Its amazing in the way you tell this story, it makes the Marsh Chapel experiment feel like a hinge between worlds, stitching together mysticism, medicine, and civil‑rights era theology in one foggy Good Friday.
I really liked that you hold both halves of the truth at once: psilocybin reliably occasioning Jamesian “mystical‑type” experiences with long‑term fruits, and the messy realities of panic, guilt, Thorazine, and the runaway seminarian that early write‑ups smoothed over.
By ending with the question of what we actually do with these encounters once the candles are out, you turn a legendary study back on the reader’s own unintegrated mystical moments.
Imagine living in the pre-IRB days!? I would roll out 3 experiments right now that wouldn't harm anyone and my grandkids would be talking about in 50 years.
Yeah, I know IRB exists for a reason and I respect it as much as I would like to avoid it.
for those of us who experienced LSD in the beginning, as part of the counterculture, this post and this newly discovered (for me) publication is an affirmation of everything I was fortunate to partake of back in 1968 - my "acid' summer. I found LSD to be revelatory. As mentioned in this publication, it revealed to me very clearly that there existed a distinct consciousness that left the 'physical' universe we lived in far behind. Things like being consciously aware of neural pathways and some of my brain functions were, pardon the expression, mindblowing. Or merging as one - physically and telepathically - with my girlfriend as we made love on acid.
And your Original Story reminds me of my YouTube music channel experience. As Jordan Peterson says, "Music is the eternal dance between chaos and order." Having been into mixing my own compilations for over a decade when COVID hit, I decided to start a music channel (we all had enforced spare time back then) so that the many old classics I loved didn't completely slip into obscurity. Give them eternal life out in the ether, I thought. Well it's been anything but viral, but way beyond my wildest expectations. And the listening audience covers 30 countries with the #1 listening city being Paris, (I am a huge fan of French electro).It appears that good music will find its own audience.
Never heard of this study, which surprised me a bit. I was an atheist at first, all WYSIWYG. Then i realised that was false certainty; not sure if that was related to my first trip at 17, on mushrooms - may easily have just been plain reasoning. Had maybe thirty trips since; acid, mushrooms, 2C-I, DMT, changa, ayahuasca. After having like a dozen or so full-bore mystical experiences in those states, i feel like with any of those substances and a bit of choice EDM and either a cloudless rural night sky, or a Mandelbrot zoom, i can have another at will.
I'm a hardcore agnostic, taking all that with a grain of salt, but I'm leaning towards there being something spiritual going on; that whole vibe does seem to resonate pretty hard. I mean, it could just be a pile of cognitive biases and whatever, but if it's not then i have a fairly strong sense of the shape of it... the scale of it can be terrifying, but there's like an infinite warmth to it i pick up sometimes.
Now that I read this I am really so surprised... I did not know about this "experiment" on "good fryday". In fact my disease is "terminal", I have had dementia for six years. Two years ago (after searching for something that was not a "cure" for dementia), I found magic mushrooms. This is the greatest blessing in my life, although in my youth I had quite a few experiences with extremely high doses of LSD, which I will NEVER FORGET. Even then I had a "mystical experience" in my own way, which has quietly resided in me throughout the years. Exactly one hour before I came across this article, I decided to get baptized. My godfather will be a doctor who works with addictions to chemical and non-chemical substances. Since I am from Slovenia, which was part of Yugoslavia, I was raised in the spirit of complete atheism. I did not know about baptisms, I did not know Christmas, none of that. My disease became a blessing, joy, celebration, I am creating music again (I studied I played the piano, gave up playing, started again two years ago🤩), but now I'm sincerely looking forward to this baptism and all the preparations for it (I'll be baptized in the Orthodox Church... I prefer it, it's much more fairytale-like, friendly, loving, with wonderful people), magic sponges will be mandatory for anyone who wants to attend the baptism. I'll send you a recording. Precisely because we definitely made up today and almost immediately afterwards I came across this article. Thank you.. be well everyone. I love you
this was so great. that the experiment took place on April 20! lol (also that's my birthday. but 20 ys later)
Such a cool Easter egg, right! Congrats on having the best birthday date ever!
when I go to the dispensary and they check my ID I am consistently mobbed by everyone who works there and given free product lol I can't complain.
