At age 55 I went in for a routine colonoscopy and when the doctor removed a large growth for biopsy he perforated my colon. This was realized after I woke up and I was quickly sent to the O.R. for repair surgery. The weird thing is that for the next few days, despite pain, inconvenience, the inability to eat, and what should have been a righteous indignation at what was done to me, I was in a great mood. My wife Rita barely recognized me. I don’t know what anesthetic was used on me, but I started looking into them and discovered ketamine, a common anesthetic, is used for therapy. Some people report amazing benefits from it, and it’s legal in the US through medical professionals. I found a nearby clinic and tried 3 sessions with it. While it was interesting and gave me some short term relief, I decided it was not for me. Note: This was a clinical setting and there was no counseling or integration guidance to go along with it. So probably not a true example of what can be achieved by some people with ketamine.
After this I got hold of the book “How to Change Your Mind” by Michael Pollan which details his journey with trying various psychedelics. This is a fascinating book that provides the history and the research both past and present into various psychedelic compounds. As of this writing he also has a 6 episode series on Netflix with the same title, but I have not watched it since I already have the information from his book that I want.
This literally changed my mind about what I always thought of as “drugs”. I was raised in the era shortly after they were popular and legal, when they were criminalized and demonized, and that has always stuck with me. I never wanted to be a “user”.
After this book I hunted down podcasts, articles, and sub-reddits and learned as much about the various available substances as I could, understanding the risks, the effects, side effects, and the dosages. By asking certain friends I had, I was able to acquire some mushrooms…
Notes on psychedelic use
There are many things to keep in mind about using psychedelics and anyone looking to try them should research thoroughly whatever substance they are going to take. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Dosage: This is probably the most critical. Mushrooms are typically measured in grams, with people taking anywhere from ½ gram to 10+ grams in extreme cases. It takes a huge amount of mushrooms to get a large enough dose of psilocybin (active ingredient) to physically damage you. MDMA(molly, ecstasy, X) is measured in milligrams, with anything more than 200 milligrams being considered neurotoxic. This doesn’t mean death, but it can mess with your brain chemistry in negative ways. LSD is measured in micrograms.
Frequency: Most psychedelics are self regulating. If you try to take them too often you just build up a tolerance and they stop working. MDMA is technically not a psychedelic, but it is therapeutic and something I will discuss. Taking it too frequently can cause brain damage. Recommended minimum interval is 3 months between ingestions.
Mental health: Psychedelics can induce disassociation, and cause temporary breaks from reality. People who have a personal or family history of schizophrenia or psychosis will want to only proceed with medical supervision because there is a very real risk of not coming back whole.
Setting: Like alcohol, these substances will affect coordination, judgment, etc… so a safe setting should be of primary concern. Consider having a sitter/monitor at least when starting out. Comfort and a peaceful environment are also important
Integration: You can get a lot of insights that can then be lost as the experience fades. It’s important to be able to journal, or immediately discuss with a professional or someone you trust and fully capture the meaning of the experience.
In my ketamine experience the setting was not ideal, with a nurse poking me every 15 minutes to see if I’m ok, poor music, and absolutely no discussion about what I was supposed to get out of it before or after. Poor choices on my part at the beginning of my journey.