Observations placeholder
Hofmann, Dr Albert - The LSD experience
Identifier
015521
Type of Spiritual Experience
Out of body
Pure or enhanced perception
Synaesthesia
Vision
Hallucination
Background
Dr Hoffman had taken 250 micrograms and, believe it or not, had cycled home from his laboratory with the aid of his laboratory assistant during which time his field of vision distorted so much he described it as being like trying to cycle in an amusement park mirror. He also occasionally got the impression he was not moving, although his laboratory assistant assured him he had actually been pedalling at a fast pace. We take the story up from there……..
After a good night’s rest, Hoffman felt ‘completely well, but tired’ !
A description of the experience
Dr Albert Hoffman – Laboratory report
So far as I can recollect, the height of the crisis had passed by the time the doctor arrived; it was characterised by these symptoms;
- Dizziness,
- visual distortions
- the faces of those present appeared like grotesque coloured masks
- strong agitation alternating with paresis
- the head, body and extremities sometimes cold and numb
- a metallic taste on the tongue
- throat dry and shrivelled
- a feeling of suffocation
- confusion alternating with a clear appreciation of the situation
- at times standing outside myself as a neutral observer and hearing myself muttering jargon or screaming half madly
The doctor found a somewhat weak pulse, but in general a normal circulation. Six hours after taking the drug, my condition had improved definitely.
The perceptual distortions were still present.
Everything seemed to undulate and their proportions were distorted like the reflections on a choppy water surface. Everything was changing with unpleasant, predominantly poisonous green and blue colour tones. With closed eyes, multihued, metamorphosing fantastic images overwhelmed me. Especially noteworthy was the fact that sounds were transposed into visual sensations so that from each tone or noise a comparable coloured picture was evoked, changing in form and colour kaleidoscopically