Steve, perhaps this is taboo or inappropriate

[RomanHD]

Originally Posted by danas

Really? For me its like my guide to life.
I see my dreams as letters from the subconscious, its so helpful to receive them!

Yes. I used to be really into this New-Age/dreams/subconscious stuff, but now I feel it's time to do something a little more grounded. Maybe after I achieve some things in the real world, I will once again dive into the realms if inner explorations...

[MOTHER]

I thought I'd give some input from a negative perspective...
I haven't touched drugs in years...
BECAUSE of LSD...
Ya ever feel like screaming/running/having panic attacks???
I had Paranoia....and gripping FEAR
Because Scary Monsters were after me...and it felt real,
and I suffered the effects for months, with flashbacks and panic attacks...

My first several trips were cool...laughed, and saw lots of "pretty things"
but the last one was unforgettable in its HORROR
I would tell anyone to NEVER go there.
Been there...
Stopped smoking pot because of it 30 years ago....

Thats my 2 cents anyway.

[KaleidoskopicVision]

I think some of you are being unfair. What one chooses to experience and how it impacts their life is highly subjective. Where some people never tried psychedelics and never felt the need, others like myself might have had and still have intense curiosity and see great potential in their use, still others might associate only negative fear based experiences with them. It's relative to the individual, to the drug in question and to the time and place the drug was taken. I don't believe psychedelics have any set reason for use, the reasons for their uses are numerous and can be highly personal.

Mine happened to be curiosity and interest in the nature of the mind altered by substances not native to its inherent chemical composition. This intrigued and fascinated me. Maybe not so for others and I'm growing to accept that, despite all the wonderful potential I see in psychedelics and despite how discouraging it still is to hear of people who had one bad trip and wrote them off as bad candy, or to see people who simply have no interest. I understand that many of you think they're just unnecessary and that lucid dreaming, philosophy and SR are better alternatives but my knowledge of neuroscience disagrees with those opinions.

The scientific viewpoint is one I enjoy, one I find alot of rational truth in. From the scientific viewpoint, psychedelics are very useful but can also be fickle. There's still much we don't know about psychedelics, nevermind consciousness, the medium they interact with. They are however a potential consciousness modulator, something with which we could use to further our evolution without all the effort and convoluted generalizations of meditation, lucid dreaming and introspection (not to bash these things, I just am highly suspicious of the idea of their 'purity' over chemical methods, as the brain itself is a chemical soup). While it irks me to no end to see people blind to this potential, I do try and understand their perspective and try and be more of the attitude to "live and let live".

I love all of you, psychedelically intrigued or otherwise.

[KaleidoskopicVision]

Also to any of you who think the scientific and medical communities have no interest in psychedelics, think again.

MAPS: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies This site is an excellent resource for those interested in constructive use of psychedelics, or those who are simply misinformed about their potential for constructive use. They're becoming less of a taboo, less of a sensational underground form of entertainment and are gravitating back toward their original use by indigenous shamans all over the world: healing.

[RomanHD]

Originally Posted by KaleidoskopicVision

The scientific viewpoint is one I enjoy, one I find alot of rational truth in. From the scientific viewpoint, psychedelics are very useful but can also be fickle. There's still much we don't know about psychedelics, nevermind consciousness, the medium they interact with. They are however a potential consciousness modulator, something with which we could use to further our evolution without all the effort and convoluted generalizations of meditation, lucid dreaming and introspection (not to bash these things, I just am highly suspicious of the idea of their 'purity' over chemical methods, as the brain itself is a chemical soup).

I agree with you on everything except for the chemical purity bit. You see, your brain IS a chemical soup, but you surely aren't going to naturally find any LSD, THC, psilocybin, salvinorin A or mescaline in it. Sure, some might argue that the brain naturally produces DMT, but this is yet to be seen.

