To those who believe, no explanation is necessary. To those who do not
believe, no explanation is possible."
- Anonymous
THE DXM ZINE.
Issue 6. September 1998.
A Symposium of Articles Pertaining to DXM Use
(c)1998 UAF/Gravol Publications
Email at Zine@dxm.net.
Please visit our IRC channels on EFnet at #High, #Dxm, and #Uaf.
Official Zine Web Site at http://www.alaska.net/~zorak/dxm/.
Official #High Web Site at http://www.amvalue.com/~ben/.
Official #Dxm Web Site at http://abuse.dxm.net/.
Official #Uaf Web Site at http://uaf.lycaeum.org/.
Edited by Gravol, with article contributions by fellow DXMers.
Now over 190 subscribers strong, in 10 countries.
DISCLAIMER: The authors of this zine do not condone the use of
Dextromethorphan in any way. This text is simply used as an informative
guide to issues relating to Dextromethorphan use and should be used
for entertainment purposes only. We are not responsible for any
actions taken by anyone reading this text.
ADVERTISEMENTS: You may now advertise your products or your services
in this section of the zine. Advertising is free for all who are
interested, I just ask that you provide a link on your Web site to
the Zine Web Site at http://www.alaska.net/~zorak/dxm/. The editor
has the sole discretion to edit or remove any advertisements he deems
inappropriate. Send your advertisements to Zine@dxm.net with the
word "Advertisement" in the Subject line. Thanks!
---
Hi!
Dxm.net offers shell accounts and complete virtual hosting
solutions through e-systems.net. We are just cool!
Apply today by contacting next@dxm.net. Thank you!
---
Greetz!
The UAF is looking for a few good men and women that can help out
on the zine with artwork, articles, and other related activities.
If you are familiar with the UAF, and have any experience with
ascii art, jpg/gif artwork, coding, or drug-related chemistry, you
are strongly persuaded to email the founder, RESiST0R, for further
information on how you can help out. If you're not familiar with
the UAF, please check out their website at http://uaf.lycaeum.org
or email at uaf@lycaeum.org.
The UAF Chemicals & Crime is again back up after a short leave of
absence, and it is released each month along with the DXM Zine. The
zine is presented as an alternative to all those small zines out there
about H/P, drugs and other "taboo" topics. We believe in free speech and
mean no harm by material published.
We hope you will take a part in this exciting organization!
---
Hello!
To subscribe to the DXM Zine, email Zine@dxm.net. To get back
issues, go to http://www.alaska.net/~zorak/dxm/.
Subscribing is safe and easy, and only the editor has access to
the subscriber list. It will never be sold or shared with anyone else,
so subscribe today!
Please note that we no longer take subscriptions from juno.com
because Juno does not allow attached files exceeding 100k to be sent
to its users, so please provide an alternate email address if you fall
into that category.
---
CONTENTS
1 From the Editor - by Gravol
2 Letters to the Editor
3 DXM News - from Internet reports
4 DXM Survey
5 The Power of Astral Projection - by various authors
6 Returning to the First Plateau - by Walt, William White
7 A Complicated View as to How DXM Works - by William White
8 Hallucinogenic Drugs for Inner Space Exploration - by Donald DeGracia
9 *Nightmares and Paranoid Delusions - by Alpha
10*Tripping at Virginia Beach - by Gravol
11*Redosing in New Zealand - by Yahuel
12*My Theory on Life, Existance, and the Universe - by Gravol
13*Space Alien Conspiracy - by Anonymous
14 A Fishy Experience - by Legion
15 Cough Syrup Extraction - by Anonymous
16 Miscellaneous DXM Tidbits - by various authors
17*How DXM Affects the Stomach - by various authors
18 Background Info on OTC DXM Manufacturers - from Internet reports
19*DXM Drug Combos...DXM Humor - by Muha
20 DXM and Hypnosis - by Sick-boy
21*DXM Poetry - by Gravol, DrQbert, et al.
22 DXM Site Review - by Gravol
23 Info on Ordering Pure DXM Powder - from compiled information
24 DXM Music and Movie Reviews - by Gravol, Al Crawford, MattC
25 Various DXM Sources (from the PDR for Non-Prescription Drugs)
26 Various DXM Internet Sites
27 Various Trip Reports - from Internet reports
28 Credits/Zine Information
* DXM Zine exclusives
FROM THE EDITOR
by Gravol
Welcome to another issue of the DXM Zine. So far, we've had 5
issues published which are all available on our website. I hope
you will take the time to review all the articles in each issue...
they provide a lot of information on Dextromethorphan.
There is not much change to tell you about. I am now living
in St. Augustine, FL, and have adjusted quite nicely. I will
continue to work on the zine in my spare time, but I need help
from our subscribers as far as sending in articles, returning
surveys, and other things which would really help me out and
get the zine published a lot faster. If I had an overload of
articles, I'd release two zines in the same month, but so far
I've had no such luck.
So I encourage you to become a part of the DXM culture and
send a story or article to be published and get your name out
in the ranks of robo-trippers and psychonauts. Or tell me more
about you by emailing me with your personal information for me
to include in an upcoming Bio section of this zine.
There will be a lot of changes, and for the better. I will
always be expanding the zine to make it as complete and well-
rounded as possible. I just hope that you will be part of the
changes and take an active role in the DXM community.
One final note... it is by a sheer miracle that you are even
reading this month's issue, because it was nearly deleted due
to an unknown disk error. That is why I've split it up into
two smaller files. Also, because this is the largest issue
to-date and I know many of your text editors simply won't
support very large text files, so I hope this helps.
Thank you and have many wonderful trips. :)
Gravol
St Augustine, FL
September 22, 1998
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
From SeeLeut@aol.com:
HI, Jeff. Thanks for the great zine. I am at least a part-time writer
as a way of life, and though time is at a premium, both in terms of
having time to write and having time to trip, I hope to become a
contributor to your community of writers soon. This is too good to
pass up! Best wishes.
- Edward Levy
From cliffalex@mindspring.com:
Hey there. Just a word to find out if I need to write to you every month
for the newest issue, or will I receive it automatically? Anxiously
awaiting issue 6. I really like the zine, man. I've enjoyed DXM at the
fourth plateau for a very long time with only a very few select people and
it's nice to have a forum to read through put together by people who
recognize this as a very serious tool, as well as a recreational trip.
Loads of fun, and very insightful, DXM has been a favorite for a long time.
I've been documenting as many trips as possible as thoroughly as I can,
with complete database listings for each trip (all the facts, times,
consumptives, feelings, reactions, etc) and even photos and tape recordings
of thoughts and visions.
Just want to offer my sincere thanks for giving this chemical and the
people who love it a voice to be heard and expressed and also offering to
those who are uninformed a very thorough look at all of DXM's many aspects.
Take care.
- Cliff Alexander
From the Editor:
Cliff -
I am glad you enjoy the zine so much. You do not need to keep writing
to me each month to subscribe to the zine... once your name is on the
subscriber list, it will always be on the subscriber list... just as
long as the email address stays valid.
- Gravol
From DrQbert@aol.com:
Keep up the good work!
- DrQbert
From Biot3ch@aol.com:
By the way, thanks for your efforts in compiling DXM information
and making it available to the psychedelic community. I think that's
an important contribution to the development of the drug culture and
all seekers of spiritual growth.
- Adriano
From Yahuel@nightmail.com:
Good to know that the zine is back. I missed it. I found the first 3
issues really informative and entertaining. Keep up the good work.
Looking forward to future issues.
- Yahuel
From Gizard@aol.com:
Nice job with the zine!
- Gizard
From Pagodadxm@aol.com:
I took LSD long before I first took DXM. I dont think that me having
taken LSD has effected DXM. The only effect LSD has had was that I didn't
really enjoy my first trip as much because I didnt know much about DXM and
kept anticipating something similar to acid. DXM, however, has affected
the way I percieve things when I'm on acid, or even just stoned. It's
like DXM has somehow connected with a part of my mind and whenever I get
any kind of intoxicated, it's there in the back of my mind shining a light
the color of a DXM trip (no, not the color of Robitussin, but a strange
abstract color that you don't really see, but feel with another unident-
ifiable sense that I've gained as the result of psychoactive drug use) on
my other highs. Well anyway, thats how things are to my perception. Hope
I've possibly helped you out somehow, or just told you some crap about the
intricateness of my DXM use. Peace and perfect trips.
- J
DXM NEWS
from Internet reports
"Dxm.net services cut back"
Some services that dxm.net used to offer, such as an open window to
IRC and use of the dxm.net server while connected to IRC have been
restricted due to a computer hacker attacking the domain.
The main services, such as ftp/http/pop3/gopher/slip still remain
and the cost is $100 or $30 in 3 monthly installments.
"DXM Zine and Chemicals & Crime merger"
Effective immediately is a merger between the DXM Zine and the UAF's
e-zine Chemicals & Crime. This simply means that when you receive
either one of these publications, the other will be included with
it as well. This simply allows more people to receive both publications,
and in no way changes the actual format of either zine.
"DXM Zine announces new contest"
The DXM Zine has announced a new drawing in which anyone who sends
in survey results from each the current issue will be put in a drawing
for a 5 gram giveaway of DXM. People who contribute articles or trip
stories will be put in a drawing for a 10 gram giveaway of DXM.
Each month, 15 grams total of DXM HBr will be given away to 2
different subscribers. Hopefully, this will get more people involved
with contributing to the DXM culture and this zine.
Last Updated: September 25, 1998
DXM SURVEY
A Survey on DXM Use
Hello and welcome to this month's survey. Please take the time to fill
out the following form and return it to Zine@dxm.net with "Survey"
in the subject line. Results will be posted in Issue 7 for this survey.
Last month's results are posted below.
1. Y/N Has anything paranormal ever happened to you while under the
influence of DXM?
2. Y/N Do you like DXM better than LSD?
3. What form of DXM do you take most often? If it's over-the-counter,
name the brand, otherwise name the distributer you buy from.
4. Y/N Have you ever tried DXM polistirex (Delsym)?
As you can see, this survey is related to a wide variety of topics...
please do your best to answer and return promptly.
Last month's survey results are posted below:
There were 59 participants, or 35% of the total number of subscribers.
86% of those who participated claim they have experienced CEVs.
69% of those who participated claim they have taken LSD in the past.
54% of those who participated claim they have had an OBE on DXM.
2% of those who participated were undecided.
These results show that CEVs are almost commonplace for tripping on
DXM... it also shows that LSD does not directly influence the
DXM trip in most cases, nor does LSD affect whether or not you
get CEVs. About half of the subscribers claimed to have experienced
OBEs (out-of-body experiences) at some point, but it is not clear
whether they were just feelings of being out of your body or
full-blown astral projection.
Thank you to all who participated in this survey.
THE POWER OF ASTRAL PROJECTION
by various authors
[Editor's note: The following article contains viewpoints that
doesn't necessarily include that of the Editor. They are simply
included in this zine to give a more complete understanding of
the Out-of-body experience.]
In the last issue we discussed how to leave your body, or astral
project. In this issue we're covering the basics of out-of-body
travel, what to expect, the theories behind it, etc.
This article is divided into smaller sub-articles, written by
various authors. The first sub-article is about using the OBE
for consciousness research, followed by another sub-article
regarding an actual OBE description. The third sub-article is
taken from "The Complete Ascension Manual."
Due to size and space limitations, you may expect more on
OBEs and astral projection in Issue 7. There is simply too much
to discuss to fit into one article.
Also, keep in mind that this all relates to DXM because DXM
is a dissociative and it is very simple to induce an OBE on
DXM. For more information on how to induce OBEs with DXM, see
Issue 5. This article simply relates to general OBEs and personal
experiences with them.
Consciousness Research Using the Out-of-Body Experience
(by Kevin de La Tour)
Do you wonder why you are in this life? Would you like to know where you
have been before this physical existence and what will happen to you
after physical death?
