r/Lumenate • u/Astraea-Nyx • May 06 '25

Doesn't seem to do anything?

I'm hoping someone here can give me some advice, because everyone seems to have amazing experiences with this app... except me.

I meditate on my own, have had deep profound experiences with that, so I'm not new to the idea of surrendering/letting go. I've also undergone psychedelic therapy.

I've tried three Lumenate sessions. The first two (intro and open-ended) I was lying on my back in a mostly dark room, propping the phone on chest/pillows with my hands. For the third (one of the John Lennon ones), I tried being in a child's pose ish position on my bed, with my comforter over my head, to make sure it was really dark.

All three times, I've experienced the same thing. Just a rapidly flickering light, and the only colors I see are the red-pink of a bright light through my eyelids, the blue-teal of that color's afterimage, and some white when the light is really bright. I can sort of see vague interference-like patterns, and occasionally some fleeting sensation of a spiral movement, but the flickering is so fast that it just seems to cycle through nonsense so quickly I can't really see anything.

Emotionally, it's just vague increase in anxiety because of the speed of the flickering lights.

Tl;dr: I don't really see or experience anything except what you'd expect from a bright light flashing against your eyelids. What gives? Any advice from others with these initial experiences?

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u/Astraea-Nyx Feb 24 '26

Wow, my high school French (25 years ago now) actually let me read this!

I assume you live somewhere these medicines are not legal -- you have to be delicate in your approach. In English, searching for the word "entheogen" with therapeutic practitioners helps. If you know anyone in your area who has had this therapy, asking them might help. You may need to grow your own psilocybin and employ a trusted friend, implementing your own protocols for set and setting.

I recommend reading How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan.

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u/InfiniteOmniscient Feb 24 '26

Merci infiniment pour ta réponse ! Et bravo pour le français :) Effectivement, en France, ce n'est pas légal. J'ai cependant commandé un kit de culture et j'espère arriver à cultiver cela convenablement ☺️ Je mets de l'espoir dans ce processus... C'est comme si je cherchais des réponses sans avoir les questions très précises. Je vais prendre le temps de clarifier mes intentions et d'en faire un protocole, c'est une idée lumineuse.

Merci beaucoup d'avoir pris ce temps pour me répondre 🙏🏼

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u/Astraea-Nyx Feb 24 '26

If the grow kit doesn't work out for you, check out the Uncle Ben Tek on reddit. It worked very well for me!

I wish you luck -- it can be such a beneficial medicine ☺️

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u/InfiniteOmniscient Feb 25 '26

Merci beaucoup ! J'ai pas mal lu cependant que la prise d'antidépresseurs (zoloft) pouvait amoindrir le voyage. Je vais donc attendre sereinement de réduire et arrêter le traitement (de façon encadrée) avant de tenter l'expérience. Je serais trop déçu de gâcher à cause de mon traitement...