to the real-world, non-clinical use of psychedelics, especially in terms of the joy and meaning people find in these experiences. Bøhling proposes a fresh approach: viewing psychedelic pleasure not merely as a hedonistic pursuit but as an “affect”: a transformation of one’s ability to feel, act, and be in the world.
Study Overview
100 trip reports were analysed from the online archive Erowid, focusing on experiences with LSD and psilocybin mushrooms. Reports were selected to ensure equal gender representation and diverse dosage contexts. The study used the philosophical framework of Gilles Deleuze and the concept of “affect” to interpret how these psychedelic experiences transformed the user’s emotional, sensory, and behavioural capacities.
Key Findings
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Laughter, Play, and Childlike Joy
Many users described spontaneous, uncontrollable laughter and a return to a childlike state. The experiences often felt deeply innocent, immersive, and physically joyful. -
Spiritual and Philosophical Insights
Users frequently reported feelings of divine love, cosmic connection, and spiritual awakening. These were not abstract reflections but deeply embodied moments of bliss and realisation. -
Profound Emotional Connection
The reports documented strong emotional connections—not only with other people but also with animals, nature, and even digital spaces like online forums. These feelings were described as deeply meaningful and healing. -
Altered Sensory Perception
Trippers noted heightened visual, tactile, and auditory sensations. The joy of watching trees sparkle in the sun or feeling the texture of a pet’s fur was intensified to euphoric degrees. Music, in particular, became deeply immersive and emotionally moving. -
Physical and Erotic Embodiment
Bodily experiences, from dancing to sex, were described as richer, more vibrant, and more sensual. The body became a site of ecstatic release, often described as liberating or transformational. -
Activity-Enhanced Pleasure
Psychedelic joy often arose from doing things—moving, interacting, drawing, making music, or simply being in nature. These activities didn’t just reflect pleasure, they generated it, especially when combined with the effects of the drug. -
Enduring Personal Transformation
Many reported long-lasting shifts in their perspective on life, relationships, and self-understanding. These changes were often described as both pleasurable and meaningful, even when they originated in non-therapeutic settings.
Discussion
This paper directly challenges the dominant scientific and medical discourse that tends to view recreational psychedelic use as frivolous or even dangerous. By taking user-reported pleasure seriously, Bøhling argues that we gain richer insights into how psychedelics function outside laboratory walls.
Moreover, the notion of “pleasure” is reframed not as mere indulgence but as a complex, transformative affect shaped by interactions between people, substances, environments, and cultural narratives. These insights suggest that joy itself can be a site of growth, safety, and knowledge.
Implications
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Expanding the Psychedelic Narrative: Understanding pleasure can inform better harm-reduction strategies and open up new avenues for responsible, intentional use.
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Bridging Recreational and Clinical: By respecting the wisdom of recreational users, scientific research can access more nuanced data about how psychedelics operate in everyday life.
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Ethical Framework Shift: Replacing moral judgements about drug use with a more situational, outcome-based ethics (inspired by Deleuze) allows for more inclusive and pragmatic approaches to psychedelic experiences.
Potential Application
Retreat centres, facilitators, and educators can apply these findings by validating pleasure as a legitimate intention for psychedelic exploration. Furthermore, creating safe, flexible environments that allow for play, creativity, and sensory immersion can allow for deeper psychedelic experiences. These findings can also inform training guides to recognise affective states (like awe, connection, and ecstasy) as both meaningful and informative. This research affirms that fun and joy are not “lesser” aspects of psychedelic use, but that they are essential parts of the human experience that deserve serious attention.
Conclusions
Psychedelic pleasure, far from being purposeless, can be a site of meaning, healing, and transformation. By studying recreational use seriously, we can better understand how these substances work in the real world and how they can support not only therapeutic outcomes but a richer experience of life itself.
Reference:
Bøhling, F. (2017). Psychedelic pleasures: An affective understanding of the joys of tripping. International Journal of Drug Policy, 49, 133–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.07.017
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