If we accept the premise that we are not simply physical beings who have
a single life on this planet, but that we have experienced a multitude
of physical existences and will continue to do so, then we will probably
have a natural curiosity about our past lives. How can we access this
information to find out who we have been and what we have done? And if
we have had past lives, is it not logical to presume that we may have
spent a period between lives - perhaps preparing for our upcoming
physical existence? If this is the case, then how can we tap into this
information that can tell us what our existential program (task or
"mission") is in this physical life?
The International Institute of Projectiology is a Brazilian institution
of research and education that instructs individuals how to work with
bioenergy and employ the out-of-body experience (consciousness
projection, astral travel) in order to perform individual consciousness
research. In this way we can begin to arrive at answers to age-old
questions such as: Who am I? What am I? Where am I from?; Where am I
going?; and Why am I here?
Dr. Waldo Vieira, founder and president of IIP, is a Brazilian physician
who has been researching consciousness full-time over the past 30 years.
From his independent research, he has codified a wealth of information
in the fields of consciousness (spirit, soul) and out-of-body experience.
The result is the body of programs offered by the International
Institute of Projectiology. The goal of these programs is the effective
dissemination of IIP's research findings in a format that is both
informative and useful.
If we are going to begin to find answers to the questions that have been
taunting mankind for millennia, then we are going to need a technology
that will allow us to directly access this much needed information about
ourselves and the multi-dimensional nature of the world in which we
live. IIP is dedicated to the research of consciousness and the
development of technology that allows the interested individual to
perform this investigation on his or her own.
A tool that is most useful for this purpose is the out-of-body
experience (OBE) or projection of consciousness (PC). What makes PC so
effective is that we are all multi-dimensional beings or, rather, we are
able to transcend this physical dimension and participate in the
infinite number of non-physical dimensions that exist beyond this world.
Since we invariably come from these non-physical dimensions and return
to them upon biological death, we can appreciate that the physical
dimension is not our source. Actually, our origin is the extraphysical
(non-physical) dimension. Indeed, we are all essentially consciousnesses
that are repeatedly reborn into physical life for a relatively brief
period of time.
Although physical life is somewhat short, it is very important. Many
individuals refer to their existential program (task or "mission") that
they feel they need to realize. IIP research indicates that many of us
prepare for this physical life before being reborn into this dimension.
We do this in order to take maximum advantage of this physical
opportunity to grow, learn and develop - in order to accelerate our
evolutionary process. But if we have performed this preparation, why can
we not recall it? How can we reclaim this information from our
multi-dimensional data banks?
What is the out-of-body experience? OBE is not a new phenomenon. IIP
research indicates that it is a perfectly natural physiological
phenomenon. It is, in fact, innate to being human. It occurs when one's
physical and non-physical bodies are in a state of non-alignment.
Everyone leaves their physical body every night when they sleep.
Statistics from international surveys, however, show that approximately
10% of the population has OBEs with relatively little awareness, while
only 1% (55 million) has fully conscious OBEs.
OBE is a completely different experience from dreams (lucid or not) and
also from any other altered state of consciousness. It is not an
imaginary event. OBE is a real situation experienced in another
dimension.
OBEs can occur in a number of conditions: while walking, sitting,
relaxing, meditating, or sleeping. Most often, for those who are not
developed projectors, OBEs are experienced spontaneously, when the
individual is in one of the foregoing conditions.
Projections of consciousness can also be provoked using various OBE
techniques, many of which are taught through IIP courses. If one is
going to develop their capacity to willfully produce projections, it is
essential that they also develop their capacity to work with bioenergy.
Also called life force, prana, chi, etc., bioenergy acts as a kind of
adhesive, serving to maintain the physical and non-physical bodies
connected with each other. If one wishes to promote their ability to
have projections, they must develop a certain looseness between the
bodies. This is accomplished by working with the bioenergy that holds
the bodies together, in order for it to become more supple and pliable.
This will, in turn, allow the easier separation of the bodies when
desired.
Projection of consciousness can also be forced, resulting from a
traumatic incident, such as an accident, surgery, illness, etc. The
near-death experience (NDE) - an example of a forced type of OBE, in
which the individual is resuscitated from a traumatic incident, and
sometimes from clinical death - is currently being widely researched.
References to it are made in ancient Egyptian and Greek records as well
as the teachings of Buddha, Herodotus, and Plato. Nowadays, it is
receiving much more attention as more scientists investigate this
phenomenon. Laboratory experiments, for example, have been conducted in
the last 3 decades by American researches such as Dr. Charles Tart, Dr.
Karlis Osis and Dr. Janet Lee Mitchell.
Why can the out-of-body experience be regarded as the most important of
all psychic phenomena? All psychic phenomena (clairvoyance,
clairaudience, psychic readings, etc.) involve the utilization of
non-physical capacities to perceive non-physical events and/or
information. They thus require that the individual consciousness be
operating, to some degree, from a non-physical body or vehicle, using
its perceptive capacities. In order for this to occur, one must be at
least slightly projected from the physical body - in an altered state of
consciousness.
One reason that OBE is such a valuable tool for self-development is that
it allows direct access to information about ourselves and the
multi-dimensional nature of life. We can access information about past
lives, for example. There are also educational facilities outside the
body that one can frequent in order to gain information that would
otherwise be unattainable. Many of the greatest insights throughout
history have been achieved through projections of consciousness.
The out-of-body experience allows us to access not only
multi-dimensional reality, but facilitates our regaining the road map or
"blue prints" that we drew up for use in this physical life. If we can
access these directives, we will be able to live much richer lives in
the here-and-now; lives that are more clearly focused on our personal
goals and allow us to realize the next step in our evolutionary
development.
One of the most important uses of projection is assistance to others. As
we develop our capacity to project, we can perform much needed energy
treatments while outside the body. This can be applied to imbalanced and
ill non-physical consciousnesses, as well as to physical consciousnesses
who are temporarily projected outside their body for the purpose of
receiving energy transmissions.
There are a multitude of individuals, for example, who do not pass
through the transition of biological death in a good condition. These
consciousnesses, when they return to extraphysical status, end up as
psychotic post-mortems or "earth-bound spirits". In other words, they
are not able to completely orient themselves in their new non-physical
environment. In this case, an extraphysical consciousness may conclude
that they are still physically alive or may simply remain confused and
disoriented regarding their unfamiliar surroundings. In other cases, the
newly extraphysical consciousness is aware that they have passed through
physical death, but are upset about having lost their human body.
Regardless of the specific reason for their disorientation, the result
is that they are dysfunctional citizens of the non-physical dimensions.
While this problem is not readily perceived in our day-to-day physical
life, it remains a very real one. Whereas there are a multitude of
practitioners and therapists who attend to a variety of physical issues
in this dimension, there is a severe shortage of competent extraphysical
therapists. As our energetic abilities, projective capacities,
understanding of multi-dimensionality and maturity develop, we can begin
to serve as much needed projected therapists in increasing partnership
with the extraphysical Helpers (spirit guides, guardian angels).
An example of this is illustrated in Dr. Vieira's book Projections of
Consciousness: A Diary of Out-of-Body Experiences, when he relates, "I
moved away with the extraphysical consciousness and transmitted energy
to him, focusing the emissions on the extraphysical brain of the
suffering consciousness. I sensed the transmission of a great flow of
energy that was not my own. The ailing extraphysical consciousness
immediately recovered and stated, 'It's gone! I'm better!' "
The variety of experiences one can have while outside the body is quite
extensive. This book relates 60 of Dr. Vieira's most illustrative OBEs
(he has been having lucid projections continuously since the age of
nine), serving to give the reader a realistic idea of what can be
experienced through OBEs. Nevertheless, the best way to understand the
scope of what awaits us in the extraphysical dimensions is to develop
our own capacity to have projections.
Following is a possible scenario of what one could experience during an
OBE:
After sleeping a short while, you find yourself lucid, but having
sensations unlike the ordinary waking state. Feeling numbness and a
difficulty in moving, you begin to experience a certain lightness and
then a floating, bobbing sensation. You start to feel a kind of
electrical current running throughout your body. Suddenly you see
interesting, but perhaps unrecognizable images and hear things that are
quite different from the ordinary, ranging from light whistling or
hissing noises to loud successive pops. After feeling neither here nor
there for a while, you sense that you are rising out of and leaving your
physical body. Feeling amazingly light and without the need to walk or
breathe, you are swept up in a sudden euphoria - you are free from the
heavy process of physical life.
You experience a degree of lucidity that you have never had before,
feeling much more intelligent, perceptive and creative than in physical
life. It is clear that you are not physically awake, as you can see your
body calmly sleeping below.
Slowly turning away from your static physical figure, you glide
effortlessly out through the window of your bedroom - which is still
closed! Rising higher and higher into the night sky you sense an
unequaled freedom that words cannot convey.
After zooming around a bit, you sense that your return to the physical
body is imminent. Your landing is as effortless as the takeoff. As you
begin to experience breathing again, you open your eyes. The vivid
memory of this brief but vibrant journey confirms that this was not a
dream.
This is a very simple example of a projection of consciousness. As one
develops their projective capacity and relationship with the Helpers,
the benefits and problem solving possibilities available through the use
of OBE increase exponentially. The experience of cosmic consciousness
(also known as nirvana, samadhi, oneness with the universe, etc.), for
example, is actually a very high-level projection of consciousness.
Dr. Vieira relates such an experience in Projections of Consciousness:
"I was suddenly sure of being a participant in a formless gathering,
composed of bodiless points of mental focus, of masses of energy that
was taking place in a nirvanic atmosphere that was of an unimaginable
level of mental elevation, unapproachable with earthly descriptions, and
indefinable in known terms....This projection, having a curious
distortion of the time-space continuum, had gone from a temporal and
spatial level to the cosmic level - beyond all material restrictions and
physical impediments."
The point here is that we are all able to achieve extremely high quality
results if we are willing to dedicate ourselves to this end. As well as
a fair degree of perseverance, a certain amount of courage, sincerity
and ethics are necessary to achieve truly profound results. But the
technology needed for this is currently available and is offered through
the International Institute of Projectiology.
IIP gives experiential training seminars through its Consciousness
Development Program (CDP). It includes both theoretical classes that
serve to orient the participant to the dynamics of the out-of-body
process and practical classes that allow one to practice with
time-tested OBE techniques.
Participants of the CDP have experienced specific benefits as a result
of the program in the following areas:
o Health: prevent and correct illness; manage stress and emotional
problems; maintain good health; promote sound natural sleep; assist
others to improve their health.
o Personal Success: expand problem-solving ability; amplify intellectual
capacity; build confidence; improve interpersonal relationships.
o Consciousness Development: expand self-awareness and psychic abilities;
learn how to provoke and use the out-of-body experience (OBE) to gain
insights and understanding; develop past life recall capabilities and
use them to define and accomplish current life projects; eliminate the
fear of death.
Anyone can project him or herself if he or she can overcome the fears
and insecurities that most people have, knows how to work with
bioenergies and acts in accordance with the cosmoethic. The long-term
benefits of interdimensionality are so many and transcendent that the
effort and discipline required to realize lucid projections is well
worthwhile.
My First OBE
(by Jim Lagerkvist)
I'm going to share this with all of you in the hope you find some value
in my experience. First of all, I want to say that while I enjoy reading
about OBEs, I never had a serious desire to have one myself. This now
seems ironic after reading posts from those who are knocking themselves
out trying to do it.
Last Thursday night, I went to bed feeling really stressed and hoping to
have interesting dreams as sort of a "poor man's vacation". I think my
desire to escape the events of the day may have been the catalyst for
what happened next.
I must have drifted off for awhile, but then awoke suddenly. My entire
body was vibrating intensely. I layed there awake while the vibrations
increased. From reading about OBEs I recognized the sensations and
wasn't scared. I had full choice to either stop it or let it continue.
