I've never taken drugs (apart from prescribed medication, pain relief, coffee, and similar). I've never smoked, and I've never had alcohol (except inadvertently in cooked food). Si I have no experience.
I have too much respect for my brain. I live my life on its ability to do stuff that's rare and unusual, and I don't want to mess with its abilites. I've occasionally been curious, but not enough to "mess with the machines" and Feynman put it.
I'm told that first trips can be benign, but equally they can be really bad. The risks are real, and experts are still divided over how much long term damage can be done even from one experience.
But you've clearly thought about it, and since you've decided then I'm sure you've already taken all this into account, and some stranger saying "Don't Do It!" won't make much difference.
But if you deliberately affect the mind's ability to think and perceive, why should you trust any "observations?"
But if you deliberately affect the mind's ability to think and perceive, why should you trust any "observations?"
Why should you trust any observations now?
Psychedelics have one important side-effect: they make you realise how tenuous the link between your brain and reality is. You may think reality is something tangible, reliable, objective... what you find after a psychedelic trip is that actually, things can be otherwise, and all you need is a few micrograms of a simple molecule. Considering that your brain manufactures enormous amounts of other chemicals, that should raise questions about quite what this "reality" thing is and how much it can be trusted.
Worth adding: those are good questions, worth asking.
>I'm told that first trips can be benign, but equally they can be really bad. The risks are real, and experts are still divided over how much long term damage can be done even from one experience.
One tab is a mild dose in the range of LSD dosages, it is likely to be 1/4th the strength of one unit of LSD from the hippie era. The risks are indeed real but are overstated. Flashbacks as discussed in DARE are effectively nonexistent and are a symptom of PTSD. It takes a monster of a trip to trigger PTSD. The greater, somewhat realistic risk is triggering latent mental illness.
This is a pretty typical response that I've heard many times. When I read your comment I hear: "I am comfortable with my brain and I don't want to do anything to change the way it works."
And yet, you talk about how you take medication, pain relievers, coffee, etc. Do you know how pain medication works? It messes with your brain.
The phrase "change your mind" means to reconsider things you once accepted as truth. You seem to be opposed to this idea; I see it as a beautiful opportunity.
> When I read your comment I hear:
> "I am comfortable with my brain and
> I don't want to do anything to change
> the way it works."
And there is an element of truth in that.
> you talk about how you take medication,
> pain relievers, coffee, etc. Do you know
> how pain medication works?
Actually, yes. I've assisted with clinical trials on both analgesics and anasthesia.
> It messes with your brain.
Not really, no. Not in the same way.
Further, the ones I've taken have been subjected to long standing double-blind clinical trials. It's pretty well understood how they work, and their short and long term effects. Certainly more than other stuff.
> The phrase "change your mind" means to reconsider
> things you once accepted as truth. You seem to be
> opposed to this idea; I see it as a beautiful
> opportunity.
That's your opportunity. I "change my mind" regularly by reading, studying, and generally improving my knowledge and abilities. I don't "change my mind" when I change or reconsider my opinion. My mind is the same, although the conclusions I draw may be different because of further analysis, etc.
Studies have shown that there are risks associated with drug usage that you can't control, and are unpredictable. You may be willing to run those risks, and participate in others doing so. That's your choice. I'm not.
By "messes with your brain", I mean it alters what your "normal" conscious state is. I don't think you can really argue with this, but have at it.
You mention reading, studying, etc. This is all well and good, but your approach to these problems comes from a state of mind that while dynamic, is quite predictable. A + B = A + B. What a drug like LSD does is allow you to use your mind differently. It isn't really worth explaining and is better left to experience, but I consider myself pretty well educated and I still consider taking LSD to be one of the best things I ever did in my life. It breaks down your ego and lets you see things in a completely different way. It's probably not for everyone.
Bottom line is: If you've never had the urge to explore what a significant change in consciousness provides, then it's not for you.
I have too much respect for my brain. I live my life on its ability to do stuff that's rare and unusual, and I don't want to mess with its abilites. I've occasionally been curious, but not enough to "mess with the machines" and Feynman put it.
I'm told that first trips can be benign, but equally they can be really bad. The risks are real, and experts are still divided over how much long term damage can be done even from one experience.
But you've clearly thought about it, and since you've decided then I'm sure you've already taken all this into account, and some stranger saying "Don't Do It!" won't make much difference.
But if you deliberately affect the mind's ability to think and perceive, why should you trust any "observations?"