captain__sock

Let me begin by saying that I am highly skeptical of the value of recreational psychedelic experience, particularly when it is compared to the value of mindfulness practice, such as meditation.

How do you articulate the value of the recreational psychedelic experience? How can you measure whether the experience is in fact valuable enough to be defended? If it were the case that the value of the psychedelic experience was purely neutral (it didn't tend to make people's lives better, it didn't tend to make people's lives worse), would it still be worth advocating for legalization?

Hi MAPS,

I am curious in what you mean when you say you are researching the ways that psychedelics may have spiritual uses. I must also express that I am highly skeptical of this endeavor, as spirituality is an extremely confusing, sensitive, and intimate subject, as I imagine you may know. Like many others, I began spiritual seeking after some drug-related experiences, and this led me to spend 8 months in a meditation intensive Zen monastery. Though 8 months of practice and over 1,000 hours of sitting mediation were barely enough to scratch the surface of spiritual practice, it was enough for me to make the assessment that drugs, though seemingly spiritual, were actually fundamentally antithetical to genuine spiritual practice. Many teachers of spirituality, particularly within Buddhism, make similar assessments. How will you deal with claims like this as you go forward with your research? Who will have the authority to make the claims about what the spiritual uses of drugs may be? What will your role be in speaking of the confusing matters of the spirit and how drugs may affect it?

I also want to urge caution, as humbly as I can. Your findings and conclusions will profoundly influence many, so please move forward with as much care and integrity as you can muster. Good luck with your work.

I love this reference. But to be fair, Socrates did lose the trial.

How's the morphine treating you?

That's good. I had spinal fusion surgery just last year (20 year old male as well) and felt no pain throughout recovery, besides run of the mill soreness. Medicine is something else these days. Best wishes in recovery! I'm sure you'll be back in business in no time.