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Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)
- AluminiumPoint 9y agobicycle day is April 19 why is this published now?
- benbreen 9y agoNo reason beyond the fact that I thought it was interesting. I knew the basic outlines of Hofmann's bicycle story but had never read the full account before.
- laresistance 9y agoI find it strange too, especially since the first human trial happened on April 16th.
- Synaesthesia 9y agoWhat’s interesting is when LSD was first discovered and popularized with psychiatrists, it was considered a “model psychosis” - inducing a temporary state of psychosis which researchers could use to study mental problems. That theory was discredited in the late 60’s when it got banned (it was one of the reasons why it was supposed to have no medical value). I believe there’s a lot of truth to it, from my experience it totally matches a mini psychotic event.
- sev 9y agoLooking at the definition of psychosis: > a severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality. Based on my research, typical (and even greater than typical) recreational doses of LSD do not cause a “severe mental disorder” as described in the definition. At “raves”, for example, lots of people are under the influence and yet they have not lost contact with external reality.
- kudu 9y agoRight, that sounds more like a dissociative than a psychedelic.
- mike_n 9y agoi don't know, sensitivity varies. beyond-casual research at home with blindfold/stereo on resulting in hyper-real visuals and totally losing the plot on time and space and reality-vs-fantasy and knowing (or caring) who/what/where/when/why. definitely impaired thoughts and emotions and memory and logic and common sense and sensorimotor functions. fun and safe and interesting in private with a sitter. but wouldn't want to be like that alone in public, things get real weird at higher doses.
- shams93 9y agoIt only has that effect when they gave it to people in test trials in terrible settings like mental institution s and prisons which is why Dr Leary was adamant about set and setting
- mrd999 9y agoIf you consider the entirety of your consciousness and the structure of thought processes and sensory perceptions.. If LSD blurs all these things, mixes and merges them a bit with excessive neural activity.. It's clear to see your sensory input will have a significant effect on the experience. Even in this regard, we can consider all the possible associations a given external stimulus will trigger in the brain. External stimuli may be one of the few contributors of the experience that has a significant temporal persistence, possibly giving it substantial influence.
- golergka 9y ago> At “raves”, for example, lots of people are under the influence and yet they have not lost contact with external reality. Taking LSD is a strange choice for a rave, IMO; you want less visual and audio stimulation under it's influence, not more. MDMA, MDA, 2CB, amphetamines, mephedrone and other similar substances (and their mixes in ecstasy pills) are much more rave-friendly.
- matt4077 9y agoI can't speak to the similarity psychosis, never having experienced it. But, in a similar vain, I think anyone who has ever had an experience with LSD was simply blown away by the "Deep Dream" visualisations. The similarity is so obvious that one cannot escape the conclusion that neural nets are actually similar to the brain in some profound ways, especially if you consider that "Deep Dream" was an open-ended experiment, not intended to create such effects.
- blubb-fish 9y agoI'd second that. The strongest sensation of that kind I had when mixing 4-Aco-DMT (a psilocin prodrug) with LSD. I suddenly saw eyes in random places. Was fun - not creepy at all.
- DanBC 9y agoPsychosis is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of experiences and causes. LSD might simulate some of these experiences, but all it really tells researchers about is LSD induced psychosis.
- adrusi 9y agoYou're right but that doesn't mean it can't be useful for understanding psychosis in general. Clinical psychologists could, for instance, take lsd to get some sense of what their patients experience. It wouldn't be identical, but would offer at least some reference point for what it means to be psychotic.
- bionoid 9y ago> I believe there’s a lot of truth to it, from my experience it totally matches a mini psychotic event. Jan Irvin at GnosticMedia has an interesting article about this "Entheogens: What’s in a Name? The Untold History of Psychedelic Spirituality, Social Control, and the CIA" [0] (note: this is part 4 of a 5-part series). "Today there are many names for drug substances that we commonly refer to as “hallucinogens,” “psychedelics,” “psychoactives,” or “entheogens,” et al. But it hasn’t always been that way. The study of the history and etymology of the words for these fascinating substances takes us, surprisingly, right into the heart of military intelligence, and what became the CIA’s infamous MKULTRA mind control program, and reveals how the names themselves were used in marketing these substances to the public, and especially to the youth and countercultures." edit: There is some interesting etymology here, Irvin claims it evolved from the word "psychotomimetic" (mimicking psychosis) [0] https://www.gnosticmedia.com/Entheogens_WhatsinaName_PsychedelicSpirituality_SocialControl_CIA https://www.gnosticmedia.com/Entheogens_WhatsinaName_Psyched...
- cc81 9y agoI disagree and I think most researchers decided that it was not a good mental model and most moved on to amphetamines or later cannabis as a better model.
