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comment by AnSionnachRua
AnSionnachRua  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The Heretic: On the Benefits and Ban of LSD Research
This is another one of the times where Hubski has made me want to do something illegal.




briandmyers  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
This is not a decision to be made lightly (IMHO). If you do decide to try it, be sure that you are in a safe place, with people you can trust. Preferably outdoors, in good weather. Avoid travelling, for your first time at least - you don't want to be trapped in a car or a bus, for example. Don't panic. Listen to music. If you are lying to yourself about anything in your life, you can expect to be reminded of it. It can be scary. It will probably be lots of fun, too. You will get a weird, unpleasant sensation in your gut when it starts - that feeling will subside, as it kicks in. Once it starts, you just have to ride it out, there's no way out except time (and you might feel like time is not passing at a normal rate). It's not like other drugs (well, except for mushrooms and mescaline - it IS a bit like those).
cgod  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I'd say it's best not to scare people with advice on how do deal with or avoid bad trips, it only plants the seed for a bad trip to happen. I try to pitch this kind of advice in a purely positive way such as, it's nice to be outside it's good to have some music you like around, it's good to drink fluids, it's good to have reasonable control over your space. I'd say it's most important to be with someone who's judgment you trust, with a reasonable emotional IQ, who you generally enjoy being with, it's preferable that this person has done acid before.

The most important thing is to be enthusiastic about the amazing thing that you are going to do. It's somewhat awesome to let your subconscious seep a bit through the cracks and bleed into the waking world. You might have incredible incites into that what makes you who your are, you might see the world as a system of incredible complexity in a way that you never imagined, or you might laugh your ass off. The attitude you go into these types of experiences largely dictates or colors the experience you have. If you go into the thing with excited butterfly's eager to engage in the novel and wonderment that is your brain you will find the experience pretty enjoyable.

thenewgreen  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
    I'd say it's best not to scare people with advice on how do deal with or avoid bad trips
-Point taken.
thenewgreen  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
This may be the best advice regarding LSD use I've ever witnessed. This part really rang true for me
    If you are lying to yourself about anything in your life, you can expect to be reminded of it.
I remember not being able to be around a girlfriend I had while on LSD because I couldn't stand the nonsense she was saying. After that we broke up. I couldn't keep lying to myself about it... not matter how cute she was.
briandmyers  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Thanks. I hope I wasn't being too dramatic - after all, almost no one's first time is actually under these kinds of conditions (mine sure wasn't), and practically everyone survives it just fine. By the way, it's worth mentioning that an overdose of LSD isn't really possible - it is a very safe drug, physically speaking, and even a huge dose simply means it lasts a little longer.

Your comments about the old girlfriend are exactly the kind of thing I was thinking about there.

db  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
One real neurological danger of LSD is Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD). Uncommon, but rather undesirable and not well-understood.
mk  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
    The cause(s) of HPPD are not yet known. The most current neurological research indicates that HPPD symptoms may manifest from abnormalities in CNS function, following hallucinogen use.[5][6][7] One theory derived from this research is that inhibitory mechanisms involved with sensory gating are disrupted.[8] In some cases, HPPD appears to have a sudden onset after a single drug experience, strongly suggesting the drug played a direct role in triggering symptoms.

That would be awful. I've only had one experience that I considered to be a flashback, and I was going without very much sleep at the time.

thenewgreen  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
It may not be "overdose-able" from a death standpoint but I can certainly say that I have met people that were not the same again -in a negative way. Perhaps it has the effect of bringing already existing mental illnesses to the surface but I have known people that had a rough time because they took quite a bit of LSD on a regular basis. All things in moderation.
mk  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I agree with this. If someone ever asks me if they should do it, I never know what to say. If you aren't an easy-going person, or if someone dropping a book makes you jump, probably best not to do it. Be with someone you trust if you do.

It was very visual for me. A few times years ago. I don't regret it, but I don't think I'm better off either.

db  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
This is all sound advice.

The researcher profiled in the article has a wiki associated with his book, with a manual for creating ideal tripping situations. It looks like it's probably taken straight from the book, perhaps with some light editing since it's on a wiki.

I also recommend reading some trip reports over on Erowid. (These are also great for curious bystanders who don't feel they need first-hand experience.) Knowing how people's trips can vary, sometimes widely, can avoid the trap of thinking something terrible and dangerous is happening in your own if things don't seem to be going the direction you expected.

While I'm at it, I might as well throw in a link to the last chapter of Hoffman's book, "LSD: My Problem Child", where he talks about what he learned from acid.

    I am often asked what has made the deepest impression upon me in my LSD experiments, and whether I have arrived at new understandings through these experiences.
AnSionnachRua  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Thanks for the advice, in case I ever do need it.
briandmyers  ·  4497 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I read this account today, by a teacher who was dosed by one of his students (without his knowledge) on a school trip :

http://www.metrosantacruz.com/metro-santa-cruz/01.28.09/feat...

mk  ·  4497 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Wow. I don't think I would have had it in me to ride it out In secret. That kid owes him so much.

Thanks for that.

thenewgreen  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I've not read this post, yet, but am I to assume you are now contemplating using LSD? Have you before?

I'm also curious what other illegalities you've been tempted towards because of your time on Hubski? I have recently been tempted to pirate Game of Thrones. I bet it would be even more fun to watch on acid.

b_b  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I never enjoyed watching movies on acid. It always felt like what I was watching was so contrived and superficial. Movies are contrived and superficial, but that's the way I like them; I don't like to have that bubble burst. Watching Silence of the Lambs--one of my favorites--on acid made me hate it for a short while, because I couldn't take Lecter seriously. I remember going to the movies to see the re-release of Empire Strikes Back in the 90s. That was awesome, because we had to walk a mile in the snow to get there and then the movie opens on the ice planet Hoth, which made it really surreal. That was the exception, however.
thenewgreen  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
My response was completely tongue in cheek. However, I too have attempted to watch a movie while tripping and they always felt like cartoon soap operas to me. Also, I could never shake the feeling that I was waisting something precious on something trite. Your Empire story sounds amazing though. I remember tripping out by my grandparents house in the middle of nowhere Michigan, in the middle of the winter wondering how I had gone my whole life not realizing they had a lake next to there house. -turns out it was just really hard-packed and icy snow in a field. Exploring that "lake" was far more exciting than any movie ever could be.
AnSionnachRua  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I'm considering it to some extent. I do have a bunch of people in my extended circle who have done or continue to do it, so getting my hands on some - and being around people who know what they're doing - wouldn't be too difficult.

Actually, Hubski rarely makes me want to do anything more illegal than, say, trespassing on abandoned old buildings.

thenewgreen  ·  4499 days ago  ·  link  ·  
    Actually, Hubski rarely makes me want to do anything more illegal than, say, trespassing on abandoned old buildings.
-Awesome!