Hello everyone,

Here's my story, a long one made short (hopefully). I'm young, younger than most here seem to be - and psychedelics have been my passion in life since the age of 13, and no, not because of an experience using them.

In fact, I didn't have much of an interest at all in drugs. My passion was writing. I loved fantastic worlds, complex stories, unexplainable creatures and non-human entities. I remember my first time watching Avatar, specifically that scene in the bioluminescent blue forest, and just wishing so badly that it was possible to experience something like that - not at an amusement park or man-made attraction, but something that felt real, otherworldly. I took to writing to create my own worlds.

Anyways, it was this passion for writing throughout my childhood that led to my discovery of psychedelics. I was working on a book called Children of the Sound during my awful middle school years, and I was doing a lot of research for it. I was interested deeply in science, but also spirituality, and what connections existed between them. This research involved religion (portrayals of angels, divine entities, parallels between religions, etc.), dimensions (in relation to sound and vibration - how vibration shapes the experiential world), and philosophical ideas. It almost seems ridiculous in retrospect that these coincidental separate ideas I happened to be researching to create a fictional story culminated so perfectly in psychedelics, but I found that out myself.

I can't remember exactly how, or when, but I stumbled upon one of those older rudimentary DMT replications - early Symmetric Vision I think it was. Cool! It was another fascinating-looking piece of art on the internet, another fantastical world I could only enjoy through a screen. But it wasn't.

I'll never forget the experience of slowly realizing that people actually lived these replications; of reading through experiences and trip reports, convinced this must be some sort of joke or mass delusion. Once I finally accepted it as a real thing, it became a secret obsession of mine - an obsession that dwindled to a passion, and a passion that will hopefully lead to a fulfilling future.

I don't necessarily believe in fate, but it truly felt as though I was destined to discover these substances - they encompassed everything in life I found fascinating. There was a moment of revelation for me, where I had to sink back in my chair and just go, "Yeah, this is it."

In the many years since, I've essentially completely submerged myself in everything psychedelic. I've consumed the literature, the lectures, the culture, the history, the research papers, the art to no end. It gave me a reason to try in high school, a mystery to solve, a passion that took me out of a big mental health slump. It gave me something I wanted to do with my life.

I'll be headed to college soon, if all goes well, where I plan on studying neuropharmacology (My interest lies in the MOAs of substances and the nature of the altered state experience). I'm aware that getting a job doing psychedelic research is borderline impossible without a PhD, but I'd like to acquaint myself with the world of pharmacology as a whole and develop my career so that somewhere down the road, who knows what could happen?

In the meantime, I'm here, so that I can continue learning, sharing, and questioning information, and also because I'm finally old enough to make an account


TLDR: In seventh grade, DMT changed my life and I didn't even take it. I haven't looked back since.

That's a great story. Thanks for sharing it.

I was into drawing comics in school, but the group I hung around with were writers and specifically wanted to write movies. We filmed videos for school projects (on the old VCR tape video recorders) that were ridiculously over acted, and where we did stunts like throwing each other into waterfalls for no real reason besides pretending we were stunt men. Indiana Jones and Star wars were big back then

Two of them went on to be film writers/directors, another a writer, and I landed in the world of computers which I took to from the moment I touched my first computer.

I always love talking to truly creative people. I'm here for much the same reasons as you are, so I'm looking forward to seeing what conclusions you come to.

Good luck on your career path. One thing I know is that in order to get most things you want in life you need your energy to resonate on the path you desire. In each job I've had I looked for the people doing the job I wanted to be doing, asked questions, got to know them, offered to "intern" or assist in some of their work and eventually a role would "appear" out of thin air that I had the skills to fill and hit the ground running. I have no college education yet every role I've taken (besides the first one that got my foot in the door) has had a college degree as a requirement. I think sometimes people "look past" things (subconsciously) when your energy matches the the energy that can propel the forward motion of the goal. At least that's been my experience. I think your energy is right regarding the PhD requirement. You can totally do it.

Thanks!

One of my big concerns in going the academic route was always how creatively confining it'd be. But as time has passed I've realized just how brimming with imagination the research community is, especially with a frontier in consciousness as innovative and daring as psychedelics.

That isn't to say that a professional research environment doesn't come with its drawbacks.. one has much more liberty in their findings when smoking a blunt with some friends as opposed to working under a university but I'm willing to go through that if it means more credible and accurate work.

Dr. Andrew Gallimore (maybe you've heard of his work on DMTx) is a big inspiration to me in that way - a little radical, but a very credible and academic background in the field.

And of course, the great thing about leaving artistic hobbies (writing, art, etc.) as hobbies, is that you're left with that creative freedom, instead of being professionally defined by it.

Again, thanks for the words of encouragement and your advice on finding opportunities. There's nothing more valuable than real world experience.

This is an interesting story. So you are telling if I get it right, that you never had an experience with psychedelics for instance?

I understand the passion that comes with this subject. I spend so many hours reading, thinking and talking about psychedelics the last 20 years, much more than actually taking them of course.

It is indeed a great topic. Good luck for your studies in this field.


If you haven't read it yet, I would recommend the lecture by sasha shulgin called " the Nature of Drugs". This is pretty straightforward and easy to understand but still quite detailed on some basic subjects of pharmacology. I loved it.

I actually do have some experience now, from a couple years into my fascination. My first trip was with LSA, and my second with LSD.

I regret my LSA trip a lot. I was impulsive and reckless with it, and had a pretty terrible time. I spent the last half of it throwing up, and got practically no psychedelic effects from the low dose I took.

My LSD trip (about a year later), was done with much more caution, respect, and care, and that was a great experience. I still believe I should have waited longer, but it was beautiful, and a pretty low dose as well. I believe my intentions were better.

I'm familiar with Sasha Shulgin but haven't read that book. Thanks for the suggestion!