- blubb-fish 9y ago> I believe there’s a lot of truth to it, from my experience it totally matches a mini psychotic event. From Wikipedia: "Psychosis is an abnormal condition of the mind that involves a loss of contact with reality." If we use this definition I'd be inclined to differ. LSD only to some extent and under certain circumstances will cause of loss of contact with reality. In my experience LSD intensifies perception and affect to such an extent that it can become overwhelming. It also alternates how we see things. Like overclocking a CPU will make it faster and more useful until a point where starts to work unreliable.
- StavrosK 9y agoI have the exact same reaction as you, but many of my friends don't. I'm perfectly lucid and have never lost reality, I just get very intense perception and am hypersensitive to social cues (I read too much into people's reactions).
- psyc 9y agoIt depends on how extreme your standard for break with reality is. Most trip reports I've read indicate a break with consensus interpretation of reality, which is consistent with psychosis. I have experienced bipolar psychosis twice, and LSD psychosis ~12 times, and subjectively they are far more similar than not. I'd say they are only barely distinguishable by subtle intangibles. Again, subjectively.
- djtriptych 9y agoOverclocking a CPU seems to me to be analogous to a manic episode. So, not too far off to say LSD can be used to mimic a psychotic break.
- justherefortart 9y agoIn my experience doing LSD with a bunch of people over the years, you experience your moods, feelings, and fears. So if you take it and you're not in a happy or content place, it's not fun. I never had a bad trip. Maybe luckily but maybe as a result of having a lot of friends that did a lot of drugs while I abstained. I did research for a few years before trying anything and added in my own anecdotal evidence of babysitting all my friends. LSD probably is what helped me find my place in the world and killed the crippling depression I had as a child. Likely helped my 'autistic' behaviors as well. I don't credit it with revolutionizing my life, but it was certainly a catalyst. Of course, take this with a grain of 'salt' ;-)
- ghostbrainalpha 9y agoYou mind if I ask how old you are? When was the last time you did LSD? Any chance you would have just grown out of the depression anyway? I've always dealt with depression, and it got a lot better naturally when I turned about 30, although definitely a good bit still lingers. I might want to try LSD to beat the last of it, but I feel a little old to get started on a LSD project.
- adrusi 9y agoYou're not too old. While you're tripping, you might as well be a child.
- justherefortart 9y ago20 or 21, I'm 44 now. No chance I would have grown out of it, everyone in my family suffers from it to varying degrees throughout their lives. They've all self medicated and pharmacologically medicated themselves for most their lives. I still deal with depression, but not as acute as throughout my childhood. Looking back I was depressed from 1st grade onward. Not many kids in elementary school look back at preschool with melancholic feelings, at least not that I am aware of. I lived my life reliving every prior moment and the interactions. I'm on the autistic scale as well, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I also did therapy and many other medications throughout my life as well. LSD was the only one that seemingly helped, in retrospect, beyond their initial dosing.
- cairo_x 9y agoYou can't get high from LSD by touching it. Albert is a liar. He nibbled some. My theory is, he knew those in the know know that this is an impossible way to get high, which is why he stuck with it (a crafty wink). He could have simply said he got a little on his finger and touched his mouth, but he stuck with the skin absorption story. Just a little harmless tinfoil.
- asteli 9y agoThe tone of your post encouraged me to challenge your assertion, but it does actually appear from numerous anecdotes that LSD is very poorly absorbed transdermally, even when dissolved in solvents used for that purpose. Neat.
- matt4077 9y agoIt's one of those 'lies' that benefit humanity, considering the alternative would have been not to share the knowledge with the world. Because he was obviously fearing difficulties with his employer if he admitted to such a breach of standard protocols. It reminds me of one of the early anatomists–Leonardo da Vinci, maybe? They found the cause of one of the leading causes of death at the time: appendicitis. In their publication, they invented a story about an ailing soldier being killed in such a way that the inflamed appendix was exposed. It was a lie, and a rather obvious one. But it was necessary because dissection was forbidden at the time.
- 3131s 9y agoFrom everything I know, that's not true of crystal LSD. Ever heard of thumbprinting?
- deno 9y ago> A thumbprint is a method of consuming a massive amount of lsd, where a massive (relatively, compared to a blotter dose) amount of lsd crystals are made into a small pile, pressed on with a thumb, and then the thumb into the mouth. The ROA is still oral.
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- INTPenis 9y agoI love reading his trip report, it really pulls you in. But what irks me is the website. I opened it on my pixel c and started reading, after about one paragraph the whole screen went dark. I didn't understand why, checked my screen light level from the shortcut menu but moved on thinking the light sensor was wack and wanting to keep reading. Several paragraphs after the first image I see the damn pop up. This frenzy of gathering email addresses under the guise of newsletters irks me to no end.