The vibrations escalated until I felt I could leave my body if I wanted
to. In my eyes, I saw flashes of blue light the color of static
electricity. As I was laying on my left side, I rotated clockwise and
gave myself a mental "push" out.
I floated up and looked down to see my body on the bed and my dog still
sound asleep next to it. I wouldn't have recognized the body as mine...
it was white and featureless. The 'me' that was out of my body was
everything I identified as myself, but no vibrations. I don't remember
trying to look at my new form, but was puzzled as how I could see
without physical eyes.
I recalled I should have the ability to pass thru the bedroom to go
outside the house. The thought of safely trying to go thru the glass
window concerned me, so I went up to the solid wall. I felt a slight
resistance but pushed and went thru with the sensation of wet soft
cardboard. I floated to roof level and traveled about a 1/2 mile to the
house I grew up in. Travel time seemed instantaneous.
I entered thru the garage roof and exited out the front wall with the
same sensations of soft wet cardboard. I headed home and the next I knew
I was back in my body. Another OBE happened that same night and I don't
remember where I went. But the initial "launch" was identical.
For the next couple days I was excited at the privilege of the
experience, but now I'm not sure what it's really useful for. For those
of you who have been having these, what value do you find that I may be
missing. And for those who are trying so hard, what is it you are hoping
for. I'm not ungrateful for having experienced it, just curious what's
beyond the entertainment of it.
From "The Complete Ascension Manual"
(by Joshua David Stone)
Between Lifetimes --- [...] I am going to attempt to give a glimpse of
what goes on the astral, mental, buddhic, atmic, monadic, and logoic
planes of consciousness after the death [or passaway] of a soul
extension. Where a soul extension goes after the death is determined by
how it had lived throughout all its past lives, including the most
recent past life, and how it dealt with its bardo experience. It will
gravitate like a magnet to the plane that is most appropriate to its
soul development. [...] The choices for a soul extension first entering
into the spiritual world are:
o A quick return to Earth life
For the average person who has attained even the smallest level of
enlightment, an immediate return to incarnation on the Earth would be
unthinkable. The average person gravitates to the middle astral plane.
Paramahansa Yogananda said that if a person has the slightest degree of
a spiritual belief in life, his passin would be a pleasant one. [...] It
is usaully only the lower impulses of Earth life that draw a soul back
for immediate rebirth without some kind of review and assessment period.
This path is followed very often.
o Hell regions
There is a lot confusion as to whether there is actually a hell region.
The most fundamentalist religions say there is, and that if you don't
accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour you will burn there forever. Some
metaphysical schools of thought say there no hell region, it is just a
state of mind. In my opinion the truth is somewhere in the middle. Hell
is most definitly a state of mind. It is also a location, but it is not
as the fundamentalist religions describe it. People are in hell when
they are run by the negative ego, by material and astral desire, and
hence are cut off from their own souls. [...] Hell, however, is not a
place of eternal damnation. It is really just the very lowest level of
the astral plane. Some have referred to it as outer darkness. [...] Soul
extensions will stay there indefinitly until they begin to take
responsibility for their actions, or until they can't take the torture
of their own deluded consciousness any longer and cry out to God for
help. Each time they cry out to God for help, a guardian angel will come
and offer some aid and assistance. Over time, such a soul extension will
begin to emerge out of the darkness. There is no eternal damnation in
God's plan or consciousness. God, in His infinite mercy and forgiveness,
gives all soul extensions, no matter how deluded, a chance to return
home.
o Purgatory
The term purgatory is also a term that has been confused by the
fundamentalist religions. It has very negative connotation and has been
associated with hell, but this is not true. Purgatory is a region where
soul extensions go who are not evil like those in the hell regions, but
rather just misled and not educated properly on Earth. They are those
who have been misled in their education through unsound religious
practices, those who have been overtaken bad habits, those who are
atheists, those obsessed with material desire and attachments, those who
have gone insane, and so forth. This would be the lower astral region.
It is often very difficult to awaken such people to their spiritual
path. There is a great mass of humanity living in this region of
consciousness.
o Lower, Middle and Upper astral plane
There is a borderland zone that is above the purgatory and hell regions
and that actually superimposes itself on Earth life. Here are good
people who have found what they consider to be contentment in areas
close to the Earth. This particular area is like an astral counterpart
that duplicates life on Earth, except it is still in the astral plane.
Life is so much like that of Earth it is often hard to realize that once
has even left. At some point these soul extensions begin to yearn for
something better.
[...] It must be understood now that life after death looks not much
different from life on Earth. The astral and mental and higher planes
have whole thriving life with cities, beaches, mountains, homes,
streets, concerts, libraries, social halls, clubs, churches, and temples
just like we have on Earth.
Many soul extensions, when they pass over, do not even realize they are
dead. They are in their astral bodies which look just like their
previous physical bodies. The unique thing about life after death is
that astral bodies travel with the mind. If they want to go to the
beach, they just think "beach", and they are immediatly there. There is
no need to get in a car, train, or airplane to travel.
Very often when soul extensions pass over like this, they will think of
the family they have just left and they will immediatly be with a given
family member. What they don't realize is that they are in another
dimension, and their family members can't hear or see them. This can be
quite confusing for people who haven't realized that they have died.
There are some soul extensions who are so attached to the material world
that they don't allow themselves to go through the tunnel to the other
side and are stuck on the earthly plane even through they are in their
astral bodies. There are called "Earth-bound souls". They may continue
to live in the same house they lived in before death. They don't realize
that it is their own consciousness that is keeping them stuck on Earth
and not allowing them to continue their spiritual evolution.
There are some soul extensions who are able to get hold of some vital
force and play tricks on people who are still in earthly bodies. [...]
Many people, when they die, stick arround and watch their own funerals
before passing on the astral plane. Those soul extensions of a more
evolved nature will gravitate to their higher astral realms and possibly
to the mental realm. Many soul extensions, when they pass over, sleep
for a long time before awakening on the inner plane. This is especially
true of those who have experienced lingering illness or uncontrollable
grief and of those with a strong desire to continue life in the physical
body.
[Editor's note: More on the Out-of-body experience and astral
projection can be found in Issue 7.]
RETURNING TO THE FIRST PLATEAU
by Walt, William White
Recently I started experimentation with the First Plateau after
several nasty experiences at higher dosages. If you are like me,
then you may want to go back to the basics and return to the First
Plateau to renew your pleasures of DXM.
Keep in mind that it is very easy to overstep the First Plateau
and jump right into the Second. So it's best to start out low, then
increase your dosage over time. I usually took Coricidin Cough &
Cold, and only took 90mg to 120mg (3-4 pills). Keep in mind that
I weigh about 135-140lbs. I would also take one Tylenol PM (containing
25mg of Diphenhydramine HCl) to further the effects of the DXM.
[Editor's note: Taking Tylenol PMs or any form of diphenhydramine
hcl is not recommended at larger DXM doses. It has been reported that
people have gone into seizures after mixing diphenhydramine/dimen-
hydrinate and DXM combos, so steer clear of Dramamine, Benadryl,
and Marezene when taking large doses of DXM.]
These First Plateau experiences totally rejuvinated my view of
DXM and got me totally back into tripping. If you have any marijuana
around, you may also wish to smoke a joint while on a First Plateau
trip. It's more like a slight alteration of consciousness than an
actual trip. And the best thing is you can totally function and go
places without people really noticing that you are high. Oftentimes
I would start out the day with 4 Coricidins, 1 Tylenol PM and this
would be all it took to get a decent 5-6 hour buzz going, without
anyone else knowing that I was high. By doing this, I also steered
clear of tolerance and most of DXM's nasty side effects, and also
experienced minimal stomach discomfort.
This is what William White has to say about the First Plateau,
for reference purposes:
The first plateau generally occurs around 1.5 to 2.5 mg/kg (some net
users suggest 2.7mg/kg as ideal for regular users), but this may vary
enormously depending on metabolism and other factors. The first plateau
is probably the hardest to hit; many people "overshoot" it. Please keep
in mind that these effects listed are general effects, and that
individual results may vary considerably.
A general narrative of the first plateau can be constructed. At about 30
minutes to 1 hour after dosing, an "alert" sensation is noticeable; this
is simply a feeling that is unique for individual and signals the begin
of altered consciousness. The experience has only a vaguely "drug-like"
character for about 10 minutes, after which restlessness and slight
stimulant effect are noticeable. After another 10 minutes or so,
movement and position sense are altered; those with motion sickness
begin to notice nausea. Gravity starts to feel weird, and one may bounce
around a lot. Emotions may start to become intensified. There is a
slight feeling of dissociation from reality, but overall the experience
is slightly intoxicating, with intensified emotions and sense of
importance from everyday events. This effect peaks and then slowly
subsides until it is unnoticeable.
A first plateau trip usually takes between 20 and 40 minutes to start
(on an empty stomach), peaks about 1.5 to 2 hours later, and lasts
between 4 and 6 hours. Gel capsules take up to 1 hour additional to
dissolve. Hangovers are very rare from this plateau, but if they do
occur, they tend to consist mainly of lethargy.
The primary effects of the first plateau are general euphoria, euphoria
specifically linked to music and motion, slight disturbances in balance,
moderate stimulation, and very slight intoxication. The intoxication and
balance disturbances are similar to that induced by alcohol, but much
weaker and without the mental confusion; there is little if any mental
sluggishness or confusion with a first plateau trip.
Some people have difficulty hitting the first plateau. It can take
several trials; as a general guideline, if you notice double vision,
you've gone way too far. A lot of the more pleasurable first plateau
effects, in particular the music euphoria, are set and setting
dependent. Being in good physical condition, avoiding excessive
caffeine, and being in a good mood are all important factors in
achieving a good first plateau dose.
Positive first plateau experiences are one of the first to go with
regular use. Part of this seems to be tolerance (which builds quickly
and lasts for considerable time). Another part seems to be a familiarity
with the first plateau experience; after awhile it no longer seems quite
so profound or interesting. Some have suggested changing set and setting
as a way of regaining the more interesting aspects of the first plateau.
Anyway, if you are like me and have experienced nasty effects of DXM
at higher dosages, I hope you will not totally give up on DXM and
return to the First Plateau... you never know how much fun you may
have until you try it!
A COMPLICATED VIEW AS TO HOW DXM WORKS
by William White
DXM binds to at least four sites in the brain, which can be
arbitrarily labeled DM1, DM2, DM3, and DM4; there is probably also a
fifth binding site (DM5). Some of these sites are sensitive to
pentazocine, a known sigma ligand; some are sensitive to haloperidol,
another sigma ligand. On the following table, information from several
sources has been gathered and combined. The binding affinity of DXM,
DTG, and 3-PPP are listed, along with (+)-pentazocine sensitivity,
and haloperidol displacement ability (binding values in nM
unless otherwise specified). "Low" means micromolar binding affinity.
DXM binds to four separate places, two with high affinity. The first
receptor is accepted to be the sigma1 receptor based on the binding to
pentazocine and haloperidol, and the potency of (+)-3-PPP. The second
receptor is almost certainly the PCP2 receptor, given the insensitivity
to pentazocine, and the very high affinity for DXM. The third site is
probably sigma2 (based on the potency of DTG) but it is possible that
"DM1" in this table represents both sigma1 and sigma2 and that the third
site is something else. The fourth site is probably the NMDA receptor's
open channel site, although it might be the ion channel binding site.
The PCP2 binding site is probably the dopamine reuptake complex, so
blocking it would prevent the uptake of dopamine in much the same way
that the antidepressant bupropion (WellbutrinTM) or cocaine does.
Of course, DXM is considerably weaker than cocaine (and stronger than
bupropion, incidentally) at this site. This probably accounts for the
euphoric effects of a low recreational dose, and almost certainly
explains the stimulant effects of a low dose. Interestingly, the
stimulant effect seems qualitatively different from amphetamines to most
people (I have no comparison information on cocaine). One user compared
DXM and bupropion favorably in stimulant effect. Incidentally, it seems
that DXM may bind noncompetitively at the dopamine reuptake site whereas
bupropion binds competitively.
