Alterations in glutamate and the experience of ego dissolution with psilocybin

Post by ricopags » Fri, May 29, 2020, 6:32 PM UTC

bluntfang wrote: post #168

stallmanite wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been following this stuff since the mid 90s and am familiar with the terminology. What do you assert is the difference between a psychedelic experience and a hallucinogenic experience then? Dissociative I agree only partially overlaps with psychedelic on a venn diagram but hallucinogen and psychedelic I understand as synonymous.

Hallucinations are pretty concretely defined, medically. Seeing stuff that isn't there. Hearing stuff that isn't there. Things moving when they aren't. For me, the psychedelic experience is more about the "Ah hah! we're all in this together! We're all the same thing! I've removed the veil and barriers I've built up all my life and can finally see clearly what it's All About." I'm sure it's different for others, but I…

I think the term there is "entheogenic" a la DMT:

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ep4dxk/its-official-dmt-m...

Post by shlant » Sat, May 30, 2020, 4:34 AM UTC

saiya-jin wrote: post #64

joeberon wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I think that the psychological harm, much like some other drugs, can be underrated. Another example of a drug people see as harmless is cannabis, which can reliably give people (including myself) intense anxiety and panic attacks. It is conjecture on my part but I can't think that it is healthy for your mind to subject yourself to intense feelings of anxiety. These days I steer clear of all drugs except for my S…

Powerful psychoactive substances shouldn't be taken by people who are not mentally 'balanced', meaning just fine, happy with themselves or similar. I know its easy to say in hindsight, many of us tried those things when we didn't think about it, and it worked better for some and less for others. I think the old set & setting has some proper meaning here and can vastly bootstrap the incoming experience. Having a calm,…

"Powerful psychoactive substances shouldn't be taken by people who are not mentally 'balanced', meaning just fine, happy with themselves or similar."

But therein lies the crux of this kind of reasoning: those kinds of requirements are vague and highly subjective - what does "mentally balanced" entail? who determines that?

It would require a high level of self-awareness and even then, some woundings/mental illnesses may not be apparent until some sort of traumatic event (such as a bad trip). It's incredibly difficult to know ahead of time what kind of reaction someone is going to have to such powerful mind-altering substances and IMO although the advice of "set and setting" is important, it in no way will prevent all possible issues from happening.

Re: Alterations in glutamate and the experience of ego dissolution with psilocybin

Re: Alterations in glutamate and the experience of ego dissolution with psilocybin