- golergka 9y agoWorks very well with javascript disabled. If you leave it disabled by default, most of today's internet becomes significantly better.
- joosters 9y agoI have this handy bookmark that will remove all top-level unmovable HTML on a page. One click will generally remove all popups and banners that obstruct viewing: javascript:(function()%7B(function%20()%20%7Bvar%20i%2C%20elements%20%3D%20document.querySelectorAll('body%20*')%3Bfor%20(i%20%3D%200%3B%20i%20%3C%20elements.length%3B%20i%2B%2B)%20%7Bif%20(getComputedStyle(elements%5Bi%5D).position%20%3D%3D%3D%20'fixed')%20%7Belements%5Bi%5D.parentNode.removeChild(elements%5Bi%5D)%3B%7D%7D%7D)()%7D)() (I hope that doesn't get mangled by HN formatting) For a tiny piece of javascript, it works amazingly well on so many websites. Give it a try!
- alifbae 9y agoThis encouraged me to read his book "LSD: my problem child" (where this article pulls this excerpt from). I would recommend anyone interested in psychedelics to give it a read! It's available for free on the internet archive: https://archive.org/details/LSDMyProblemChildByDr.AlbertHoffman https://archive.org/details/LSDMyProblemChildByDr.AlbertHoff...
- virtualwhys 9y ago> I was just barely capable of asking my companion to summon our family doctor and request milk from the neighbors. Hah, hah, a sign of the times. That's the last thing I'd want to injest when in the throws of a deep, harrowing LSD trip, yuck. Really the only thing that "helps", I find, is a watch (if you're able to read the watch that is). Time can help ground you in the sense that you know roughly when the peak will occur, so if you're already overwhelmed 2 hours in, that means "only" 2-4 hours before you're over the hump ;-) Taking LSD is very much continually answering the question, "here, ultimate (un)reality, isn't that what you asked for?", with "Yes". Easier said than done when you're in the thick of it...
- jameskegel 9y agoI find that writing down stage times when I’ll be at various stages of the experience ahead of the event helps gather some perspective
- nemo44x 9y agoIn terms of the milk, my thoughts were he was trying to settle his stomach as LSD tends to cause a sensation of stomach tightness.
- Synaesthesia 9y agoIt’s also often given in the case of general poisoning.
- Sharlin 9y agoYes, he gives this reason in the next paragraph: In spite of my delirious, bewildered condition, I had brief periods of clear and effective thinking—and chose milk as a nonspecific antidote for poisoning.
- odammit 9y agoWe always carried “totems”. Little trinkets that we’d hold while waiting for the effect while silently repeating to ourselves that this would remind us we’re just high. Be damned if you lost that thing though. Mine was a toy kitten holding a cheeseburger.
- datpuz 9y agoGiven that he didn't know what we know now about LSD (that it's not going to kill you or cause brain damage), his experience was probably a lot more terrifying than the usual bad trip. Not being able to remind yourself that you're safe and that the drug's effects will wear off would make it a lot more scary.
- StavrosK 9y agoNot only that, but I was struck by the realization of how devastated he must have felt to be dying (or so he thought) after consuming 250 MICROgrams of a substance. The part where he worried about whether his family would think he was reckless for doing this was poignant, because there was no way anyone could have expected 250 micrograms of ergot to produce any sort of observable effect.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- Dowwie 9y agoShe was no longer Mrs. R, but rather a malevolent, insidious witch with a colored mask it feels like I'm reading the memoirs of Dr. Frankenstein
- nerdponx 9y agoA peculiar presentiment—the feeling that LSD-25 could possess properties other than those established in my first investigations—induced me, five years after the first synthesis, to produce it once again so that a sample could be given to the pharmacological department for further tests. This was quite unusual; experimental substances as a rule were definitely stricken from the research program if once found to be lacking in pharmacological interest. Nevertheless, in the spring of 1943, I repeated the synthesis of LSD-25. As in the first synthesis, this involved the production of only a few centigrams of the compound. I absolutely love this writing. Reminds me of the great "scientific gothic" novels like Frankenstein and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
- aaron_m04 9y ago> As in the first synthesis, this involved the production of only a few centigrams of the compound. At ~0.1mg per dose, this translates to "only" a few hundred doses.
- oxide 9y agoI found the documentary "Orange Sunshine" to be a very illuminating tale of licit (and then illicit) synthesis and distribution of psychedelics, mainly LSD-25 but they do mention psilocin, etc. At one point they had produced 10,000 doses in one synth, a grief-fueled synth. An anecdote to be sure, but a hell of an anecdote I won't ruin by paraphrasing any further. This naturally leads into the story of ALD-52, also known as Orange Sunshine. The analogue people liked more than LSD-25 itself. Which is an entirely new interesting tale of injustice and prosecutor overreach, with an entirely new bunch of folks. "...And Justice for All" indeed.