The music euphoria and motion euphoria are probably partly due to PCP2
activity, and partly due to other activity. As NMDA blockade and sigma
activity can both lead to dopaminergic activity (see below), reuptake
inhibition would potentiate these effects.
Interestingly, DXM seems to be much more potent at this site than other
sigma/NMDA ligands (such as PCP or ketamine) in comparison to activity
at other sites. Also interestingly, at least one tricyclic
antidepressant has been found to be active at related receptors (sigma,
PCP); it is possible that the PCP2 site may be a target of some anti-
depressants.
As the sigma2 site is a fairly recent discovery, it is not known what
sigma-related effects and behaviors are attributable to which receptor
(sigma1 or sigma2). There is very little data on the subjective effects
of sigma ligands, in part because only recently have selective ligands
become available, and in part because most researchers aren't very
willing to dose themselves to find out. DXM binds to the sigma1 receptor
and is generally considered to be an agonist at this receptor. DXM is
probably also an agonist (as opposed to an antagonist) at sigma2, though
it is much weaker there.
The disruption of sensory processing may be due in part to sigma
activation (and partly due to NMDA blockade) (63-65). Sigma receptors
may be specifically involved in the auditory effects of DXM (65), and
these effects may relate to a disruption of sensory input persistence.
The psychotomimetic (literally "psychosis-like") effects of DXM may be a
result of sigma activity since sigma receptors seem to have some
involvement in schizophrenia. People who have used both DXM and
ketamine have remarked that DXM is much more likely to induce delusional
and hyper-abstract thought patterns. Sigma receptors may temporarily
modulate cholinergic receptors, so sigma activity may produce
temporary effects somewhat like the delusional anticholinergics.
The effects on motor skills may be a result specifically of sigma2
receptors. Expect to see more data on this subject as sigma2
receptors are investigated more fully. There may also be a contribution
from NMDA receptors, of course.
Dextrorphan (DXO) is much more potent than DXM at the NMDA receptor,
which accounts for the slow onset of most of DXM's effects even when it
is injected. The NMDA receptor is the central site of dissociative
action, and is probably the main contributor to most of DXM's effects.
Dissociatives, including DXM, act on the NMDA receptor by binding to its
channel once it opens up, essentially plugging it up.
Most of the "stoning" or intoxicating effects of DXM are due to NMDA
receptor blockade. Alcohol's intoxicating effect seems to be mediated in
part by NMDA receptor blockade (alcohol's depressant effect is due to
GABA activity; DXM has no activity at GABA receptors) (28,61,62). The
dissociative anesthesia of high DXM doses is also likely due to NMDA
receptor blockade.
As stated before, sensory processing disruption, especially at higher
doses, is probably due in part to NMDA receptors and partly to sigma.
NMDA blockade is probably responsible for most if not all of the
flanging effects of DXM, especially visual flanging. This is likely an
indirect effect, i.e., the blockade of NMDA receptors induces changes in
the way the brain processes information, leading to flanging.
The effects on memory are almost certainly due to NMDA blockade. NMDA
receptors are intimately involved in long-term potentiation,
the primary mechanism behind intermediate-term memory (ITM) and
long-term memory (LTM). By blocking NMDA receptors, long-term
potentiation, and thus intermediate- and long-term memory encoding, are
disrupted.
NMDA blockade indirectly increases dopamine activity in the
striatum, nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercule, and prefrontal cortex.
Increased activity at dopamine D1 receptors is responsible for the
increased locomotor activity seen in rats on dissociatives, and
may be responsible for many of the effects DXM has on motion. Chronic
use of DXM may result in upregulation of dopamine D2 receptors.
DXM's ability to suppress respiration at toxic levels is most likely due
to NMDA receptor blockade or (in my opinion) ion channel blockade. Some
of the effects from very high dosage levels may be due to overall
disruption of neural networks. There is some preliminary evidence that
both the "spontaneous memory" effect and the sensations similar to
near-death experiences may occur as limbic areas (the hippocampus and
hippocampal formation and surrounding areas) are disrupted by NMDA
blockade. Most drugs target specific, small clusters of neurons (or
their receptors, which can be scattered about). Both excitatory amino
acid secreting neurons and NMDA receptors tend to be more evenly
distributed, although they too are concentrated in certain areas of the
brain to a lesser extent.
Probably the greatest degree of DXM's effects come from consequences of
the aforementioned receptor binding on the temporal lobe limbic areas.
The blockade of NMDA receptors by DXM has specific consequences in these
areas. The normal functioning of the hippocampus and amygdala are
disrupted since NMDA blockade prevents long-term potentiation. The
posterior cingulate and retrosplenial cortex paradoxically become more
active. There may be spontaneous "noise" effects in the entire limbic
system amplified by feedback. One paper suggested that dissociatives may
induce "microseizures" or limited areas of high activity in the limbic
system.
There is also the suggestion of a "top-down" inhibition of the senses,
i.e., inhibitory signals from the limbic areas and surrounding cortical
areas are sent "down" to sensory networks, lowering the strength of
sensory data. This "top-down" inhibition of the senses may be the
mechanism behind dissociative anaesthesia; sensory information is still
processed by the brain, but never makes it to the conscious mind and is
never encoded in intermediate-term declarative memory (in the
hippocampus).
Finally, dissociatives seem to alter the flow of signals through the
limbic areas, possibly increasing the degree of internal feedback within
these areas (or between these areas and the neocortex) and diminshing
the amount of sensory data that comes in. Gating of signals coupled to
the theta rhythm through the posterior cingulate may be altered.
Putting this all together into some sort of cohesive theory may be too
soon but I'm going to do it anyway. My belief (which will probably
change as new research becomes available) is that the diminished sensory
data (from top-down inhibition), and the decreased encoding of
intermediate-term memory, combined with the enhancement of activity in
the posterior cingulate and retrosplenial cortex, all lead to an
increasingly closed feedback loop. Within this loop, random noise,
individual differences in temporal lobe "wiring", the contents of
intermediate memory, and the influence of electromagnetic fields
all combine to give rise to profoundly abnormal neural patterns.
An interesting aside to this is that the sense of smell is sometimes
reported to be enhanced on DXM. This hasn't been formally studied, and
may be all in one's mind, but since olfactory data is treated somewhat
differently by the brain than the other senses, it may be spared from
the descending inhibitory signals that attenuate other sensory data. If
so, then the feedback loop could actually serve to increase the strength
of olfactory data, by repeatedly adding the same, small signals
together.
Many of DXM's effects are undoubtedly due to indirect activity at other
neurotransmitter systems. For example, it may indirectly increase 5HT
activity, especially at the 5HT1A receptor. This could explain some of
its mood-altering properties. Another example is dopaminergic activity;
DXM has a fairly strong ability to increase dopamine activity (both from
activating sigma receptors, and from preventing dopamine reuptake at PCP
2 sites). NMDA receptor blockade also has been shown to increase
dopaminergic activity, as well as activity of other neurotransmitter
systems.
One of DXM's most prominent effects if the flanging of sensory input.
This happens to some extent with many drugs, and I have a hypothesis on
this. Note in particular the relation of flanging to "stoning" and
"buzzing" - in some ways, flanging is a more profound degree of stoning.
Some people have noticed a flanging or strobing effect after smoking a
great deal of cannabis, and nitrous oxide users are also familiar with
flanging of sounds. Even alcohol can produce it.
What it seems many of these drugs have in common is the ability to
inhibit hippocampal long-term potentiation. Some have suggested that
there are more than one set of signals that pass through the same limbic
areas, with those in phase with the theta frequency and those out of
phase being gated differently. Perhaps one set of signals is more
strongly involved with memory, and the other set more strongly involved
with sensory data. Or, perhaps all drugs which inhibit hippocampal LTP
all activate the posterior cingulate cortex. In either case, signals at
one phase of the theta rhythm could be disrupted, leading to a pulsing
of perception in step with theta rhythm.
A different theory is that networks in the brain will re-process the
same data repeatedly until a stable configuration is formed, and that
DXM (and other drugs) slow down this process. With some networks slowed
down and others operating at normal speeds, the characteristic
frequencies of the two sets of signals would differ, leading to a "beat
frequency" in much the same way that two very similar sounds can lead to
a beat frequency (for a quick demonstration of this, listen to someone
tuning a guitar by ear).
Another interesting effect of DXM is its ability to induce peculiar
cognitive disturbances, which I lump together under the term of
"hyper-abstraction". Two examples:
o A meme is a "particle" or "virus" of thought - an idea which is in some
ways self-contained, and which spreads like a virus. For example, the
idea of civil liberties is a meme, which at some point sprang into
existence, spread rapidly, and has now become an integral part of our
consciousness. One user during a DXM trip suddenly became aware of (or
thought up) "The self-invoking, self-creating meme", which was the
concept of a meme whose identification creates and invokes it. It seemed
that this meme was timeless in the sense that it must have always
existed, or it could not have come to mind, since it is not easily
deducible from anything other than itself (of course, the brain doesn't
work on the rules of logic, but ... you get the point)
o Another user wrote of thinking about convergent infinite sums
(e.g., 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + etc., which sums up to 1). Although one
can add these terms up forever, it's easier to abstract the process
and get the answer that way. This user imagined an infinite series of
abstractions, and then imagined abstracting that infinite series to get
a new level or plane of abstraction.
Many DXM thought patterns involve what some have called "Strange Loops"
in logic. Like the self-contradicting statement "this statement is
false", some of them cannot be embodied in logical form; others can be,
but cannot be derived without presenting them as hypothesis. Thinking at
this degree of abstraction is very difficult (unless you are fortunate
enough to be Kurt Gödel).
Several people who have written first-person accounts of psychosis and
schizophrenia have mentioned increasingly abstract thought patterns (Zen
and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance springs to mind). This may of
course be complete bunk, and it may be that the increasingly "abstract"
thoughts are just increasingly loony (and thus difficult to relate to
concrete ideas). On the other hand, it may be that something about
schizophrenia and psychotic states is related to a blurring between
levels of abstraction. Once blurred sufficiently, a thought which cannot
be represented at a concrete degree of abstraction could be
representable in the mind.
Thus, DXM may induce a sort of temporary blurring of these levels of
abstraction. Whether this is due to NMDA or sigma activity, I don't
know, although I suspect the latter, since other NMDA antagonists don't
tend to induce such changes in thought patterns.
As stated above, sigma activity may modulate cholinergic receptors in
the brain, leading to a temporary decrease in cholinergic function
similar to (but considerably safer than) that caused by anticholinergics
like atropine, scopolamine, cyclizine (Marezine), etc. It is known that
cholinergic activity is important in memory, and many nootropics ("Smart
Drugs") enhance cholinergic function. Sigma activity may very well cause
temporarily lowered effectiveness in some cholinergic receptors, thus
distorting memory and thought processes. Some people have in fact said
that DXM makes them feel temporarily stupid ("Dumb Drugs", anyone?)
although this by no means happens to everyone.
Many of the biogenic amine systems seem to have a modulatory role, and
some researchers think these modulating systems operate much like
"control knobs". For example, one theory on LSD is that it upsets the
"gain control" on sensory recognition networks (possibly by descending
inhibition, although through different pathways than those postulated
for dissociatives). As a consequence, the random noise input (necessary
for any pattern matching network) becomes much stronger than the sensory
input. Sensory recognition becomes increasingly less and less precise -
ergo, hallucinations.
LSD's effects are almost certainly more complex than this, but there may
be some truth to the "control knob" idea of the biogenic amine systems.
If so, then the cholinergic systems may be the "control knobs" for
cognitive networks in much the same way that 5HT2A/5HT2C systems are for
sensory recognition networks. Delusions may simply be the cognitive
equivalent of hallucinations. Or to put it another way, the difference
between thinking you look like a flower and thinking you are a flower
may be a question of which network is disrupted.
