Alice fell through the rabbit hole for miles, wondering if she might slip right through the ends of the earth until she finally landed on solid ground. She noticed a three-legged glass table and a little door beside it. Fearing yet another series of pitch-black corridors, she opened the door to find the loveliest garden and the most beautiful fountain she had ever seen. Had Alice found a wormhole to Wonderland, or was she tripping?
As with all good things, the word ‘psychedelics’ comes from the Greek etymology - ψυχή (psychḗ, meaning 'mind, soul') and δηλείν (dēleín, meaning 'to manifest'), which translates to ‘mind manifesting’ or ‘soul manifesting’. This literal description is echoed by anonymous user “Ted” whom we spoke to. Ted remembers consuming lab-grown mushrooms at a plantation in the Nilgiris and vividly describes his experience:
“At the edge of a plantation bordering a reserve forest, there was a beautiful stone house with a garden overlooking the forest. In this serene setting, I ate the mushrooms in their raw and dry state. Within the first 15 minutes, I experienced a deep body relaxation, akin to the sensation of blood pressure dropping. With Bach playing on my headphones, I noticed clouds in the sky forming shapes synchronised with the music, intensifying the blue hue of the sky.
Feeling excitement and a hint of paranoia, I returned to the house, wrapped myself in a blanket, and settled into a comfortable bed with a giant glass window providing a view. This window became the focal point of my trip for the next few hours. As someone who enjoys meditation, I had set up an album by Baba Ram Dass, called 'Ram Dass,' which proved to be an excellent trip playlist.
An hour into the trip, the trees outside my window danced to the music in my ears. I could discern the smallest movements in the clouds, which transformed into chariots. Sometimes, the window turned into a kaleidoscope. While my eyes beheld these visuals, my mind delved deep into introspection. Guided by the voice of Ram Dass, I confronted questions I might otherwise have avoided. The visuals and environment made me feel profoundly safe as if the earth loved and supported me unconditionally. This brought a deep sense of contentment, a feeling that all I had to offer the world was love, needing nothing in return.
Two hours in, deeply immersed in my thoughts with eyes half-shut, my meditation took me to a slightly unsettling yet reassuring place, enabled by the presence of psilocybin. I felt like a small, green, glowing life form floating within my body, which now felt like a giant, shell-shaped vessel.
Three hours in, while the effects remained strong, they slowly began to diminish. I felt my presence returning to my body. After four hours, I desired to walk around and stretch. My mind and body felt like they had undergone a profound experience, akin to being wrung out pleasantly. Around 4 pm, I took a memorable shower, with sunlight streaming into the bathroom, creating rainbows in the water. The 'come down' phase was my favourite, as it felt like experiencing the world with thoroughly cleansed senses.”
But what exactly happens on these life-altering trips, one may wonder? Another anonymous user we spoke to, “Bill”, recalls his experience with DMT: “I remember lifting the bong and then lighting it up, taking a drag. As I was putting it down, I realised... Oh, wait, where's the floor? Where's the bong? Where are my hands? And then, what am I? It felt like this thing the US Army does with helicopters or planes flying by with a hook to snatch cargo from the ground into the air. The trip felt like that, akin to bungee jumping in reverse. As I ascended higher, my identity seemed to drift further away. I began losing concepts of self and my senses, to some degree. At the peak, all I could sense was a field of energy around me. There was nothing else—no identity, no self. At that point, I could hardly recall details of who I was. Within 20 minutes, I was back on the floor, cross-legged, completely sober.”
Reflecting on his own experience, Ted recalls how his trip with lab-grown mushrooms positively impacted his mental state: “As someone who battles bouts of depression and anxiety, the effects of a trip last for 4-5 months. The memories from the trip often help me achieve a meditative or calm state more swiftly. Revisiting the music from the trip later proves to be a useful tool in grounding myself.” Similarly, another anonymous user, “Bob,” who experimented with acid, recalls, “The first time I tried it, I ceased drinking and smoking, started exercising rigorously, began taking myself seriously, and began seeing myself as a force of nature, if you will. There was a significant improvement in my mental health before and after.”
Another anonymous user, “Marley”, a practising physician, shares his experience in Kasol, where he decided to try acid for the first time. He, too, reflects on a similar experience as Bob, stating, “Following the experience, I had several self-realisations. The experience itself was indescribable, as they say. I could assess the entirety of my being and understand why I faced the challenges I did, akin to a dog chasing its tail. The immediate change in my mental health wasn't apparent; however, the substance revealed the loose ends in my life and granted me a third-person perspective on myself, enabling me to decide which threads to retain and which to discard.”
Bill and Ted's remarkable journeys may be ineffable to the sober mind, but understanding how psychedelics alter brain chemistry remains equally enigmatic. While scientists have validated the brain-healing properties of psychedelics, the precise mechanisms underlying this process remain elusive. Perhaps a day will come when psychedelic-assisted therapy becomes as mainstream as the dispensaries we encounter for weed. Until then, it's prudent to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism.
