Every Party-Medic Should Have Plushies

From infants to dementia patients, from accident victims to people with BPD; stuffed animals have been successfully used for decades to soothe anxiety, existential fears, and defensiveness.

They're also fantastic for grounding during "bad-trips"; not only do they provide comfort through unpleasant sensations, but oxytocin-boosts from plushies actually strengthen the more positive, desirable feelings one can experience from these drugs

Stuffed Animals Are Calming, Soothing, and Grounding

“Grounding Techniques” are essential for staying present in the moment and self-soothing when stressed and overwhelmed. 

Some drugs distort perception of reality (especially psychedelics) and can lead to “bad trips”, panic attacks, dissociation, or other unpleasant sensations. 

Stuffed animals are proven in psychotherapy treatment settings (Hadas & Ramit, 2013) to promote feelings of groundedness and comfort during existential crises, and reduce self-defensiveness and hypervigilance (Koole et. Al, 2013).

In addition, contact with plushies likely increase oxytocin (Hadas & Ramit, 2013).

Not only is oxytocin known for promoting “feelings of warmth, empathy, and connectedness” (Holze et. Al, 2021); it also plays a key role in the more self-reported “positive effects” from psychedelics including psilocibin and LSD (Holze et. Al, 2021). 

Plushies can make bad-trips feel more manageable, while amplifying drugs’ more pleasant sensations (Gashi et. Al, 2021). 

Sources Cited

Ish-Lev, Hadas, and Roni Amit. “Elements of group psychotherapy found in individual animal-assisted psychotherapy.” Animal-Assisted Psychotherapy, 1 Jan. 2013, pp. 145–170, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt6wq5c3.11. 

Koole, Sander L., et al. “Embodied Terror Management.” Psychological Science, vol. 25, no. 1, 4 Nov. 2013, pp. 30–37, https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613483478. 

Gashi, Liridona, et al. “Making ‘bad trips’ good: How users of psychedelics narratively transform challenging trips into valuable experiences.” International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 87, Jan. 2021, p. 102997, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102997. 

Holze F, Avedisian I, Varghese N, Eckert A, Liechti ME. Role of the 5-HT2A Receptor in Acute Effects of LSD on Empathy and Circulating Oxytocin. Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:711255. Published 2021 Jul 13. doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.711255