Memory problems derive to some extent from NMDA blockade, although some
users of ketamine have remarked that DXM can have a stronger effect on
memory than ketamine. It is possible that, in addition to inducing
delusional thoughts, a decrease in cholinergic function could be
responsible for some of the memory problems. This is certainly
consistent with the effects of the delusional anticholinergics.
Incidentally, the anticholinergics also affect acetylcholine receptors
that govern the functioning of the heart and respiration (these
receptors do not seem to be modulated by sigma activity). Recreational
use of anticholinergics can be extremely dangerous, leading to collapse
of respiration or heart failure.
HALLUCINOGENIC DRUGS FOR INNER SPACE EXPLORATION, PART ONE
by Donald DeGracia
The following was written by an expert in the field of hallucinogenic
drug research, and the exploration of the Inner Self. It doesn't
directly relate to any DXM issues, but since DXM is a hallucinogenic
substance, it can be applied to the following article.
Introduction
There are a variety of tools available to anyone interested in exploring
altered states of consciousness. Such tools include meditation,
out-of-body experiences, brain and biofeedback instruments, occult type
rituals, visualization exercises, and also in this category are
hallucinogenic drugs. Each of these tools provides a different doorway
into the inner spaces of our subjectivity and consciousness. In this
article, I would like to provide a brief overview of hallucinogenic
drugs as one means among many for achieving altered states of
consciousness. It is not my intention here to debate whether it is right
or not to use hallucinogenic drugs, whatever is ones motive, though I
will discuss the variety of opinions that exist in this regard. My
purpose here is twofold: 1. to give a broad overview of hallucinogenic
drugs in general, and 2. to show how hallucinogenics can provide, if
used reasonably and responsibly, a valuable and substantial tool for
exploring inner spaces.
History Of Hallucinogenic Substances
The history of mankind's involvement with hallucinogens seems to go back
thousands of years. Some modern scholars speculate that the soma of the
ancient Hindus was indeed a hallucinogenic substance that was used for
purposes of religious ritual and ecstasy. The use of opiates in China
and the Far East is well documented. The religious uses of
hallucinogenic mushrooms by Native Americans is also a well documented
fact, as well as being a point of controversy in modern legislation.
However, the modern West only really became involved with hallucinogenic
drugs after World War II. It was in 1948 that LSD was first produced
from rye mold by Albert Hoffman, who was at the time looking for
antibiotic substances in fungi. Also around this time, mescaline was
identified as the active agent in certain hallucinogenic plants. Within
a few years after being recognized, these substances began to cause
severe polarization in opinions about their use and benefit.
On one hand, there were in the 1950s and early 1960s, small groups of
avant garde intellectuals who began to associate religious and mystical
qualities with the effects of these drugs on human perception. Perhaps
best known in this regard was Aldous Huxley's "The Doors of Perception",
which highlighted Huxley's personal experiences on mescaline. Also in
this vein was Alan Watts' "The Joyous Cosmology" which also extolled the
philosophical and mystical virtues of the hallucinogenic experience.
On the other hand, during this same period, hallucinogenic drugs such as
LSD and mescaline were seen by the medical and psychiatric fields as
being agents that seemed to simulate psychosis. Initially, the term
"hallucinogenic" did not even exist. In the 1950s and 1960s these drugs
were generally called "psychomimetics", meaning that their effects
mimicked symptoms displayed by psychotics and paranoids. Perhaps the
crowning tribute to this view of LSD was the book "One Flew Over The
Cuckoos Nest" by Ken Kesey, which reflected Kesey's experiences as a
volunteer in medical experiments on the effects of LSD. Incidentally,
Kesey, in the late 1960s went on to be one of the leaders of the West
coast psychedelic movement with his "Band of Merry Pranksters" (as
described in the book "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests").
So from the very beginning the hallucinogenic drugs have been viewed
from totally opposite points of view: doctors initially equated the
drugs' effects with psychosis, and intellectuals equated the drugs
effects with profound religious experiences.
The story of LSD climaxed in the early 1960s with the research of
Timothy Leary at Harvard University. Initially, Leary, who was a Harvard
psychologist researching the nature of personality, had only an
impartial scientific interest in these so-called psychomemetic drugs. He
soon found out however that their effects were so great as to cause him
to essentially abandon his roots as an elitist East coast intellectual
and to become the founding father of the psychedelic movement in the
United States. It was Leary's contention that hallucinogenic drugs
opened up to human perception things long lost from Western tradition,
things that were well understood in older cultures and religions.
Timothy Leary recognized, like other intellectuals a decade before him,
that these drugs have the potential to cause profound religious and
mystical experiences, experiences that could easily be distorted and
misconstrued by Western reductionistic intellectuals as being symptoms
of insanity. Leary, like any other person made sane by LSD, came to the
conclusion that it was the modern West that was insane, not some poor
individual in a psychiatric ward who was experiencing visions and
hearing voices.
I do not think there is a need here to attempt to recount in full the
story of Timothy Leary. However, we will return to the contention that
hallucinogenic drugs cause religious and mystical experiences. At this
point, it is enough to say that Leary started something much bigger than
himself. The psychedelic movement gained much momentum through
1965-1967, culminating with events like Woodstock. However, quick as it
came, it was gone. LSD was made illegal, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin
died, Leary got off his soap-box, and the United States, after failing
miserably in Vietnam, drifted into a depressing 1970s.
And here we are, some 20 years later. LSD has not gone away, it is
simply not talked about anymore. The best of the actual psychedelic
movement turned into the Grateful Dead, who have been riding a
successful music career ever since. And the basement scientists who in
the 1960s made and sold LSD turned into the "designer drug" community on
the West Coast, giving us such wonderful poisons as "Ecstasy" (which
causes severe nerve damage if taken enough - so beware!).
Well, with this bit of history under our belts, I'd like to discuss a
little about the hallucinogenic drugs themselves both in terms of what
their subjective effects are and also what is known about how they react
in the body. After that, I will then go into more detail about their use
as a tool for exploring inner space.
The Effects of Hallucinogenic Drugs
So doctors call it insanity, and intellectuals call it enlightenment,
but really, what is it? What are the effects caused when on
hallucinogenic drugs?
In terms of effects, one of the most important generalizations about
these drugs' effects was laid out by Leary when he spoke of "set and
setting". What he meant by this is that what an LSD user actually
experienced was critically dependant on the user's state of mind (set)
and where he was at and what company he was in (setting). This fact is
completely true. It is very difficult to classify the effects of
hallucinogenic because they *are* so dependent upon set and setting. If
the user is depressed and in bad company, the experience will be vastly
different than if the user is relaxed, happy and in good company.
But, keeping this idea of "set and setting" in the front of our mind, we
can still make some generalizations about the subjective effects of the
LSD experience. Some of the most commonly reported effects are:
o Visual hallucinations.
o Audio hallucinations.
o Sensory mixing (hearing sights or seeing sounds).
o Weakening of ego boundaries (a weakening or loss of sense of self).
o Enhanced ability to think abstractly.
o The uncontrollable urge to laugh.
o Enhanced ability to sense the emotions of others.
o Inability to maintain focus or concentration for long periods.
o Feelings of extreme joy.
o Feelings of extreme depression and terror.
o A direct apprehension of God.
Now this list is by no means complete. It only states some of the more
commonly reported effects. It is also important to state that not all of
these are experienced by a LSD user. As a matter of fact it is possible
that none of these effects will be experienced. It is important to be
aware that: THE EFFECTS OF HALLUCINOGENIC DRUGS ARE EXTREMELY
UNPREDICTABLE. The rule of "set and setting" is the best guide for
anticipating what the effects of a hallucinogenic experience may be. As
a matter of fact, I have a close friend who is quite experienced at the
use of hallucinogens, and his rule of thumb is the following: "if you
have a garden in your mind, then you'll be in it. If you have a garbage
can in your mind, then you'll be in it". This is very useful advice.
Explanations of Hallucinogenic Effects
At this point I would like to begin to discuss what it is that these
drugs are doing in the body. There is no question that hallucinogens
cause profound effects. The really key question is: where do these
effects come from?
To answer this question I would like to lay out two very different
theories of what it is the hallucinogens are doing to the human being.
We will see that these theories are complimentary in that they both shed
light on mode of the action of hallucinogenic drugs. However, these two
theories I am about to discuss are products of vastly different
world-views that most people consider to be contradictory. In this
article, I take the attitude that we can learn from both. The two views
of how hallucinogens affect humans that I will now discuss are the
scientific view and the occult view. Both science and occultism offer
reasonable and useful views about the nature of the hallucinogenic
experience. However, what I intend to illustrate here is that the occult
view is simply better. Let us begin with the scientific view. There are
philosophical problems we must as well address as we proceed.
A drug such as LSD offers a severe challenge to the conventional
scientific wisdom. Science tells us that our consciousness is somehow
the product of our brain; that our psychology is the software, and the
brain is the hardware. At first glance, the LSD experience seems to
completely support this view for we have eaten a chemical that severely
alters the hardware, and thus, expectedly, alters the software (i.e. our
thoughts and perceptions). For the moment, let us just accept this
contention and work with it.
Scientific Explanations of Hallucinogenic Effects
Modern scientific investigations into the structure of the brain shows
that it is made of lots of different layers of tissues such as the
cortex, cerebellum and others. These tissues in turn are, in total, made
of some one trillion cells. These cells are called neurons. Neurons look
a lot like tree branches, branching off in myriad directions touching
many, many other neurons. And the neurons align themselves like fibers,
making thick tracts of cable throughout the brain. It is well known that
neurons conduct electricity along themselves. This electricity is
created by salts like sodium and potassium, chloride and calcium. And
these salts act in the cells, much like the salts in a battery work to
make electricity.
Now it is also well known that neurons do not touch each other directly,
but that there is a small space between adjacent neurons. This space is
called a synapse. Now the way neurons conduct electricity from one to
the next is that, the electrical impulse travels the length of the first
or sending neuron until it gets to the synapse. At this point, the
electricity at the synapse causes the first neuron to release chemicals,
called neurotransmitters, into the synapse. these neurotransmitters
float across the synapse where they then encounter the second or
receiving neuron. Depending on the nature of the second neuron, once the
neurotransmitters contact it, it will either continue the impulse (and
this then would be an excititory neuron), or it will not conduct the
impulse (this is an inhibitory neuron). It is important to appreciate
that there are two types of neurons in the brain, excititory and
inhibitory. This is important for understanding how science explains the
mode of action of hallucinogenic drugs.
As it turns out, the chemical structure of the hallucinogenic looks
very, very similar to the chemical structure of the neurotransmitters in
the brain. Scientist therefore conclude (and quite reasonably) that what
happens when you take a hallucinogenic drug is that the drug gets into
the brain and interferes with the normal operation of the
neurotransmitters. The hallucinogenic drug fools the neurons into
thinking it is a neurotransmitter and it then disrupts the normal flow
of business in the neurons. Now the specific details of how this happens
do not exist. Yet, because the hallucinogens expand the activity in ones
consciousness, scientists believe that whatever hallucinogens are doing
in the brain, ultimately they are disrupting inhibitory synapses. The
idea here is that inhibitory synapsis serve a filtering function in the
brain and that unwanted or unnecessary stimuli are inhibited. If
hallucinogens disrupt this filtering function, then one would expect an
increase in the "noise" level of the brain leading to such activities as
hallucinations or even delusions. Thus, the effects of hallucinogens are
generally seen by scientists to be "noise" (similar to static on a
radio, for example).
There is no question a certain degree of merit to this hypothesis.
However, one could ask as well: are there perhaps latent functions in
the brain that are turned on by hallucinogens? This point of view has
not been well addressed by scientific research for the simple fact that,
how can you look at something if you don't know it exists? If there are
functions turned on by hallucinogenic drugs in the brain that do not
normally operate in our usual states of consciousness, then scientists
have nothing to compare these states to, and thus are affected by a
blind spot. Still, though this question of turning on latent functions
is not easily addressed in terms of scientific thinking, we shall see
below that occult views provide us a basis to reasonably address this
question.
