111–120 of 170 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apparently Aldous Huxley's wife injected him with a lethal dose of LSD -- heroic-dosed directly into this
I wonder if Steve Jobs went out the same way. The quotes of his final moments sound like he was tripping off _something_
...and no, you can't compare LD50 for iv injected LSD with injested or mouth-absorbed LSD, there might be very different pharmacokinetics and the deaths from injected doses might be a "reflex" heart stop or some other preventable cardiovascular side-effect.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The insights available through meditation and psychedelics are insights into the workings of conceptualization and the odd subject/object split we habitually do with thought and language. Being able to experience reality below the lens of conceptualization is the most powerful experience of my life. I can now clearly see the fake reality created instantly by thought and the truth that there is only this moment of exp…
I did this through the path of meditation, but I know others who have used psychedelics to similar ends. Based on what I've read and observed, the people who get real benefit out of psychedelics are those who are already fairly meditative people, who use them in reasonable settings (with people they trust) and know what they are doing. There clearly are people who are able to make good use of these chemicals, but the…
On the contrary. There have been a number of studies which have provided evidence that psychedelics can, in fact, lead to spiritual or mystical experiences.[1][2][3][4][5]
Now, that isn't to say that when you take psychedelics you are guaranteed to have a spiritual or mystical experience (or any other kind of experience). The effects of these substances are just too varied, not well enough understood, and not fully under our control. However, you can prepare for and structure the experience such that the likelihood of spiritual or mystical experiences increases.
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday_Experiment
[2] - http://www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms/mushrooms_journal2.sh...
[3] - https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/psilocybin/psilocybin_artic...
[4] - http://www.amazon.com/LSD-Spirituality-Creative-Process-Grou...
Loss of ego. Personal death. Seeing ALL, the "connectiveness" of everything. This sounds like an extreme version of some of the experiences I had while meditating (usually after the 30-50 minute mark). These experiences for me typically vanish as soon as I come out of meditation. But something sticks, as if the mind is reminded of the experience at random times. Those times feel like "seeing the matrix". You're sudde…
Loss of ego. Personal death. Seeing ALL, the "connectiveness" of everything. This sounds like an extreme version of some of the experiences I had while meditating (usually after the 30-50 minute mark). These experiences for me typically vanish as soon as I come out of meditation. But something sticks, as if the mind is reminded of the experience at random times. Those times feel like "seeing the matrix". You're sudde…
I take psychedelics on a regular basis. Usually a couple of times a month. Although I've done several hundred micrograms (there is really no way of knowing) of LSD at once, I also really enjoy experimenting with smaller doses and casually micro-dosing on work days. I happen to be a software engineer and try to apply my knowledge of "machines" to the psychedelic experience. While I don't believe in anything supernatur…
> I would speculate that LSD turns on System 2 where normally my System 1 brain would give me an immediate response. As far as I've read, LSD is, surprisingly, just a serotonin agonist, similar to anti-depressants or MDMA. (Technically, it's a non-selective serotonin agonist, and it does this by reversing the chemical reactions that take serotonin apart, to basically "un-use-up" serotonin you've already spent--which…
Most currently used anti-depressants are serotonin (some also norepinephrine and/or dopamine) reuptake inhibitors, not agonists. Tetracyclic antidepressants even act as antagonist (inverse agonists). Buspirone (more an anti-anxiety than AD medication) functions as a serotonin receptor partial agonist, but that is selective (5-HT1A) and I have never heard that it has any psychedelic value.
I would say there's a way more than just "more serotonin in the brain". That suggestion is even VERY DANGEROUS: too much serotonin means serotonin syndrome, which is potentially fatal condition. It may cause hallucinations, but rarely pleasurable ones and they are accompanied by various unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, sweating, tremor and eventually death. So, please don't try to abuse SSRI/SNRI anti-depressants. Few other AD-s have recreational value (for example tianeptine), but not for psychedelic experiences.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-depressants
Try reading this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008DZEWF8 for another point of view on LSD and the impact it has.
Acid is not like pot, or alcohol, or any other "mind-altering" drug. You don't know what mind altering means unless you've been on a hard core trip.13 It's like you suddenly realize you've been seeing the world in two dimensions and now you can see four. The rules change. People around you become perfectly comprehensible and beautiful creatures, instead of the average dicks they are most of the time. I reject completely that acid doesn't bring some insight about the universe; yes, it's all in your head, but so is the everyday, non-tripping, non-psychotic universe. You have one tool with which to experience the totality of your conscious life; if you make any deductions about the world around you with it, you have to reevaluate your deductions when you realize you can interpret the world in a completely alien way by rewiring your perceptions with half a gram of chemicals. Acid puts the whole meaning and being versus reality play you leave on the TV as background noise directly in front of you on an IMAX screen with surround sound and popcorn. Whatever experience of the universe there is to be unveiled by the modern human brain, a investment worthy percentage of it can be seen during a really good acid trip.
i spent a couple hours talking to a guy who had supposedly done approximately 60 mg print back in the day. one component i didn't see in this blog post was what he described as "A PIERCING WHITE LIGHT". :)
I know of a fair number of people in the "700 club" (700mg single dose, liquid, instilled onto tongue); seem to have lived productive lives to date. What's two orders of magnitude more? :)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The insights available through meditation and psychedelics are insights into the workings of conceptualization and the odd subject/object split we habitually do with thought and language. Being able to experience reality below the lens of conceptualization is the most powerful experience of my life. I can now clearly see the fake reality created instantly by thought and the truth that there is only this moment of exp…
I did this through the path of meditation, but I know others who have used psychedelics to similar ends. Based on what I've read and observed, the people who get real benefit out of psychedelics are those who are already fairly meditative people, who use them in reasonable settings (with people they trust) and know what they are doing. There clearly are people who are able to make good use of these chemicals, but the…
This is so much pompous bullshit.
I don't understand the negativity in this thread... haven't taken LSD myself, but Steve Jobs was a fairly smart individual, and described taking LSD as a profoundly important action in his life. Perhaps there's something to it beyond the ramblings of "burn-outs" and "hippies."