Why I Don't Use Psychoactive Drugs to Achieve Altered States
October 9th, 2007
There has been a recent resurgence in the use of psychoactive substances* to aid in achieving trance states or spiritual experiences, so I thought I'd write an article about why I made a personal decision not to use them in my own exploration of consciousness.
Though many of these substances have been used for centuries in various cultures around the world, I don't believe their use is needed in the study of expanded states of consciousness, particularly in modern times and with so many other options available. I'll even go as far as to say for many modern seekers the use of psychoactive substances is more of a hindrance than a help because they learn to rely on a drug to trigger altered states instead of learning how to achieve those states on their own.
With drug-free methods of practice — such as meditation, drumming, chanting, hypnosis, yoga, dance, and others — the practitioner can achieve an altered state, and may choose to fully embrace that state for the course of the event, but even in doing so and allowing herself to be carried away by that current, she always retains the option of being in 100% conscious control of her mental and emotional state. At any time, at any moment, she can consciously choose to end the experience.
Psychoactive substances restrict the user's freedom by limiting — and in some cases eliminating — his conscious control. Once the substance is ingested, injected or inhaled, it begins to act on the user's brain and body and there is no turning back. Until the effects of the substance wear off, the user is left with no choice but to go along for the ride, even if that ride takes him to places he'd rather not visit. Though it's true you can influence the outcome by setting the stage for a specific type of trip, the results may not always turn out as planned. An entire session may be wasted, with no useful or beneficial information gained, because the user had limited or no control over the experience.
The user must forfeit even the option of conscious control — the freedom to be in control of his thoughts and actions — and no seeker should ever willingly forfeit the freedom to be in control of his thoughts and actions. The option to use that control should always be available.
Some users claim they achieve better altered states with the use of psychoactive substances. To competently address that claim, one would first have to determine precisely what the individual user classifies as a better altered state, but for the sake of this article, let's assume better refers to more rapid, more intense, more powerful, or something in that vein.
Equally and even more powerful states may be achieved through a variety of means without requiring the use of psychoactive substances, providing a person is willing to devote time to his chosen method. Unfortunately, in our on-demand society where instant gratification is the order of the day, many people prefer less satisfying, rapidly obtained short-term results over more comprehensive lasting results that require time and effort to obtain.
A psychoactive substance may provide a faster route to an altered state but it does not necessarily provide a better altered state. A drug-free approach such as meditation or hypnosis can provide a more illuminating experience because the person is able to tap into her unconscious mind while simultaneously observing the results with her conscious mind — something that is not always possible during a psychoactive trip. More information may be gained from the experience, and that information may be applied more beneficially in all areas of life.
In addition, though a psychoactive substance may provide a faster route to an altered state, it does not teach a person how to achieve that state on her own, nor how to make any use out of that state. It is through consciously directed practice that a person obtains long-term benefits from the experience of those altered states.
Some seekers or artists — Aldous Huxley, Edgar Allen Poe, and George Gordon Byron, to name a few — have stumbled upon intriguing insights or produced deeply creative work while under the influence of psychoactive substances, but I often wonder if they eventually would have uncovered those same insights in other ways. Truly creative people tend to be creative with or without the aid of mind-altering substances.
All that being said, I'm a strong proponent of personal freedom and believe everyone should be free to use psychoactive substances if they choose to do so. I don't use these substances, for the reasons explained above, but that is simply my own personal choice. I don't believe it's my right to dictate to anyone else which substances he should or shouldn't be allowed to use, and I don't look down upon anyone who chooses to use them in his own personal quest for higher consciousness. Each person's path is his own.
If you are exploring the idea of incorporating psychoactive substances in your practice, you may be interested in The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience by Robert Masters and Jean Houston. It offers a very thorough, well-rounded account of research into psychedelic experience. The authors depict many different forms of psychedelic experience through descriptions of sessions conducted with test subjects in a controlled setting with psychologists present to observe.
* For the purpose of this article, I've used the term psychoactive substances to refer to the full range of natural or manmade substances known to induce altered states. This range includes, but is certainly not limited to, substances such as LSD, ayahuasca, salvia divinorum, MDMA, mescaline, ketamine, and opium.
