I have been using medical cannabis for about 2 1/2 years now. Originally it was for headaches and it helped get me off codeine the third time I was addicted.
That was before I was diagnosed first with anxiety disorder then PTSD.
There are now many ways of taking cannabis and many more products available than just smoking flower. I use CBD oil daily, three times a day. I find it calming which reduces intrusive thoughts, which helps me relax and be more calm. It also helps recover when I do have stuff happen that would otherwise start the slide to hyper everything, snap moods, and that slide to the bottom of the hill with a sore neck, back and more.
THC is for sleep - or trying to get to sleep more accurately. For me its slows churn in my head, allows enough focus to be able to read or do
something that absorbs my focus. Right now I am using hashish in the evenings. I find it gives me more of a sense of well being than flower.
As for paranoia and "bad trips" I have only had one product that negatively affected me that way. Bad thoughts are a problem for most of us here but learning to change those thoughts and sort out real from imagined is a battle we all fight. If I start sliding toward bad thoughts I find something funny to read or watch until I feel happier.
It may sound strange to some but I have found the ritual around rolling and prepping cannabis to be a way to slow down, focus on one thing, and complete a task.
Sometimes completing that small simple task is a victory in my day, and I really need those small victories right now.