Observations placeholder
Masters and Houston - Shrinking
Identifier
015540
Type of Spiritual Experience
Pure or enhanced perception
Hallucination
Background
A description of the experience
The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience – Dr Robert Masters and Dr Jean Houston
S1, a 26 year old male then working as a clerk in a book store, ingested about 80 micrograms of LSD. He experienced only shrinkage, no growth, and reported that he felt himself to be six inches in height. Curiously, the objects in the room underwent a similar and proportionate transformation, while the guide and another observer retained their normal dimension, appearing to him to be giants.
Although an inch taller than the guide, S tilted his head back to look up at her, stating that he felt as David must have felt looking up at Goliath. He also compared himself to Alice after she had taken a drink from the bottle............. Taken outside S expressed the fear that someone might step on him and crush him.
[the unusual extended shrinkage experienced by this subject seemed to be a clear reflection of the condition of his ego]