Religion
Related: About this forumMysticism and Mescaline
In my younger years, I engaged in some highly unstructured research experiments with various psychedelic drugs. With mescaline, in particular, mystical visions were often the result. I remember one occasion in particular, where I had a simultaneous out-of-body/in-body experience. I had consumed my dose of mescaline, but decided to leave one location for another before any effects were noticed.
So, I got on my motorcycle to travel to the next destination, only to find myself looking down from above on myself riding down the street. I observed myself making several turns and stops before ending up at my apartment. Apparently, I was also on the motorcycle, driving it as I normally did. While frightening, in retrospect, apparently I was doing OK in both places. LOL!
I can recall other such experiences, all triggered by various drugs, although mescaline was the most frequent stimulant of those visions. One wonders if brain chemistry is the cause of all mystical visions, whether altered by drugs or internally without them. A famous study linked drug-induced visionary experiences with religious and other mysticism. It's well worth reading:
http://www.psychedelic-library.org/pahnke.htm
thbobby
(1,474 posts)I read with great gusto as a kid. A lot of Don Juan's (main character in Castaneda's Books) teaching made much sense to me (and still do). Never had a mystic vision using psychedelics though. But I tried!
MineralMan
(147,636 posts)My experiments with psychedelic drugs were done over a very short period. I really didn't like the results all that much, so I stopped doing that. I never liked the feeling of being out of control of my responses and of being unable to end the experience at will.
thbobby
(1,474 posts)Saw weird shit. So what? Did read books by those espousing the surreal experience of taking LSD. Think tanks (lukewarm water-filled container in a dark, silent enclosure with the goal of no sensory stimulation) and tripping. Just bs to sell books. I only used psychedelics a few times and got nothing from them.
thbobby
(1,474 posts)about electrical stimulation of a specific area of the brain causing the subject to have a pseudo-religious experience. I can't remember the documentary's name, but I believe it was on the Science Channel. Does make me wonder if those that claim to have had contact with God had a brain malfunction.
Cartoonist
(7,537 posts)I was unsupervised during one trip in which I drove my car. A very dangerous situation in which I was fortunate that no accidents happened.
In one sequence, I felt as if I was reliving a moment of life again and again. I thought God was trying to communicate something to me.
It turned out that I was just driving around the block.