The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
newyorker.com
The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
1–10 of 63 posts
Re: The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
#2Archived: https://archive.ph/xYDlq
Re: The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
#3Highly recommended substance.
Re: The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
#4I don't recommend it.
It is incredibly intense-- even traumatic. And there is no precise "dosing".
Stay away from all drugs. Drugs do not lead to enlightenment. They do not lead to some hidden knowledge. They throw your neuro-chemicals out of balance-- potentially forever if you're misfortunate.
Hallucinogens can affect you forever, negatievely, and never stop-- and there is no cure if they do, for example: "Hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is a long-lasting and potentially permanent syndrome characterized by a spontaneous recurrence of perceptual/visual disturbances".
It is not worth the risk. You have only one brain-- don't tamper with its health and safety. Again-- there's no hidden knowledge there, no enlightenment. It's not worth it: put your focus on something valuable, productive, and safe.
Re: The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
#5See "Open Letter Concerning Abuses by Octavio Rettig and Gerry Sandoval":
Re: The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
#6I don't recommend it. It is incredibly intense-- even traumatic. And there is no precise "dosing". Stay away from all drugs. Drugs do not lead to enlightenment. They do not lead to some hidden knowledge. They throw your neuro-chemicals out of balance-- potentially forever if you're misfortunate. Hallucinogens can affect you forever, negatievely, and never stop-- and there is no cure if they do, for example: "Hallucin…
> Drugs do not lead to enlightenment. They do not lead to some hidden knowledge.
This reminds me of something near the end of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas":
> We are all wired into a survival trip now. No more of the speed that fueled the 60s. That was the fatal flaw in Tim Leary's trip. He crashed around America selling "consciousness expansion" without ever giving a thought to the grim meat-hook realities that were lying in wait for all the people who took him seriously. All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy peace and understanding for three bucks a hit. But their loss and failure is ours too. What Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole lifestyle that he helped to create. A generation of permanent cripples, failed seekers, who never understood the essential old-mystic fallacy of the acid culture: The desperate assumption that somebody - or at least some force - is tending the light at the end of the tunnel.
My own experience is relatively tame. I'd say the worst part was the difference between my expectations and reality. The "hidden knowledge" you talk about and the "fallacy of the acid culture" are a good illustration of that. But I wouldn't call this life-altering or destroying. It's like going to a country that you really want to go to, only to find out it's not what you expected. I've seen many people that would rationalize this by saying "the drugs showed you what you needed, that you need to manage your expectations", but you can rationalize/anaylze any situation in your life like that. I went to Chernobyl and had a great time, so I should try to go out of my comfort zone more often. I didn't do my best in school and regret it, so I should try to work have to have less/no regrets. Everything has meaning once you search for it.
Re: The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
#7I caught one of these toads once when I lived in Arizona. On a golf course. They look kind of like big frogs.
At the time I had no idea what it was (probably a good thing, I was young and a bit adventurous). Just a toad. I let him go by the water hazard.
Re: The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
#8I don't recommend it. It is incredibly intense-- even traumatic. And there is no precise "dosing". Stay away from all drugs. Drugs do not lead to enlightenment. They do not lead to some hidden knowledge. They throw your neuro-chemicals out of balance-- potentially forever if you're misfortunate. Hallucinogens can affect you forever, negatievely, and never stop-- and there is no cure if they do, for example: "Hallucin…
Drugs are actually tons of fun. I think in the long run all drugs become detrimental (alc, caffeine, etc) but wow you can have experiences you will never forget and they def-o change the way you look at the world.
I would recommend everybody I know to experiment with drugs. I don’t recommend becoming dependent on ANY drugs.
Re: The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
#9I don't recommend it. It is incredibly intense-- even traumatic. And there is no precise "dosing". Stay away from all drugs. Drugs do not lead to enlightenment. They do not lead to some hidden knowledge. They throw your neuro-chemicals out of balance-- potentially forever if you're misfortunate. Hallucinogens can affect you forever, negatievely, and never stop-- and there is no cure if they do, for example: "Hallucin…
It is a risk, but so is riding in a car, which can cause irreparable brain damage or death if one is injured in a car accident. Skiing, skydiving, and scuba diving carry similar risks. Even crossing the street is risky.
As adults we evaluate risks and make a decision as to whether the benefits outweigh the risks.
I don't think we can say a priori whether something is too risky for someone without knowing the person and their circumstances. Some people are really at the end of their rope and desperate to try anything, and have already tried many risky things (like antidepressants or other medication, each of which carries their own risks and possibly severe side effects) and will continue doing risky things without a fraction of the potential benefits of psychedelics.
There have been studies which show that psychedelics help people, even to the point of "curing" some of them after a single dose. The evidence so far shows enormous promise and far more effectiveness than traditional antidepressants for severe-treatment resistant depression.
How can we tell people who are suffering, some of whom are suicidal even, that they shouldn't try something which holds so much promise?
Yes, there are risks, and no guarantees. But steps can be taken to maximize the chances of a positive experience... such as doing it in a safe setting with a trusted, trained therapist or guide, and spending a lot of time afterwards integrating the experience with a therapist.
Some other recommendations for enhancing safety:
- lie in the recovery position[1], with the mouth facing downward so fluid can drain
- abstain from food and drink for at least 4 or 5 hours beforehand
- don't mix substances
- thoroughly vet anyone you entrust your safety to, and stay away from facilitators who mess with your body or mind during the experience
Also see the best practices guide of The Conclave: [2]
Re: The Pied Piper of Psychedelic Toads
#10See "Open Letter Concerning Abuses by Octavio Rettig and Gerry Sandoval": https://www.dmt-nexus.me/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=86872
Thanks for posting this as the new yorker article kinda just scratche on it, which is a real shame considering these people have left death in their wake. Absolutely garbage journalism to somehow omit that there's murder arrest warrants out for them. There are so many psychologically manipulative, abusive people working in these spaces. Literally these people are just profiteering crackheads who got into making money on giving waaaaaay too powerful psychedelics to innocent people who don't know any better. They need to be popped out like bad pimples.
5-meo-dmt is extremely powerful stuff and unlike DMT it can cause you to end up in the hospital or dead. It's not something to be trifled with. It made a friend of mine's mom really lose her sense of what is even real anymore. I usually see these sorts of negative results in people who are long-term abusing hard drugs like stimulants or opiates over time, not like immediately after a few sessions of a psychedelic.