JP says:
I get the impression you have never had a successful psychedelic experience. One thing you don't mention is that while you may not be in control during the experience, you are in complete control before the experience. That means you can shape the set and setting of the experience thru planning and intention. You can combine non-psychedelic practices with psychedelics in order to enhance your practice, and even break thru to new levels. I like to think of a good psychedelic experience as "temporary enlightenment". You get a taste of a peak experience that you can use as inspiration for the rest of your life. Using psychedelics with a good set and setting and the right kinds of intentions can produce a powerful and possibly life-changing experience.
Oct 9th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
reality shifter says:
Hi JP,
I've had psychedelic experiences in the past — even some I'd consider successful in the sense of providing the temporary enlightenment or peak experiences you described — but I could have achieved (and regularly do achieve) those same experiences through other methods. I would rather experience continual, steady growth than temporary excursions into altered states. But, I don't deny the use of psychoactive substances can lead to moments of enlightenment, and I don't discourage people from taking that path if they choose to do so. It's just not the path I choose for myself.
I'm glad you posted a comment. It's always nice to hear from someone with a different point of view. Have you had the kind of life-changing experience you described? If you would be willing to share your story, I would like to hear more about your experiences since it sounds like you have had interesting results.
~ Kris
Oct 9th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Bill Thompson says:
I hear a great deal about these alternative techniques but many people fail to elaborate on them, often these techniques are very difficult to master, such as meditation, leaving one open to the hazerdous yet reliable option of drugs, it seems that the alternative techniques are no match for the awesome potency of psychedelics, so tell me, what are the simple but truly effective techniques i can use to truly approximate the psychedelic experience without the drugs??
Jul 27th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
reality shifter says:
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the comment, and for raising a good point. The only drawback of using techniques instead of drugs is that you have to make the initial effort to learn the techniques, which is something a lot of people aren't willing to do. Even if a technique is easy to learn and only requires a little bit of practice, some people still consider that too much effort. It's representative of the "quick fix" mentality of our society. People would rather rely on a drug to trigger the experience because it's quick and requires no effort beyond ingesting or smoking the substance.
The problem with relying on a drug is that you require something external to trigger the experience for you, which eventually makes the drug a crutch. Techniques require nothing but your own mind, something you always have with you and can use at any time.
Of course, if a person's only goal is to see a few trippy visual effects rather than actually exploring states of consciousness, it's not really worth learning the techniques because he/she won't get much value out of them anyway.
If you give me an idea of what type of experience you're aiming for (i.e., lucid dreaming, deep meditation, etc.), I can recommend some techniques targeted specifically toward that goal. Feel free to reply here or via email.
~ Kris
Jul 28th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Bill Thompson says:
Thanks for the response, well after experiences with LSD, Mescaline and Psylocybin, i keep looking back to one very extreme LSD experience where i had the experience of both the meta-cosmic void (a term i borrowed from Grof), and something i could only describe as actually becoming the godhead, now i am no new-age type that uses these terms will nilly, infact, before this i was a total nihlist and completely pessimistic, but the high-dose acid dissolved my ego, my sense of self, deconstructed reality before my eyes, melted time and sent me spinning into a point of total psychic zero, then, an ecstatic illumination where i became god, needless to say i was shocked and it took a great deal of time to recover from this, it was actually rather traumatic, and although i am open to it, i still feel sceptical about natural techniques really approximating this, even the plant based hallucinogens in strong doses couldn't do it for me, only the synthetic-lysergic could…..
Jul 28th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Dave says:
Fanstastic Article. I've never found a piece of writing that details my thoughts about the subject so straightforwardly. Thanks.
RE: bill thompson - I get the impression that your mildly antagonizing post is the result of a lot of frustration. Kris has a point about the fix-it-now mentality of our culture. Getting that handled is the first step that might help you. Personally I recommend the Sedona Method, and Zazen. Though I dont consider myself a "buddhist," I find their methods are as straightforward as it gets.
The thing is, people LOVE the "just take a pill" approach. And it can be quite helpful at first, with the proper preparation for the trip. But if you take a few years and learn to do it with ONLY your mind, you'll have a level of self-knowledge and understanding about the world that will make the experience infinitely more satisfying.
