BWE
Posts: 1902
Joined: Jan. 2006
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| Quote (Reciprocating Bill @ Jan. 12 2007,21:20) | Regarding hallucinogens, there are caveats in order. I came away from those experiences (early to middle 1970s) with utter conviction that what I had experienced were "neuroepiphanies," the disclosure of brain structure in vision and other cortically mediated experiences (and much more), and the utter identity of my conscious experience with my neurobiology. As I remarked in my earlier-posted essay, "nothing could more clearly demonstrate the neural basis of consciousness than its profound alteration through the insinuation of tiny amounts of such a simple substance." There are very interesting models of consciousness (the thalamocortical model of conscousness comes to mind) that are consistent with those experiences.
But not everyone came away with the same conclusions. Others with whom I shared these experiences (or at least the substances that initiated the experiences) emerged with very different conclusions, finding in their explorations deep spiritual significance regarding the immateriality of soul, the reality of repeated and reincarnated lives, and so on. Stuff I regarded as fairy tales. Yet everyone was, unquestionably, an earnest and open-minded explorer.
A final caveat recalls the sober reality that a companion of ours, who similarly frolicked in the meadows of neurotransmission, became quite psychotic, developed paranoid delusions, and required psychiatric hospitalization for many months. He may well have been vulnerable to developing such a disorder in a way that we were not - but that is hindsight. His earlier experiences were much like our own. So I would never get into the business of commending these substances to others. Very risky. |
The caveats are strangely, 30 years old.
Hallucinogens messed up messed up people. The rest of us figured out what to look for and stopped taking them.
You only live once. Even to a zen buddist. Might as well give it a he!! of a go.
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Who said that ev'ry wish would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star
Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it
Look what it's done so far
The Daily Wingnut
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