That's pretty unfortunate, sorry that happened. I smoke flower relatively often (far less than many), twice a week for the last 3 years (date nights with my wife) and have never experienced anything like that. I have on occasion gotten into a negative thought spiral where I start to obsess on some of my perceived poor choices in life but those generally last less than 20 minutes. Generally I start to worry that I don't give my kids enough attention and resolve to do so. In reality though I consider myself a pretty good parent. Instances of this are very rare maybe once every 20 times I smoke and even then they make up only a small portion of the overall period. They are not intense and no wear near panic level, just reflective.
Unscientifically I would recommend maybe next time smoking with someone else, and getting a lower % thc, try for a hybrid strain, a mix of Sativa and Indica. If you go on the website of the dispensary it will list the details. Don't over complicate it, just choose something in the 15% range if available. Then just sit down and watch a comedy or something. Have some snacks available. Only take a couple hits and call it a day. The next week try 3 etc. Its cumulative and can sneak up on you.
Thank you for the suggestions! If I do try again, I will definitely try a flower with the lowest THC concentration available. I certainly don't want to go above 15% after the recent experience. I was reading that THC concentrations in the sixties were around 3%, but I can't find any products at my local dispensary with concentrations less than 14% (!). I'm also considering dividing edibles into very small proportions and gradually increasing the dose each week until I feel something.
It just seems like a surprisingly tricky thing for me to figure out. Another recurring thought I had during the experience is that most people don't feel this way after smoking and that there must be something wrong with me. Maybe that's true, I don't know.
Unscientifically I would recommend maybe next time smoking with someone else, and getting a lower % thc, try for a hybrid strain, a mix of Sativa and Indica. If you go on the website of the dispensary it will list the details. Don't over complicate it, just choose something in the 15% range if available. Then just sit down and watch a comedy or something. Have some snacks available. Only take a couple hits and call it a day. The next week try 3 etc. Its cumulative and can sneak up on you.
Either way good luck :)