In spite of any hypothesis scientists may provide as to the operation of
hallucinogens in the nervous system, we must put this discussion in its
proper perspective. Whatever scientists may profess to know about the
activity of hallucinogenic drugs is colored strongly by the fact that
the current scientific understanding of how the brain and nerve cells
work is highly incomplete.
And this point leads us back to philosophy. Because, on one hand,
scientists like to believe that the brain creates consciousness, but on
the other hand, scientist have only a partial and incomplete
understanding of how the brain works. This seems like putting the cart
before the horse to me. It is possible that science will come to
understand in very full detail how the operation of the brain leads to
memory formation and other psychological phenomena. But the point is,
they only have a partial understanding at this point. If you took a
brain scientist (a neurologist, or neurochemist, or whatever) and sat
them down and asked; "How does the brain create consciousness?" They'll
either B.S. you with a bunch of details and never directly answer your
question, or they will out right honestly admit that this question
simply cannot be answered with current knowledge (if you can't dazzle
'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit!). So, the bottom line is,
that science's contention that the brain creates consciousness is more
belief and dogma than it is cold, hard, provable fact.
Now it's important to appreciate this situation, because what it does is
leave the doorway open for alternative explanations. And in this quest
for alternative explanations, we do not have to take an attitude that
science is wrong and the alternatives are right, or vice versa. We can
take a more balanced and reasonable attitude and realize that different
explanations will give us a broader scope on the issue and therefore, in
the end, make our understanding fuller than if we defensively or
dogmatically cling to only one view of things.
So having said this, let us turn to an alternative explanation of LSD's
effects (and any other hallucinogen for that matter), and this is the
explanation given by occultists.
[Editor's note: The second half of this article will be continued
in Issue 7 due to size limitations. Thank you for your patience.]
NIGHTMARES AND PARANOID DELUSIONS
by Alpha
We've all been there. Well, maybe not all of us, but a large number
of us can relate to what happens when you take too much DXM on a
regular basis. And for all of you who are fortunate enough to not
know what I'm talking about, read on, because I'm about to shed some
light on the darker side of Dextromethorphan.
First of all, if you abuse psychedelics on a regular basis you're
setting yourself up for a strain on your mind, and quite possibly
a mental collapse if you overdo it. Drugs such as LSD, when taken
in large and frequent amounts, can really take a toll on the mind,
not to mention other negative effects such as depression, personality
changes, etc.
Such is the case with DXM. Only DXM's longterm effects are much
different than those with LSD or other psychedelics. Listed below
are some of the things I'm talking about:
o Paranoid delusions while under the influence of DXM
o Longterm paranoia
o Personality change
o Depression
o Nightmares
o Slight alterations of consciousness/headaches
o Breakdown/mental collapse
Okay, first up is paranoid delusions while under the influence of
DXM. What this means is simply becoming overly paranoid about something
while you're still under the influence of the drug. Specific examples
of mine are when I believed that I was having a heart attack because
I had a toothache after doing a hefty amount of DXM, or when I thought
I had developed lazy eye and my eye would forever be that way because
I took too high a dose of DXM, or when I thought I had a hole in my
throat because I couldn't feel it (since my skin was so numb), and
so on. Some people feel that they have either been hurt somehow or
are going to die. Unlike LSD's paranoid delusions, these delusions
are more related to the body than of the mind. If you freak out on
DXM, it's most likely because of something to do with your body.
A friend of mine thought his throat was closing, for instance.
While these can be very scary when they occur, most of them are
limited to higher doses and bad trips. As the DXM wears off, you'll
be fine. It's also been proven that the antihistamine found in
Coricidin can affect your sinuses and even your eyes, so be
careful when using large amounts of DXM in the form of Coricidin
Cough & Cold.
There's also instances of false psychic phenomenon occurring
while on DXM. Have you ever felt you "knew" something while doing
DXM... but later it turns out you were totally wrong? One time
I just knew my friends had died somehow... it came to me as more
than a thought, but more like a psychic flash telling me so. And
I believed it with all my heart. It's so easy to get tangled up
in the paranoid aspects of DXM... too easy. Whenever you find yourself
starting to believe or "sense" things, tell yourself it's just
part of the DXM and to ignore it, and that really does work.
What's even worst than all of the above, however, is longterm
paranoia, because it occurs after the DXM has worn off and you
often don't realize it's happening until after you've made a fool
of yourself with everyone around you. For instance, after doing
DXM heavily and almost daily throughout 1997, I soon began to
think that the world was going to end. I "knew" the world was
going to end, and soon. I spent all day on the Web researching
Nostradamus, etc., and as every day passed by, these feelings
grew stronger and stronger, until finally I had to see a
psychologist. There has also been an impending sense of doom
related to taking too much DXM too frequently. The sad thing
with these sorts of paranoia are the fact that you don't realize
they're even occurring because you're no longer under the influence
of DXM... but trust me, DXM can affect you long after the trip
wears off. Simple things like this equation just added to my
paranoid hysteria:
3 x 666 = 1998
I figured that since there were 3 Antichrists (the third one yet
to come) according to Nostradamus, and the number 666, being the
Mark of the Beast, obviously meant there might be a major event
unfolding in 1998 since the Bible said he who is wise can calculate
the number 666, and calculate obviously met manipulate with
a mathematical function. What was even scarier was when I read
that Nostradamus wrote that in the seventh month of 1999, the
"Great Terror" from the sky will come down upon all of mankind.
Since he actually named a month and a year, this just added to
my delusions of impending doom and death. All these are just
examples of how these simple paranoias can grow out of control
and totally envelope your life. If you do stop using DXM and
can get thru the withdrawal symptoms, then all this will eventually
go away, but it took about two months until it eventually subsided
for me and I could see clearly what all DXM had done to me.
Another sad aspect of doing too much DXM is personality change.
Many people who I had contact with on chatlines over the Internet
went thru subtle personality changes until finally they seemed
like totally different individuals. And these personality changes
weren't for the better. More often than not, they'd become moody,
depressed people who acted totally opposite than how they should
have, and lost a great deal of friends over it. They'd also babble
and make crazy rantings about ideas and theories, and often go
off on their own and be by themselves. Over-use of DXM is the
perfect way to isolate yourself and stay in your room all the
time. You get lost in the paranoid and ethereal world of DXM,
like a prisoner who is blindfolded and led thru a dense forest,
only to be abandoned by his captors. Like all the other paranoid
aspects of longterm use, your personality will eventually change
back to normal, but not until after you've stopped using DXM
for a substantial amount of time and no longer go thru withdrawal
symptoms.
Depression is just another part of personality changes, but
it happens more frequently than you'd expect. Even mild depression
occurs frequently between trips. Some people only go back to DXM
again and again because they get bored and depressed after stopping
its use. This just leads to a snowball effect which can eventually
lead to other problems. By taking certain antidepressants such as
Effexor, you may be able to stop a lot of the depression, but more
natural remedies such as St. John's Wort are recommended, because
most drug interactions aren't clearly known. Depression only seems
to go away when you beat the symptoms of withdrawal, because
depression is one of withdrawal's biggest symptoms.
Nightmares are another symptom of withdrawal. Usually the dreams
are vivid and emotionally terrifying. When you stop DXM after
frequent use, you'll notice a few days later that you start getting
vivid nightmares, which only go away when you do more DXM. While
some users report that nightmares can be fun, these nightmares
can get way out of hand and you may end up getting 7 or 8 a night
and waking up in a cold sweat, frightened out of your mind. I've
dreamed of everything from the end of the world to ghosts and
the police pursuing me. Now I realize that most of these nightmares
were based on the same paranoid realizations that occurred during
waking hours on DXM use and after-use. These nightmares will go
away only when you beat DXM withdrawal, but often nightmares
are the easiest things to pass by. Usually they recede faster than
the other withdrawal symtpoms such as headaches and depression.
If you survive the nightmares, then a second barrage of
slight alterations of consciousness can occur, which may be
more like head rushes or headaches to some users. At either
rate, I've gone far enough in the past to get rid of the nightmares
(about a week after ceasing use of DXM) but then the headaches
and head rushes got so intense I couldn't go for more than 5
minutes without one of these occurring, and it wasn't pleasant
at all. Like I said, the only way you can get rid of them
once they start is by either taking more DXM or by continuing
to put up with them until eventually they subside, which could be
a few weeks later.
Finally there is breakdown. Mental collapse. It's all the same.
I've had two instances of this. The first one came on a rainy
day when I had stayed over at a friend's house and got my car
stuck in the ditch overnight. I couldn't wake my friend up and
was locked out of the house, so I walked home in the pouring
rain at 4 AM which took several hours, and got a ride from a
neighbor the following day back to my friend's house (my parents
weren't around), only to find my car was vandalized and the
sides dented in with a hammer of some sort. I was out of drugs,
my parents were about to kick me out of the house, I was also
paranoid and delusional, and appeared to have nothing. I just
wanted to kill myself. But I remembered the words my friend
told me... "At least now it can only get better." And it did.
I believe the DXM made what would've just been a real bad day
into a totally breakdown for me. As the day went on, a darker
and darker cloud developed above me and I never had such a
lonely, desperate feeling of anguish and pain in my life.
Of all the fun I had on this drug, and all the wonderful memories
it made, I knew this was the end... it had finally come to
this. It was over.
To look on the bright side, I eventually recovered and got
a job and spaced the DXM out to once a week, sometimes more,
sometimes less. Right now I do DXM every couple days, and
whenever I get paranoid about something I wouldn't normally,
I say to myself "It's just the DXM" and forget about it.
And it really does work. So now I hope I have shed some
light on what you should expect if you're an adventerous
psychonaut who is planning on doing Dextromethorphan on
a frequent basis. Be careful!
TRIPPING IN VIRGINIA BEACH
by Gravol
The summer of 1998 found me on the Outer Banks of North Carolina,
with two friends at a condo and a load of drugs. This also meant
much fun, and many experiences with visiting new places and people.
One such experience was the day that we all decided to head up
to Hampton, Va. and later to Virginia Beach. We started out by clean-
ing up the car, vacuuming it out and later washing it at one of those
cheap car wash places. Anyway, we stopped at the local Kmart and my
friend stole a box of Coricidin Cough & Cold and later took 10-12
pills (300-360mg). Keep in mind that he is 6'7 and weighs about
200lbs. My other friend declined to take any. And since I can't
stand Coricidin because of the antihistamine, we then went to
Walmart and I bought some cough syrup. Since Robitussin wasn't
available, I had to settle for Vicks. A very thick and nasty-
tasting experience, I chugged the bottle after getting back onto
mainland North Carolina from the Outer Banks, followed by 3 or 4
Coricidin pills. We then headed north in my silver 1973 Buick Electra
into Virginia but ran into some major traffic near the Hampton
Tunnel. We were heading to Hampton first so I could meet a fellow
female friend that I got to know from IRC (Internet Relay Chat)...
her name was Amber.
Anyway, after what should've been a 1 hour drive turned into
a 3-4 hour drive, we finally made it to Amber's house. About this
same time, we were peaking on DXM. As we pulled up and parked on
the side of the road which seemed to be a dangerous neighborhood,
we began to get second thoughts. However, as we were all standing
around my car, Amber drove up and parked in her driveway and invited
us into her house.
Inside we met her mom and sat in the back room while a talking
parrot rambled on in the front room. I took things pretty calmly,
but I could tell my one friend who took the Coricidin was starting
to freak out. We went up there for the sole purpose of finding some
marijuana, so I had Amber make some calls and finally, it was time
to go pick up a half ounce. We all got in the car and headed over
a couple streets to her friend's house.