- ncal 9y agoImagine riding your bike home on acid in 1943.
- throwawayLSD 9y agoDisclaimer: I probably shouldn't be posting this, even under a throwaway, but I'm on the other side of the international date line, and I've had a few beers tonight. This post is in response to several comments on this thread. I've done quite a lot of LSD, and I feel that I have some anecdotal input that might be valuable to some. First, some background regarding my usage: I've been using hallucinogenic substances for about 20 years (I was sixteen when I had my first LSD trip); at this point in my life, I like to have about four solid trips per year. In total, I've had around 200-250 trips on various drugs. At one point, I was doing mushrooms so frequently that they essentially stopped working (there was a week during college when I dosed on high-grade cubensis mushrooms eight times - by the end of the week, it took a full ounce before I could feel any effect). I've done most of the 2C drugs, DMT, ketamine, and every drug about which you've ever seen a cautionary after-school special. I've micro-dosed on LSD, and I've thumb-printed raw crystal. I've had multiple "level five" experiences. I've worked in tech for years, at companies that you've heard of. First off: please be aware that hallucinogens are very powerful drugs, and they should never be taken lightly - I make no pretense of being a role-model. I knew a man who was absolutely addicted to LSD (he tripped every day, give or take since the early sixties - during the time that I knew him, he had a week or so when he couldn't trip, and he was truly frightening to be around sober. If you've ever seen anyone go off of anti-psychotics cold-turkey after prolonged usage, it was similar.) That said, I believe that hallucinogens, and particularly LSD, have profoundly improved my life. The shift in perspective has helped me to defuse many emotional and psychological issues, and heightened my understanding of people, programming, and society as a whole. To the person who wonders if they are too old to try LSD, I think you most likely are not. Most people who I have seen lose their shit on hallucinogens had it happen in their 20's - if you've made it to 30 without issues with psychosis, you're most likely in the clear. All first time users should have their first experience in a comfortable setting, ideally with an experienced guide. I think it's tragic that modern society has all but eliminated the role of a shaman - it is very helpful to have someone who has walked the path before you show you the way. One point that I would like to emphasize is that you shouldn't do hallucinogens to have fun. The experience is, of course, very frequently enjoyable, but these experiences should not be taken lightly. Personally, I believe that there is no such thing as a "bad trip". Some trips are challenging, and unpleasant, but if they are viewed with the proper perspective, they are still useful. Indeed, I have purposely taken trips in unpleasant circumstances in order to help me transcend various issues (again, if you have pre-existing psychosis, or are under ~25 years old, a trip might trigger some underlying issues). If you're curious, and reasonably stable, I strongly recommend that you give it a try. LSD is the safest option - be wary of "designer" drugs, which can have much more dangerous side effects. As in all things, research is your friend, do some reading on erowid.org before you try any new drug. Be wary of LSD look-alikes, namely 25-I, which is increasingly common these days. This is obviously a throw-away account, but I'll try to respond to any questions or comments tomorrow (GMT+8).
- ncal 9y agoThe comparison of lsd to overclocking a processor is a pretty good one. Someone I know describes the experience in a similar way: "In normal waking life, data comes into my brain in a singular stream. On lsd my brain feels like it has the ability to process more at once- more streams." Interesting things happen with all this input. Sensations get mixed around and felt in odd ways. For instance synesthesia... You make hear colors, or see emotions. Here's an article about LSDs effects on the brain: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/apr/11/lsd-impact-brain-revealed-groundbreaking-images https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/apr/11/lsd-impact-b...
- debaserab2 9y agoIn my experience it feels more like you're underclocked than overclocked. Sensations become so overwhelming at times it's hard to interpret them in ways that can be useful to you. I think in normal waking life, your brain interprets these sensations for you and narrows the amount your conscious mind actually has to deal with.
- ncal 9y agoI would imagine it depends on the dose. An large dose of lsd would render just about anyone completely incoherent and possibly, absolutely insane. However, there is a reason many are gathering behind the idea of microdosing lsd for productivity. Here's an article on microdosing: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/gv5p5y/a-brief-history-of-microdosing https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/gv5p5y/a-brief-hi...
- oxide 9y agoA friend of mine is a synesthete. He finds it a blessing and a curse in his day to day life. Psychedelics naturally amplify this, and the fact that he can feel emotion through touch, taste a sound or hear a color fascinates me to no end. He never knew he was one until I showed him the Wikipedia page for synesthesia, he just thought he was fucked up in the head. The things he must feel and experience I can only hope to have a taste of one day before I die.