Invitation to participate in research: Entheogens in spiritual practice

[entheogenresearcher]

Hi everybody

I have browsed around this forum a bit and am impressed with how many of you seem to have very mature views on the spiritual role of drugs like psilocybin, cannabis, LSD and so on.

I am here as a researcher in comparative religion, doing a project with the University of Bergen where I ask basically how people use entheogens (or psychedelics) in spiritual contexts and what consequences this has for life, spirituality, mental health and so on. I want to know where you come from (existentially and in terms of background), what you are doing in your entheogen-practice and what this practice does for you in the long term.

If you or anyone would like to participate, I have a simple homemade website for the study at entheogenstudy.org, and you can reach me at petter@entheogenstudy.org.

I have no hidden agenda with this, except maybe the following: I suspect that there are many people out there who have a genuine spiritual relationship with entheogenic drugs, and who are able to use such drugs in a balanced and fruitful way that enhances their lives. If the academic world knew more about such people (right now almost nothing is known), a lot would probably change for the better in society.

So please get in touch if you have a story to tell. (Note that the above 'suspicion' will not stop me from asking critical questions!)

With an anonymous webmail account, we can communicate while your real-world identity remains completely unknown to me - so there should be no big risk of any kind.

Don't be shy

[AnthroHeart]

Ayahuasca really was beautiful to me. But I have trouble closing down my 3rd eye and staying grounded when I come off of it.

[Rhayader]

If 'invitation to participate' = free stuff to try than i'm in. Otherwise I don't have enough experience to give you much help.

[Ashim]

I would be prepared to particpate, but only on the public forum (like here on this thread).

I have a few tales to tell.

OP may ask questions.

Welcome to the forum.

[Bluebell]

Ayahuasca really was beautiful to me. But I have trouble closing down my 3rd eye and staying grounded when I come off of it.

didn't u say DMT gave u schizophrenia? u don't still use it/ayahuasca do u?

[AnthroHeart]

I don't use any hallucinagen.

[entheogenresearcher]

Thanks for your replies everybody!

No free stuff of any kind I'm afraid The only benefit you will reap by participating is the joy of making entheogenic drug use less misunderstood (and perhaps even getting a clearer understanding of how such use has impacted your own life)

Ashim: If you really want to, we can talk about it right here in this forum. Of course it is important to me that you speak truthfully, and some of the questions I want to ask are rather personal. If there are some things you don't want to speak about in public (I mean on this forum, in connection with your bring4th username), you can email these answers to me privately instead (or decline to answer at all, if that is what you wish).

What I want to ask is summed up in the following:

1. Your background and life situation. Who are you? Where do you come from (in every sense)? How is your social life, work life, spiritual life, personal life? How is your mental health situation? (please answer in general terms that cannot be used to trace your real identity)
2. Your history with using entheogenic drugs. What are you using, how often, for how long? Can you describe your most important experiences?
3. Consequences of entheogenic drug use. Good and bad - for every aspect of your life.

This is the basic set-up - I hope the conversation can develop organically and be fruitful for everyone involved.

We can start anywhere you like. Do you have a preference?

Can I also please ask you to read and sign a "Request for participation" info sheet? It's available at http://entheogenstudy.org/Request%20...icipation.docx - please download, write in your Psychonaut username and date, save as PDF so it can't be traced to your computer, and send it to petter@entheogenstudy.org. I know it's kind of boring, but university ethics committees like this kind of stuff.

Thanks for participating!

(Deleted the info thing - post was too big)

[Unbound]

I would be willing to discuss some things here first and maybe if it piques my interest I would involve myself further. I am open to starting anywhere that you would be interested in starting with the questioning.

[entheogenresearcher]

Unbound: great! Let's start with something that (hopefully) interests you then. Maybe you could briefly sum up your history of entheogen use, and try to describe one or two experiences of primary importance. From there we can move on to the matter of consequences for life, spirituality and everything.

Thank you for participating.

[entheogenresearcher]

Hi again

Ashim: would love to hear those tales. If the full range of the questions I outlined above is a bit too much, just speak about what your like. Has entheogens been a positive or negative (or both) influence on your life?

Unbound: Same question for you (when you get back)

Everybody else is invited too

[AnthroHeart]

Entheogens were positive when I took them. Opened my mind. But led to mental disorders. They kept my 3rd eye open, and I had trouble grounding.

[entheogenresearcher]

Thanks Gemini Wolf. How did they open your mind, and what kind of disorders did they lead to?

(If you have written about this in other threads, you could just point me to it and I will take it as a reply)

[Bluebell]

DMT can hyperactivate the pineal gland. Gemini Wolf, was it ayahuasca or just DMT? ayahuasca is supposed to be gentler.

[AnthroHeart]

I smoked DMT about 5 or 6 times. I took pharmahuasca (a variant of ayahuasca) about 5 or 6 times.

[Bluebell]

WTF is pharmahuasca??

[darklight]

WTF is pharmahuasca??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmahuasca