LUCID DREAMING. The Biological Basis of Mysticism? | A review of DMT: The Spirit Molecule by Rick Strassman. As you’re well aware of, I’m a geek for questions about consciousness. I love to think about issues such as understanding and defining experience, the nature of reality, the essence of the spiritual experience from both a physical and mental standpoint, and so on. So when I stumbled upon a book with the title of DMT: The Spirit Molecule you can imagine that I nearly wet myself with excitement. I didn’t think anyone was allowed to do research like this anymore. And if they were, I’d fear the culture of the scientific establishment would prohibit any conclusions not ordained by skepticism. But someone did. DMT is sitting inside your head right now. It’s release into the brain is mediated by the pineal gland, a curious part of the brain no bigger than a fingernail, whose purpose isn’t exactly understood. And what is DMT anyway? It’s an extraordinarily powerful psychedelic.
And it is found throughout the natural world. And as mentioned, it’s in you and me too. A few themes dominated: Dr. ……. The secret history of psychedelic psychiatry : Neurophilosophy. This post is part of a Nature Blog Focus on hallucinogenic drugs in medicine and mental health, inspired by a recent Nature Reviews Neuroscience paper, The neurobiology of psychedelic drugs: implications for the treatment of mood disorders, by Franz Vollenweider & Michael Kometer. This article will be freely available, with registration, until September 23. See the Table of Contents for more information on this Blog Focus, and read the other blog posts: Update: I summarize all four posts in this article for The Guardian, and there’s more coverage of the Blog Focus at 3 Quarks Daily, The Atlantic (Alexis Madrigal and Andrew Sullivan), Boing Boing and The Great Beyond.
ON August 15th, 1951, an outbreak of hallucinations, panic attacks and psychotic episodes swept through the town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in southern France, hospitalizing dozens of its inhabitants and leaving five people dead. The pair hit upon the idea of using LSD to treat alcoholism in 1953, at a conference in Ottawa. Interview with Wade Davis: Part I – altered states. Anthropologist and explorer Wade Davis recently gave a talk at Medellín’s fantastic science museum Parque Explorer and myself and science journalist Ana María Jaramillo managed to grab some of his time to discuss altered states of consciousness and cultural diversity.
If you’re not familiar with Davis’ work, his TED talk on ‘Cultures at the far edge of the world’ is a great place to start. It was a particular pleasure to talk to Davis in Medellín, because he has had a long connection with the city, previously holding a post at the Botanic Garden, and has extensive experience of Colombia. His book, One River, discusses his time in Colombia as a student of the legendary botanist and explorer Richard Evans Schultes who was the first to scientifically describe numerous psychoactive plants and substances – including the famous psychedelic of the Amazon peoples – yagé or ayuhuasca. Ana María: I’d like to know how cultural context transforms the effect of a mind-altering substance. Online Books : "The Essential Psychedelic Guide" - LSD.
INTENSITY: 3 to 7 for most experiences. MATERIAL: LSD is a synthetic compound. It is derived from Iysergic acid which is found in Hawaiian Woodrose and Morning Glory seeds, or Ergot fungus, which can grow on rye, wheat, and other grams. Lysergic acid is also psychoactive, although not nearly as potent as LSD, and has been consumed for millennia in the form of the above mentioned plant sources. The most common street name for LSD is "acid. " HISTORY: LSD was first synthesized in 1938 by Dr. Albert Hofmann of Sandoz Pharmaceutical Company in Switzerland. During the next 20 years LSD was promoted as a psychiatric aid and numerous experiments were performed in clinical settings. In the early Sixties Timothy Leary and friends began spreading the word that LSD produces magnificent spiritual experiences.
DOSAGE: LSD is extremely potent by weight and the amount required for a single dose is barely visible to the naked eye. 100 mcg. of LSD is considered a minimum psychedelic dose. 1. 2. "The Creative Process and Entheogens" -- Alex Grey. The Creative Process and Entheogens by Alex Grey adapted from The Mission of Art PDF version of this document Twenty-five years ago I took my first dose of LSD. The experience was so rich and profound, coupled as it was with the meeting of my future wife, Allyson, that there seemed nothing more important than this revelation of infinite love and unity. Being an artist, I felt that this was the only subject worthy of my time and attention. Spiritual and visionary consciousness assumed primary importance as the focal point of my life and art. My creative process was transformed by my experience with entheogens. Due to its visionary richness, I think the entheogenic experience has great importance for fueling an artistic and cultural renaissance.
Oscar Janiger's studies of LSD and creativity showed that many artists felt the work done while tripping or post-tripping was more inventive and inspired work than their previous work. First Effects: 1). Transpersonal Stages: 4). Notes: 1. Touch the Sky: 7 Psychoactive Substances to Expand Your Mind.