It almost always comes down to set and setting, imo. You (mostly) get out what you put in.

Don’t get me wrong, it can also just be a fun time, but even that should be approached carefully and with some respect to the substance (most of the stories I’ve heard where someone gets psychically bitch-slapped is when they start getting a little frivolous in their approach. SWIM told me about that once…)

Edit: Also noted they’re not useful/good for everyone and that’s ok - important to know, even.