This was when the Hell began for my other two friends. Once
inside, we met a guy that was at least 6'4 and 350lbs. He was
tremendously big and muscular, and was ranting and raving about
how a machine gun was stolen from his house the other week. We
had to sit around for a while too until it was time to go pick
up the weed. In the meantime, this ogre was starting to freak out
my friends, but I still took things pretty mellow. His other
friend was about my size and wore glasses... not a likely match
for the two... kind of reminded me of Laurel & Hardy, only these
guys were no laughing matter, at least for us.
Finally, the call was made and it was time to go pick up the
weed. Tripping quite hard, I got in the car with the second guy
(the one who wore the glasses) and Amber, with me sitting in the
back seat. We headed to some unknown neighborhood, and I mentioned
how we were going to Virginia Beach later that day, but was warned
that it probably wouldn't be a good idea since there were a lot
of cops there. But I didn't really care... this was a once-in-
a-lifetime experience and since my parents lived in Va. Beach
in the 60's, I kind of wanted to see what it was like.
Anyway, we got to the house where we were to pick up the
weed and inside we met the dealer's pretty girlfriend. She let
me weigh it out on the scale and I paid approximately what I
would've paid for a quarter in Ohio, so I was pretty pleased.
However, there was hardly any odor from the bag and the guy
who was with us mentioned how there were probably "additives"
in it, without really going into further detail.
We drove back to the ogre's house where I found my two
friends looking very pale. After we left and dropped Amber
off, they explained to me that they were scared for their
life, and they actually thought that they were about to die
in that guy's house. I guess a lot happened while I was away
picking up the weed, but I attributed most of it to my friend's
DXM trip and simple paranoia. In the meantime, back at Amber's,
we smoked two joints simultaneously and then decided to head
to Va. Beach at that point.
I said goodbye to Amber and had my friend who didn't take
any DXM drive. But something wasn't right... it was as if the
weed was laced with crack, and all of our hearts were racing.
I can still hear my one friend's shakey voice saying "My
shit doesn't feel right." This only freaked us out more and
we thought at any minute we were all going to die of heart-
attacks.
But things wore off (at least the crack-like effects of
the weed did) and with the easing of the DXM trip, so did
our paranoias dissipate, so everything was looking good by
the time we were cruising down the main road (which appeared
to be The Strip) in Va. Beach. There was no boardwalk... just
this long road, parallel to the beach, with a ton of people
walking on the sidewalk and going in and out of the shops.
We decided to park and went up to where a band was playing
some classic rock. We went to a food stand and then sat down
on the grass with our grub and chowed down (which is very
common after starting to come down from DXM) while listening
to the band and watching the day begin to turn into evening.
I can still remember the pretty sky, and the white swirls
of clouds against a pale blue backdrop, and the ocean gleaming
in what was left of the day's sunlight. It was a wonderful
experience, and a perfect way to end what started out as a
scary day.
After we ate, we got in the car and headed back to the
Outer Banks and to our condo. The weed lasted us the entire
rest of the vacation, and we never again experienced the
weird effects that were experienced the first time we smoked
it. But then again, we never again did DXM during that
vacation.
Just another wonderful day in the world of DXM...
REDOSING IN NEW ZEALAND
by Yahuel
[Editor's note: Yahuel is a 38-year-old male, weighing 75 kg. The
initial dose was 320 mg and the second dose was also 320 mg.]
After a couple of low plateau experiences under my belt I was feeling a
little more ambitious. Previously I had dosed on 160 and 240mg and
experienced some but not all of the effects and few of the side effects
mentioned in the FAQ and other web sources. In my country (New Zealand)
the only source of pure off the shelf DXM is in a cough suppressant lozenge
which contains a paltry 5mg per loz. So my first foray involved 2 boxes of
16 loz. and my second involved 3 boxes or 48 loz. I have never experienced
nausea or any other gastro intestinal effects and I attribute this to two
reasons:
o I ALWAYS take DXM on an empty stomach and NEVER eat when I'm high.
o I only take DXM, no other active ingredients like guaiefensin or
pseudoephedrine.
So, anyhoo, this particular day I decided to drive down to visit my best
buddy and turn him onto DXM if he was keen, which he was. We had done weed,
acid, e and San Pedro cactus together so were no strangers to the High
frontier.
After much searching we finally found a supermarket which had these
particular lozenges in stock. I still relish the experience of buying DXM.
I've been busted for buying acid so being able to purchase potent psychedelic
drugs over the counter legally from the local mall is a thrill in itself.
The plan was for me to take 4 packets and my friend Mike to take 3.
This would give us both around 4mg/kg for a moderate 2nd plateau dose.
These lozenges are a real asspain to take, menthol and aniseed or licorice
flavor overdose! But thats a small price to pay. So it took me about 30
minutes to crunch my way thru the 64 loz and Mike took about 45 minutes to
eat his 48. Mike found the taste of the lozenges to be most unpleasant.
Then we waited for a bus to take us into the city to maybe catch the
opening day of the XFiles movie. By the time we got to the theatre I was
on a full body stone and having serious doubts about exposing my raw soft
wet brain to the XFiles paranoia scenario. So we nixed the movie idea and
opted to walk around the city and talk some.
My sense of smell was incredibly heightened. I remember smelling the
fart of some guys who were about 50 yards ahead of us down the road. It
smelt neither pleasant or unpleasant, it was just fart molecules. Spoor.
I remember also an incredible sensation when I sat and closed my eyes:
the sensation was of being carried upwards and backwards, as if I was
sitting on an escalator travelling at high speed. I remember trying to
alter the direction to upwards and forwards and "realised" that for me,
backwards = the past = myself = memory = the known = comfort = naivete
while to go forward would mean embracing the opposite qualities: the
future = others = plans and dreams = the mystery = risk = responsibility.
There was a very clear "directive": if you want to go forward an upward,
then this is the ride that you are signing on for. So I chose forward and
upward and away I went.
Most of that night was passed in a pleasantly stoned frame of mind. We
caught the bus back to his place and watched some TV and talked before bed.
He reported that he was having somewhat of a bad trip and was seeing the
world as being empty and meaningless. I pointed out that he was making
this "insight" mean something. When he realised that his supposed insight
was itself meaningless in its own terms he was able to drop it and his mood
brightened considerably. The poor guy had to work the next morning whereas
I was on vacation and this may also have contributed to just how much more of
a better trip I was having.
As I drifted off to sleep I felt as though some kind of sentient
mothership-type being was somehow standing gaurd over me while sending
down little shuttle craft which relayed messages back and forth between us.
It was all very pretty with speilberg twinkly-light stuff and did not seem
to be at all unusual at the time. The next morning I woke up at 11(!), wrote
Mike a letter and wrote a little in my journal. I skipped breakfast, deciding
to fast for the rest of the day. By "fast" I mean drink water only.
I hopped in my car feeling mildly exhilarated and cleansed and
commenced the 2 hour drive home. I had originally left home with the
intention of driving up into the wilderness for two nights, but had opted
on a whim to visit my friend instead. This time my whim hadn't settled on
whether to return home or make the 5 hour drive up to the wilderness for
one night and then home the next morning. I opted for the wilderness and
opted also to repeat my previous nights dosage. (Kids, don't try this at
home!)
The place I was headed is a special place: a hidden cave on a steep
hillside overlooking the sea. I had tripped there before and was keen to
take some DXM there, get on up to that Second Plateau and then come what
may! About one hour from my destination, I started munching my way through
the 64 loz and had downed them all in about 25 minutes with no problem.
I had some amazing choral music (Thomas Tallis's Motet in 40 voices:
Spem in Allium 500 year old Psychedelic Church Music!) on the tapedeck as
I drove, and was feeling very high and happy. Not the least intoxicated,
just really refreshed and glad to be where and who I was.
I arrived at my destination just as the wintry sun was setting. I
had chosen this particular date because it was full moon and that would
make it easier to find my way for walking on the beach etc. Unfortunately
the sky was darkened with low thick cloud cover and the only light was my
torch and the sweep of a far off lighthouse. I packed my sleeping bag, a
towel, a torch some water and my journal and set off to try and find the
cave. Big mistake.
The cave is as I said well hidden, and not easy to locate at the best
of times, in broad daylight with a clear head. Also, it had been raining
heavily in this region and the stream I had to wade was almost waist-deep
rather than knee-deep. The water did not feel cold or wet. I was aware
only of the weight and resistance of the water and my now saturated-from-
the-waist-down-clothing.
Across the stream the progress was even worse: the heavy rain had turned
most of the hillside into a bog, with landslides here and there to confuse
things even further. And thats when my sense of balance left me! Oops!
Carrying a backpack up the side of a muddy scrubby hillside in pitch
darkness about 100 feet above sea level. I spent more of the next 1/2 hour
on my ass than on my feet, but I remained jubilant and still confident of
finding the cave, which by now had become something of a point of personal
honour: The Quest for the Cave. I was by this stage feeling no pain,
literally. I didn't feel the least bit cold although I could see my legs
shaking.
I was however still capable of rational thought because I remember
thinking about the three Ws: windchill, wetness and winter and concluded
that I stood a very high chance of suffering hypothermia and perhaps facing
actual death rather than simply ego death! The degree of intoxication I was
experiencing went way beyond that of the previous night. Whether this was a
simple result of re-dosing or was exacerbated by my fasting I don't know
(it was by now some 30 hours since my previous meal -not, of course, counting
the 128 lozenges!).
More than once I collapsed from loss of balance and lay too exhausted to
get up. More than once I found myself stuck, literally mired in ankle deep
mud, beset by brambles and bushes. While part of me was still definitely
attending to the ongoing tasks of risk management and survival, another
part of me was still feeling incredibly clear, peaceful and happy, almost
exhilerated. I finally concluded that my best hope for survival was to
try and make it back to the car. The three risks being death by exposure
to the elements (it had by now begun to rain as well as gust (presumably!)
icy winds, death by falling off the hillside onto the rocks below or death
by drowning: falling into the sea, or losing my balance in the river and
being swept out into the ocean.
It was an exhilerating and truly adventurous journey back to the car,
not without moments of peril. All the way I felt, however, as though I was
being helped. Not necessarily by other entities, maybe just by inner
reserves of strength and survivability which I had never known I had. All
the while the sense of exhilaration never left me. I found myself repeating
like a mantra the intention of that evenings trip: "to deepen my experience
and further my adventure!" over and over again, all the way back to the car.
And at no stage did I feel like I had failed in my mission to find the cave.
In my state of high exhileration there was simply no place for thoughts of
failure.
I peeled off all my wet clothes and dried myslf with the towel before
climbing into my sleeping bag and making myself comfortable in the front
passenger seat of the car. I put on a tape (Sheila Chandra's The Zen Kiss),
found some dried apricots and almonds and started to eat- not from any sense
of hunger but rather to replace te energy I knew I had lost up on the hill-
side.
Finally I could close my eyes... and WOW!
This extraordinary spectacle was unlike anything I've ever experienced
before or since. Mere language cannot convey the majesty and power of the
everchanging spectactle before me. It was beyond words. It was Third Plateau.
I remember taking out a piece of fragrant amber from a small box in my
jacket and inhaling its pungent fragrance in one mighty sniff. As I did so
with my eyes closed, the face of an angelic being drawn somewhat in a cartoon
or airbrushed style appeared in the midst of the shifting visual kaleidoscope
that was previously my all. She was smiling.
Amidst all the multimedia, sensory overload synesthesia euphoria, I still
had the presence of mind to turn off the car stereo, so as not to flatten the
car battery. All night I drifted in and out of pleromic hyperreality, aware
of the sound of rainfall on the car roof and the multiple images of the cars
digital clock. I remember the feeling of leaving my body and how OK it was
to do that and remember learning how dying is a good thing waiting for me,
not a bad thing, and I can remember finding my soul and embracing it and
bringing it back, and wondering in an amused way: ‘How on earth did I ever
think I could make it on earth without THIS?!
