I realized this this weekend.
I was explaining to a friend how my kid acts just like someone on shrooms at times: Focus all over the place, gazing off into space, spontaneous fits of laughter (or tears), etc. Then I thought how helping someone on a heavy trip is a lot like taking care of a little kid on the verge of a tantrum -- It's about being there for someone without being in their face, about gently guiding someone instead of forcing them, and not taking things too personally.
Come to think of it, I recently helped a homeless guy across the street and it was the same kind of thing -- He had gotten halfway across a busy street, but then got confused and stuck. After a moment's deliberation, I left my car and approached the man. He was out of sorts, and I was worried that he was going to bolt into traffic. I instinctively adopted a "bad trip" demeanor, and just said "Hey, Howzit going?" and he babbled something about the cars and was frantically looking around and wanted to run for it. I suggested we hang out for a minute and just kind of see what happens, and the light finally changed and we got across. It wasn't until I was driving away that I realized that was just like helping someone who was having a bad trip.