Cheers,
Dave
Jul 29th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Bill Thompson says:
"just take a pill" approach., yes but is there not the preperations, the intermidable experience and the years of grappling with and trying to assimilate the experience?, just taking the pill is really a small component of an immensily complex process, would you tell an Amazonian shaman he has a 'just eat a mushroom approach'?, or 'just chug some ayahausca' appraoch?, well i guess i make reference to Mckenna here, who likened meditation and yoga as something done under the influence of psychedelics, but as the availability of psychedelic plants diminished you have the yoga without the real engine driving it. Can meditation approximate entity contact such as is typical of high dose DMT experience for instance?
I apologize for the antagonistic tone i assure you it is not intentional.
Jul 29th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
reality shifter says:
Hi Bill,
I think there are a few factors involved: the person's approach, his intent and what he expects to gain from the experience, and how he integrates that experience into his life. The approach has a lot to do with it. There is a huge difference between a shaman in the Amazon who spends decades studying the plants, studying the nuances of the trance state, etc., and a person who orders a psychoactive substance on the internet and ingests it hoping it will give him/her an instant life-altering experience. The shaman is trained not only in how to handle that experience while it's happening but also in how to apply what is learned from the experience in his/her life after the session is over. The everyday user has no training of that type.
The intent and what you expect to gain from the experience also play an important role. For example, if a technique can approximate the effects of a high dose of DMT — entity contact, to use your example — what does the person hope to gain from that experience? How does the person intend to make use of that experience in his/her life once the session is over?
In your earlier comment, you described an intense experience triggered by LSD. How did it affect you in the short-term? How about in the long-term? In what ways does it affect you now, long after it's over? Did it change you profoundly, and in what ways? What do you do differently now as a direct result of that experience? How have you integrated that experience into your thoughts/beliefs/behavior in your daily life?
Sorry for all the questions. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm trying to interrogate you, because that's not my intent at all.
There are two reasons I ask: first, to demonstrate that there are differences between a person who explores psychoactive substances for true personal growth and a person who tries them just for a temporary wild experience, and second, to get a better idea of your approach so I can figure out which techniques might help you get where you want to be.
~ Kris
Aug 5th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
reality shifter says:
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the article.
I've had luck with Zazen but not much luck with the Sedona Method, though I do know a few people whose mental/emotional state noticeably improved after they practiced the Sedona Method for a while.
~ Kris
Aug 5th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Bill Thompson says:
Hi, well where do i start? There is certainly no experience that does not alter our behaviour in some way. In regards to the LSD experience there are noticable changes in my world view that enevitably affect my behaviour but most of the changes and behaviours are difficult to gauge, one does not know exactly how the particularities of ones birth affect their current behaviour, i am sure their are many changes that my unconcious has intergrated into my life without my concious mind even knowing it. Shamans begin their psychonaughtical adventures as pure novices like anyone, the difference is they have a cultural paradigm to fit the experiences into, if one can evolve such a paradigm then the shaman is no more advanced than any westener who has had sufficient psychedelic experience. There are many examples of neo shamans who live in urban environments and who use synthetic psychedelics and quasi-scientific paradigms as a means of interpreting their experience, whether or not the experience changes them as individuals is neither here nor there, ALL experiences change people, sometimes in more subtle ways than others, but psychedelic experience is part of a long continuum of life experience that enevitably changes us. The question is what new information can be retrieved that is of benefit to EVERYONE?, there is a great deal of eveidence in support of the idea that just like the amazonian shaman, the urban shaman or regular psychedelic user can bring back useful information that can be effectively intergrated into the society, take for instance the example of an electronics designer who was able to visualize a revolutionary micro-chip under LSD and who then set about creating it, with success at a later date. In regards to DMT entity contact, exploration of the phenomena itself is worthwhile, and like all unexplored regions, vital information that would benefit our civilization could quite possibly be retreived. Psychedelics therfore are not just tools for our personal spiritual growth, but ways of tapping into new fields of information to bring back vital data for everybody. I am yet to see the 'natural' methods yield the same kind of results in regards to this purpose to the extent that they would make psychedelics completely redundant. (note that i am aware of the effectiveness of non psychedelic assisted techniques of exploring new ideas however, i am criticizing the notion of abandoning psychedelics all together and supposing that the same potential exists without psychedelics, thereby assuming that the psychedelic experience can be approximated by stimulating endogenous compounds and that the two varieties of experience are interchangeable and not two seperate varieties of experience.)
Aug 6th, 2008 at 4:09 am