The next morning at 6 a.m., some 14 hours after second dose ingestion,
and 35 hours after first dose I awoke feeling refreshed and ready for the
drive home. I was still somewhat intoxicated, I now realise, although at
the time I felt fine. (Note: In NO way do I recommend driving, wading
rivers or rockclimbing on DXM. I was stupid to do DXM without having a
sober sitter to take care of me. I've learned my lesson. If you're
smart you'll learn from my lesson too!)
About 40 minutes into the drive home, everything suddenly shifted into
sharp focus and I realised that for the previous 40 minutes I must have
been fighting to maintain binocular vision. The rest of the journey home
was uneventful. My overall feeling was of being blessed: Peace on Earth
and Goodwill to all!
Looking back through my journal for those 72 hours I find the following
jottings:
o The body is alive and intelligent at every level.
o Patterns which satisfy, persist.
o I am a sacred pure being at every level.
o An entity which we cannot relate to meaningfully becomes (or is) just a
"thing."
o To move beyond something, seek not its opposite but rather be free to
have the thing, its opposite, and the unknown.
o The universe is alive and sentient at every level.
o There are levels which we cannot apprehend or comprehend.
Much Love and Blessings to my Brother and Sister Psychonauts.
MY THEORY ON LIFE, EXISTANCE, AND THE UNIVERSE
by Gravol
These are my beliefs as to what happens when we die, and the whole
working of the Universe. Keep in mind that this is just not my personal
experience, but the result of several years of research I've done
from religious documents, out-of-body reports, and my own experiences
with DXM and astral projection. If it weren't for DXM, I would probably
not have a full understanding of these beliefs, but DXM has helped
me perceive life in a much fuller way... in a more complete way,
and for that I am very grateful.
Now, as far as my theory goes, the universe is made up of dimensions.
We are in the 3rd dimension right now... the 3rd dimension is made up
of matter, and material things. The next dimension is the 4th dimension,
which is where we go when we die. In this dimension thought becomes
reality... thought takes on a form similar to matter in this dimension...
and there is perfection like no other that we know.
Did you know that you can't even draw a perfect circle? It's impossible...
it's also impossible to perfect anything in this dimension. However, the
dimensions overlap... that's why we exist in both our bodily and mental
states. Think of it this way... your brain dies, but your mind goes on.
Whatever knowledge you gain in this lifetime will only help you in the
next dimension.
A little more about the 4th dimension... you can visit it without
actually dying, thru astral projection... and its description from people
who have visited there is similar to the Bible's description of Heaven.
The 4th dimension is basically what the Bible calls Heaven. Hell was only
instituted to force people into believing religion. Look back to the Middle
Ages, when you could pay off your sins with money, even before you sinned.
These same people also said if you don't come to my church, you're going
to burn in Hell. What kind of love and universal character is that? Surely
God isn't that way... and I assure you, He's not.
At the top of all these dimensions is God, and he is all-powerful.
It doesn't matter what religion you are... or what you believe in...
the Great Power still exists... you can call it whatever you want...
but He is your creator and your sole existance. And all we're doing
is moving up from one dimension to the next... not back down. However,
to pass from one dimension to the next, you must become a more spiritually
developed being, and that brings me back to this dimension... the planet
Earth.
We are all volunteers... we existed before we were born but we retain
no memory of this. We, the brave ones, volunteered to come to this
Earth as a test to accomplish some sort of mission, which is also unknown
to us at this present time, and then die. By completing this mission,
you are developing into a higher spiritual being and are capable of moving
onto higher realms. But you must complete your current mission... life.
People ask why their son may have been killed after just living a few
days, or other similar tragedies, and I tell them their son was put on
this earth to bring the family closer together... perhaps their son's
mission was to create the atmosphere and situation that would allow
his parents to bond and experience the grief of losing a newborn.
Nobody is taken out of this world without first accomplishing their
mission, unless they commit suicide. If you don't kill yourself,
then you will accomplish your mission.
Now, there's also a thing called Karma I believe in. What goes
around comes around... you're going to have as many really good days
as really bad days. And all the other days are going to be so-so.
Don't you notice how life evens out? If you do something you know is
wrong, maybe a day or two later something just as bad will happen
to you... but it's all by coincidence. You can't prove a thing. But
it's the great circle of life... Karma.
That's where Cosmic Coincidence Control comes in... your life is
controled by forces both good and evil... thru the result of coincidences.
You can't prove them... they just happen, and the only thing you can
do is to keep on living your life the way you were. If you command
a ghost to appear before your eyes, it won't... because otherwise it
wouldn't be a coincidence anymore, now would it?
There's also Fate... the day you die, along with your life's mission,
is already planned out. Just think back to when you were two years old...
what if you woke up an hour later than you actually did, thus eating
breakfast an hour later, forcing your mom to miss her flight... a flight
in which the plane crashes and everyone onboard dies. Little things like
that can influence larger things... matters of life-and-death. Do you
really think you'd be on this Earth still if something wasn't keeping
you here, wanting you to accomplish a mission? Do you think you shouldn't
go thru pain to accomplish your mission? All of the pain and tragedy
of life must be experienced to be able to develop into a higher spiritual
being.
Some quick notes... if you ever use DXM to leave your body, you may
see thought forms because you are in the 4th dimension. These are people's
thoughts, hovering over time and space like clouds... for instance,
if a couch is in a room for 30 years, and one day it is moved away and
you visit that place at night while leaving your body, you'll still
see the couch because of the lasting thought impression it left... everyone
else's thoughts of that couch still exist, and everyone still expects
to find it there... even tho the actual couch is gone, the thought
form of it still exists, and slowly fades with time. Did you ever break
up with a girlfriend and become depressed because you found yourself
thinking of her day in and day out? Well, this is the same thing...
that's how powerful thought can be.
And as far as ghosts are concerned, they are simply souls that don't
want to move on because of loved ones that are still living, or they
have grown so attached to someplace on Earth that they refuse to leave
it... they are somewhere inbetween the 3rd and 4th dimensions, and that's
why you can see ghosts but not all the other dead people.
It has also been proven that upon death the body weighs slightly less,
which philosophers believe to be the astral material of the body departing.
When you die, you visit your loved ones and float up thru a tunnel of
light to meet your maker. All the pain and heartache that you've caused
everyone else must be experienced by YOU... like I said, what goes
around comes around... you will feel in a split second everything bad
you've ever done to someone. But then all the love and kindness you've
ever given out will also be experienced by you... and a complete
evaluation of your life follows.
I realize this is going very deep, but this is truly what I believe
happens, and this is truly how I believe the universe is made up. No
joke. That's why I must keep on living, and give out as much love and
friendship as I can, and at the same time gain as much knowledge and
insight into life and everything else that may someday be able to aide
me on my journey.
I hope I have shed some light into the way things work... like I
said, it matters not what your religion is... it only matters who
YOU are.
SPACE ALIEN CONSPIRACY
by Anonymous
It started out as any other day... I woke up, got in the shower, and
ran to the local Publix to buy 8oz of Robitussin Max Strength Cough.
I usually only bought 4oz, but today was special... my parents were
gone all day and I had the house to myself... so I decided to up
the maximum dosage to approximately 700mg and have a fun-filled day.
That is not what happened, however...
I ingested the syrup, a fourth of the bottle at a time, every
fifteen minutes or so. Pretty soon I was feeling the effects, and
it only grew stronger. After trying to get online and type, I found
it to be pretty much useless, so I laid down on my parents king-
sized bed and got under the covers. I closed my eyes and immediately
was taken into another world. I saw myself hovering by some large
spacecraft, then all of a sudden I felt like I was being beamed
up to the spacecraft and next thing I knew I was onboard, and some
alien-looking being was standing directly in front of me. He had
a narrow, slender body and a large head with two large slanted
black eyes... since all of this was in the form of closed-eye
hallucinations, he looked pretty sketchy, but I could still make
out clearly what it was and what was happening. Next thing I knew
he reached inside me and a tremendous wind ripped thru me from
up into the atmosphere, and he kept reaching deeper, until finally
he joined all the energy that was flooding into my body and
actually entered me thru my chest area.
Next thing I know, I was lost in the world of the 3rd plateau,
floating around aimlessly, seeing CEV after CEV, not knowing what
to do... I could barely breathe, walk, talk, see, hear, or move...
and everytime I shut my eyes reality was totally obliterated and
I saw things such as my dead grandfather jump out of his coffin
and kiss my grandmother (who is still alive) and stuff like that.
These were 3D visuals, clear as day, but more like a pencil sketch
than full of color... and they were full of life. I saw hour after
hour of them, though I forget what most of them were... in fact,
I forget what all of them were... it was much like a dream... you
know what is happening at the time but upon later examination,
you find that you've forgotten just about everything that
happened.
Finally, it turned into a worse and worse trip for me. As
the peak wore off, I could still not see straight, nor could
I hardly walk or do anything... the time on the clock read
2:22 and seemed to stay that way for an eternity. It wasn't
until after 3pm or 4pm when I could again open my eyes and
make out shapes and objects. A number of times I jumped up
gasping for breath, thinking that the end was finally here...
and cursing myself for every trying that much cough syrup.
Yes, I've done high plateau trips before... but I always
forget how bad they are until after I experience them.
Anyway, to get back on the subject... the trip finally
wore off but I was feeling high all day long and into the
next day. Then I got an email from my friend up North...
it seems that what I had told him about Karma and Cosmic
Coincidence Control came true for him.
While he was down here visiting, I told him once while
tripping on DXM about Karma and how what goes around will
come around... and how you shouldn't do bad stuff or else
you'll have something else bad happen to you. Especially
if you're a DXM user...
Anyway, while he was down here he broke into someone's
house to steal some pills and I did know about it, but didn't
participate in it. My punishment came later that night when
we had some friends over in my house and my parents came
home early to find beer bottles and blunts everywhere.
Needless to say I got the car keys taken away, the house
key taken away, and was totally grounded. My friend didn't
receive his punishment until after he went back up North.
The email he sent me follows.
Subj: (removed)
Date: 9/19/98 2:53:25 AM EST
From: (removed)
To: (removed)
what did i do, man i wish i would have never done that at (removed)
house, i'm getting the negative effects bad, damn, man, tonite, i got
fucked again. what am i going to do, i got another ticket, but for a
first degree misdemeanor, man, i can't take this much longer, i really
can't, i don't know what to say to my parents, and i have to go to court
on this friday, and that's when i am supposed to go to school, fuck, man
what did i do to get all this shit, i don't have this money to pay for all
this shit, man, i really don't know, what to do, i'm going crazy, it was
for (removed) bought some beer with money that we gave him, and we got
fucked, for chipping in, man, i swear there is some negative vibes all
over me, and i can feel it, i can feel the heat, just like tonite i knew
someone was watching us, i felt it, but i couldn't do anything about it
cause i didn't know what it was, then bbaammmmmmmm we got hit up, by
two undercover feds. i swear man, i'm loosing my wits, what the fuck am i
going to do, i really hope they let me off this easy, i'm going crazy sorry,
i didn't die on the air flite, but i'm getting punished, right now, i'm
feeling the guilt. damn, and i hate it and i'm scared. damn. well i need
a smoke so i'll talk with you later, i'm quitting it all, i think, i can't
take all this bull shit, and that's what it is, damn. i hate it.
well take care, and hope things are looking up for you. see ya, your bud.
Anyway, it's pretty freaky about what happened and I wish him the best
of luck with his problems. And remember what I say about Karma...
what goes around really does come around, it seems.
And watch out for those aliens... the bad ones are up to no good. :)
A FISHY EXPERIENCE
by Legion
The moment I heard that DXM could get you high I rushed to the pharmacy
and bought a wonderful product which is made out of DXM on a mix of natural
ingredients. After that, at my house alone I started working on my computer
and decided to use it. Since I wasn't waiting for a major experience I
drank the dose while working on the computer. After a few minutes