Whereas in lucid dreaming, meditation and these things, you are only working with chemicals in your brain which are already there. Maybe you change the amounts of those chemicals in your brain, but it's still the same stuff. On these grounds I think we can say that meditation etc. IS safer than most or all psychedelics.

Again, I'm not saying psychedelics don't have their use, I'm just saying there are some risks involved, which is one of the reasons I'm not doing them.

[KaleidoskopicVision]

Originally Posted by RomanHD

I agree with you on everything except for the chemical purity bit. You see, your brain IS a chemical soup, but you surely aren't going to naturally find any LSD, THC, psilocybin, salvinorin A or mescaline in it. Sure, some might argue that the brain naturally produces DMT, but this is yet to be seen.

Whereas in lucid dreaming, meditation and these things, you are only working with chemicals in your brain which are already there. Maybe you change the amounts of those chemicals in your brain, but it's still the same stuff. On these grounds I think we can say that meditation etc. IS safer than most or all psychedelics.

Again, I'm not saying psychedelics don't have their use, I'm just saying there are some risks involved, which is one of the reasons I'm not doing them.

Counterpoint: The human body must ingest foreign organic chemical compounds to survive in the form of food. You won't find all the compounds in lichen or apples in the human body, unless you just ate some lichen or an apple. Yet these foods can sustain the human body. They also carry risks, as the ATP formation process damages body cells and releases free radicals. Hell, breathing is a risky process that can bring impure and destructive things into the human body. There's simply no avoiding it. Also it's worth noting that the LSD molecule is remarkably similar in structure and action to a serotonin molecule.

[RomanHD]

Originally Posted by KaleidoskopicVision

Counterpoint: The human body must ingest foreign organic chemical compounds to survive in the form of food. You won't find all the compounds in lichen or apples in the human body, unless you just ate some lichen or an apple. Yet these foods can sustain the human body. They also carry risks, as the ATP formation process damages body cells and releases free radicals. Hell, breathing is a risky process that can bring impure and destructive things into the human body. There's simply no avoiding it. Also it's worth noting that the LSD molecule is remarkably similar in structure and action to a serotonin molecule.

Yes, living itself is risky, but there are things which are more risky and there are things which are safer. I personally think that psychedelics are on the riskier side and should be approached with caution. They certainly shouldn't be banned or stigmatized, but people should consider the consequences before taking anything.

[MOTHER]

I only posted as a warning, that things do not always go well...
Feel free to do whatever you wish, but there may be folks out there who
think it might be "fun" and it isn't always so....
I remember the line from David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes":

"I want an axe to break the ice, I want to come down right now"

...but if you are having a bad trip, you look at the clock and there's 6 more hours to go....it is a terrible feeling..........

Just informing folks on the down-side is all.................

[elucidate]

Bad trips can happen...anyone who goes into the business of taking hallucinogens needs to be aware of the possibility, but also that this is more likely to happen when the person is in a pretty neg state of mind or possibly unwell mentally at the time. State of mind is everything when it comes to hallucinogens...so if you are feeling crappy about the world and thinking alot of neg thoughts, then of course it will affect the trip you go on.

Acid can bring out latent illness of the mind, that was lurking beneath the surface. With the right people and a supportive pleasant environment, it doesn't need to be a nightmare. Allen Ginsberg claims he cured his schizophrenia with the help of LSD...that's what it was originally developed FOR I think(?)

Anyone who takes these substance must know that they are responsable, whatever the outcome. If they are feeling good and happy, then they will, 9 times out of 10 have a ball...if not, then they are playing russian roullette with their mind, and it can have far and long-lasting consequences. Self-awareness is important..

Originally Posted by MOTHER

I only posted as a warning, that things do not always go well...
Feel free to do whatever you wish, but there may be folks out there who
think it might be "fun" and it isn't always so....
I remember the line from David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes":

"I want an axe to break the ice, I want to come down right now"

...but if you are having a bad trip, you look at the clock and there's 6 more hours to go....it is a terrible feeling..........

Just informing folks on the down-side is all.................