Hey again! Thank you for your replies, concern, and kind words. This site has been the single most valuable resource to me on this journey, and it's entirely due to the members, and the honest and supportive atmosphere you've created.
I'm quite experienced in milder psychedelics. I'm a daily cannabis user, I've been on all sorts of psychiatric meds over the years, I've used LSD 4 times at varying doses, mushrooms many many times, at various doses, both with and without MAOIs, and mescaline twice. I've had one profound experience on LSA (morning glory seeds from my garden), and even some not-completely-horrifying experiences with datura and nutmeg. I've insufflated yopo, and huffed nitrous oxide. I'm familiar with non-visionary drugs as well, but have realised that stimulants are not for me, though I do enjoy the lift Sceletium adds to the standard bong. I love a good tranquiliser too
![Smile](/forum/images/emoticons/smile.png)
I knew what I was getting myself into when I weighed out the dose, and went into the experience knowing (as much as a spice virgin can) what to expect, entirely because of this site. I made an informed decision, and it was the right one
![Very happy](/forum/images/emoticons/grin.png)
I'm so glad I did what I did. In that short time the experience went from intense mushroom-like visuals to complete ego death.
At first everything had a "Mexican Halloween" look to it; people looked like skeletons decorated with shimmering geometric patterns in the most beautiful colours. Music was rich and touched me deeply. I felt a deep connection to everything around me, much like mushrooms. After about 40 minutes of this, aphasia set in. I found myself unable to remember common words. I could visualise these words written down, and could explain what I meant, but couldn't find the sound of the word to explain it to others. Words like "time," "home," and even "DMT". I knew that I had done something to myself which had taken a long time to achieve. I knew that it would last roughly 3 hours. I knew that it was completely safe, and that I had prepared for months, because something inside me had made it dangerous to do otherwise (SSRIs) but I couldn't find the words to explain any more specifically. My sitter enjoyed this because she had seen an episode of one of those medical dramas with an aphasic patient, and she was getting a kick out of playing charades over words like "hour". I loved that she was happy
![Smile](/forum/images/emoticons/smile.png)
All I could do was reassure her that I was fine and safe and that everything was "very strange, but so beautiful." Eventually she became concerned, and walked me the 30ft back to my home. That's when things got deep.
I don't think I would have come out quite as happily as I did were it not for my boyfriend. He has temporal lobe epilepsy and as I described what was happening to me, he recognised it as almost identical to his seizure experiences. We lay together talking for the rest of my trip, with me guessing and miming words and concepts that I couldn't articulate.
I think the biggest thing I gained was the experience of the process of eternal creation/destruction which fuels the universe. I saw how we exist on that line between past and future, where all the old is burnt away, and all the new is created, and how that roiling furnace is also in perfect balance, sustaining all that is. I saw how individuals are like that too, constantly unbecoming what they were, and rebuilding themselves out of repetition and rearrangement, over and over, moment by moment. The me of last minute was gone and incomprehensible, and the me of 2 seconds from now could be anything I wanted, and it was the same with everything. On top of all of that, my beliefs in the fractal nature of creation, the ultimate oneness of everything, and the illusion of the self, were reaffirmed. When I returned to the mundane, I was glad that I could draw on my past once more; I was glad to rest, and to hold my boyfriend in silence and calm.
When I was sure that I was all the way back, I kissed him and popped the question. It's been a few weeks now, and people who don't know about my "recreational activities" have commented on how happy and "balanced" I seem. I feel good; I feel whole