i did a lot of research before i ever touched a drug because i'm a meticulous kind of person. i came to the conclusion that i was comfortable and confidant enough with who i am to give it the ol' college try but i worked my way up to it. i smoked lots of cannabis to see if that would have any adverse affects on me (and to anyone who might call that evidence of weed being a gateway drug, i'd have tried acid whether weed were available or not. if people want to do drugs they are going to do drugs, its better to give them something less potent to occupy them with but i digress). my first trip was using salvia because its only a couple minute trip. i enjoyed seeing my friends melt into the great wall of china that my couch became and the intensity of the blast off to get there didn't bother me so i figured i was prepared for a real trip. when i finally got my hands on some acid with some friends of mine when i was 18, i dosed and am a better person because of it. i'd say i gained more empathy and understanding and my mind was opened to the infinite possibilities of the world around us and on top of that had a good time watching double helixes morph to the tune of the beatles' revolver album.
lsd vs shrooms is an extremely personal preference which is really hard to describe to someone who has tried neither. i prefer lsd because i find its trips to be generally happier and goofier while mushrooms, especially in higher doses, tends to be a heavier trip and kinda requires one to be outdoors which isn't very convenient for use in a city. however, shrooms definitely feels like a more natural, earthy trip whereas lsd feels less so (though it feels significantly more natural imo than salvia, mdma, or dmt).
if you are going to try psychedelics make sure your set and setting are in a good place. your mindset should be relaxed and ready. nervousness and butterflies in the stomach are normal but fear is not a good place to start a trip from. your setting should be similar, have people around that you are completely comfortable with and be in a place that you are comfortable being in in an altered state. some people like having someone around who is not on drugs to watch over them, i prefer to have a shared experience with everybody involved but that's a matter of personal preference.
to me, most important of all is to turn off your mind, relax, and float down stream in accordance with john's wishes and/or surrender to the flow with my fellow lizards
heh, that's a complex question to ask someone with a half broken keyboard at 1am... excuse the hour it takes me to write this.
everything depends on the person (and, in lingo, the set and setting).
psychedelic use can help overcome extraordinary psychological problems if used properly and can also exacerbate and cause extraordinary psychological problems if used improperly. they can also be used to have a damn good time if the user is prepared for it. if you are confident in your psychological stability and don't fear what may lay deep in your psyche, you will probably be just fine. if you expect you are the type of person who might jump out a window or some other dumbass shit, don't do psychedelics because you are more likely to experience what you expect to experience than anything else. i've never ever witnessed someone do some dumbass shit like that but i don't generally affiliate with people unstable enough to do that kind of thing. expect the unexpected and nothing will surprise you.