the matrix is solved

[Mangrove]

www.johnhorgan.org

Check out 'rational mysticism'.

Really interesting book, lots of discussion of DMT, Ayahuasca, 'mystical states' (so called) from a scientific perspective with a wide range of opinions. Might be useful to people with BIP thoughts. Definitely more useful than watching the friggin' Matrix again.

[Cain]

Actually, the Matrix can work.  But only if you apply it specifically, to culture, as a phenomenon.  And they were beaten to the punch thirty five years ago, by Debord and Vangiem.  And it took three films to make that point.

Once again, PKD pwns all.

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

Well, like LSD, don't you have to be mentally prepped for it?

Surely acid is much funnier if you're not?

I wasn't mentally prepped and I was fine when I did it. I was much younger, but I imagine what sort of person you are is a factor too.

[Cain]

www.johnhorgan.org

Check out 'rational mysticism'.

Really interesting book, lots of discussion of DMT, Ayahuasca, 'mystical states' (so called) from a scientific perspective with a wide range of opinions. Might be useful to people with BIP thoughts. Definitely more useful than watching the friggin' Matrix again.

He shares the exact same name of my Terrorism Studies professor.

[Mangrove]

Well, like LSD, don't you have to be mentally prepped for it?

Surely acid is much funnier if you're not?

I wasn't mentally prepped and I was fine when I did it. I was much younger, but I imagine what sort of person you are is a factor too.

I've just started 'DMT The Spirit Molecule' by Rick Strassman. In relation to taking psychedelics, he talks about 'Set', 'Setting' and 'the drug itself'.

Basically: Set is 'you', setting is the context or situation in which you take the drug, including the people you're hanging out with and then obviously, the effects of whatever it is you're taking. He feels that the outcome of any trip is a mixture of the above.

He gives examples along the lines that, if you're taking LSD as part of a controlled lab experiment, do you feel different than someone who is taking it in a crappy apartment? If you think LSD is only good for treating psychotics, you may feel differently about it to someone who believes it's useful for accessing spiritual states.

If you are an LSD researcher, are you a 'scientist' or a 'shaman'? etc.

[LMNO]

Mang: please cross reference with Dr Leary's "MindsSet, Setting and Dosage" instructions from early in the day.




Leary was a smart guy, before he became famous.

[Mangrove]

Mang: please cross reference with Dr Leary's "MindsSet, Setting and Dosage" instructions from early in the day.




Leary was a smart guy, before he became famous.

will do.

rick strassman kind of blames leary for the sudden demise in psychedelic research in 1970.

[Cramulus]

I've just started 'DMT The Spirit Molecule' by Rick Strassman. In relation to taking psychedelics, he talks about 'Set', 'Setting' and 'the drug itself'.

Basically: Set is 'you', setting is the context or situation in which you take the drug, including the people you're hanging out with and then obviously, the effects of whatever it is you're taking. He feels that the outcome of any trip is a mixture of the above.

He gives examples along the lines that, if you're taking LSD as part of a controlled lab experiment, do you feel different than someone who is taking it in a crappy apartment? If you think LSD is only good for treating psychotics, you may feel differently about it to someone who believes it's useful for accessing spiritual states.

If you are an LSD researcher, are you a 'scientist' or a 'shaman'? etc.

Give us a book report on The Spirit Molecule when you're done.

I was always fascinated by the subjective nature of drug experience. Like some people use LSD and psychedelics as a gateway to self discovery. Others use it to giggle at silly things for six hours at a time. Some people can have sex while tripping, some cannot. I find that even the length of the trip is heavily influenced by social context and expectations. (it's hard to tell when you're finally down, you know?)

I get frustrated because I have one friend, who used to trip quite often, and is insistent that its delusional idolatry to think about a drug trip as a path to illumination. Well sure man, that's true for you.


The scientist / shaman question is a good one. I think that scientists and shamans have similar societal roles, (creating a framework for reality, sort of) so I guess it depends on which societal sect they're participating in.

[Mangrove]

Prof Cram - i think you would like the horgan book.

the postmodernist's take on psychedelics is: 'you're not experiencing god....you're just experiencing a drug'.

ok...when i'm done with the DMT book, i'll give an overview.

[LMNO]

Mang: please cross reference with Dr Leary's "MindsSet, Setting and Dosage" instructions from early in the day.




Leary was a smart guy, before he became famous.

will do.

rick strassman kind of blames leary for the sudden demise in psychedelic research in 1970.

Well, he sort of did, but he was kind of railroaded when he testified before congress about LSD.  He said that it should be regulated by medical professionals as a prescription drug/treatment, but it was blown out of proportion as him saying it was dangerous.

And then he sort of went off the rails with Alan Watts and Ken Kesey.

[Mangrove]

Mang: please cross reference with Dr Leary's "MindsSet, Setting and Dosage" instructions from early in the day.




Leary was a smart guy, before he became famous.

will do.

rick strassman kind of blames leary for the sudden demise in psychedelic research in 1970.

Well, he sort of did, but he was kind of railroaded when he testified before congress about LSD.  He said that it should be regulated by medical professionals as a prescription drug/treatment, but it was blown out of proportion as him saying it was dangerous.

And then he sort of went off the rails with Alan Watts and Ken Kesey.

gotcha. strassman said that psychedelic research (esp. DMT) underwent a rapid and warped evolution that went:

Hey, this is an extraordinary insight into consciousness ----> Oohh Groovy trips, man ---> OMG LSD WILL KILL US ALL ----> Banninated (1970) ----> Bye Bye Research.

[LMNO]

Yeah, that's how I learned the history, too.

[Mangrove]

i'm finally reading up on psychedelics, having ignored it for years.

[cyberus]

Wait until you get to the bit where you read the people's narratives about their experiences, there's some pretty awesome stories in there.  I also like his theory about a release of DMT in the brain as an explaination for UFO abduction experiences.

[Cain]

Wait until you get to the bit where you read the people's narratives about their experiences, there's some pretty awesome stories in there.  I also like his theory about a release of DMT in the brain as an explaination for UFO abduction experiences.

I'd always seen sleep paralysis as the suggestion for that.  Having suffered it myself once, I can totally understand why people would think of abduction after it.