Lmao that’s awesome
Its amazing in the way you tell this story, it makes the Marsh Chapel experiment feel like a hinge between worlds, stitching together mysticism, medicine, and civil‑rights era theology in one foggy Good Friday.
I really liked that you hold both halves of the truth at once: psilocybin reliably occasioning Jamesian “mystical‑type” experiences with long‑term fruits, and the messy realities of panic, guilt, Thorazine, and the runaway seminarian that early write‑ups smoothed over.
By ending with the question of what we actually do with these encounters once the candles are out, you turn a legendary study back on the reader’s own unintegrated mystical moments.
Great Read
That's exactly what I was going for! I'm so glad you liked it
i'm from boston, born and raised, and never knew about this. this was an incredible read!!! 🍄✨
Thank you! So glad you liked it 🙏
Imagine living in the pre-IRB days!? I would roll out 3 experiments right now that wouldn't harm anyone and my grandkids would be talking about in 50 years.
Yeah, I know IRB exists for a reason and I respect it as much as I would like to avoid it.
Hahah times have truly changed
😍
Shoutout to Rick Doblin for carrying the torch!
🔥🔦
for those of us who experienced LSD in the beginning, as part of the counterculture, this post and this newly discovered (for me) publication is an affirmation of everything I was fortunate to partake of back in 1968 - my "acid' summer. I found LSD to be revelatory. As mentioned in this publication, it revealed to me very clearly that there existed a distinct consciousness that left the 'physical' universe we lived in far behind. Things like being consciously aware of neural pathways and some of my brain functions were, pardon the expression, mindblowing. Or merging as one - physically and telepathically - with my girlfriend as we made love on acid.
And your Original Story reminds me of my YouTube music channel experience. As Jordan Peterson says, "Music is the eternal dance between chaos and order." Having been into mixing my own compilations for over a decade when COVID hit, I decided to start a music channel (we all had enforced spare time back then) so that the many old classics I loved didn't completely slip into obscurity. Give them eternal life out in the ether, I thought. Well it's been anything but viral, but way beyond my wildest expectations. And the listening audience covers 30 countries with the #1 listening city being Paris, (I am a huge fan of French electro).It appears that good music will find its own audience.
Never heard of this study, which surprised me a bit. I was an atheist at first, all WYSIWYG. Then i realised that was false certainty; not sure if that was related to my first trip at 17, on mushrooms - may easily have just been plain reasoning. Had maybe thirty trips since; acid, mushrooms, 2C-I, DMT, changa, ayahuasca. After having like a dozen or so full-bore mystical experiences in those states, i feel like with any of those substances and a bit of choice EDM and either a cloudless rural night sky, or a Mandelbrot zoom, i can have another at will.
I'm a hardcore agnostic, taking all that with a grain of salt, but I'm leaning towards there being something spiritual going on; that whole vibe does seem to resonate pretty hard. I mean, it could just be a pile of cognitive biases and whatever, but if it's not then i have a fairly strong sense of the shape of it... the scale of it can be terrifying, but there's like an infinite warmth to it i pick up sometimes.
Now that I read this I am really so surprised... I did not know about this "experiment" on "good fryday". In fact my disease is "terminal", I have had dementia for six years. Two years ago (after searching for something that was not a "cure" for dementia), I found magic mushrooms. This is the greatest blessing in my life, although in my youth I had quite a few experiences with extremely high doses of LSD, which I will NEVER FORGET. Even then I had a "mystical experience" in my own way, which has quietly resided in me throughout the years. Exactly one hour before I came across this article, I decided to get baptized. My godfather will be a doctor who works with addictions to chemical and non-chemical substances. Since I am from Slovenia, which was part of Yugoslavia, I was raised in the spirit of complete atheism. I did not know about baptisms, I did not know Christmas, none of that. My disease became a blessing, joy, celebration, I am creating music again (I studied I played the piano, gave up playing, started again two years ago🤩), but now I'm sincerely looking forward to this baptism and all the preparations for it (I'll be baptized in the Orthodox Church... I prefer it, it's much more fairytale-like, friendly, loving, with wonderful people), magic sponges will be mandatory for anyone who wants to attend the baptism. I'll send you a recording. Precisely because we definitely made up today and almost immediately afterwards I came across this article. Thank you.. be well everyone. I love you