Brianna Fowler

CPCC
Eng 111
Mrs. Intuwiwat
10/12/2016

The strange reality of Psyconautics

The current information focuses on the personal characteristics of
Psyconauts which are people are persons who explore different activities to help
induce an altered state of mind, or one in search of a deeper self. The term
Psyconautics has become widely diverse to cover all activities by which altered
states are induced and utilized. There is a psychiatrist Jan Dirk Blom she states that
psyconautic use techniques like Hallucinogens, Lucid dreaming, and Meditation to
investigate their mind while majority of the time these are induced and the
practitioner does not do this on their own, they have to have something to give
them a jump start.
Majority of the time these navigators of the psyche use hallucinogens to
induce a Trip where they see vivid colors, images, even figures or strange
illusions. A user claimed that they saw hordes of jabbering creatures juggling
incandescent neon micro worlds. Sounds cool at first until you hear about the bad
Trips as studied by Kowalski, Kathiann M. she spoke to a subject who had seen
a terrible scene while hallucinating. She says one user thought everyone on the
dance floor around her was decapitated. Another saw a giant sized lizard chewing
on a womens neck as they stood on a floor that appeared to be a blood soaking
sponge. From just these few tells it is easy to see that most of these Trips
become intensified not with just bright beautiful colors and sounds but with
horrific visions, in which maybe some of your darkest fears come out and haunt

you until your hallucination subsides. As scary as this phenomenon may seem,
hallucinogens have been used for ages as a way to become spiritually connected
with yourself. The Native Americans ritually used the hallucinogen Peyote to send
people on a spiritual journey. The indigenous people of Siberia used a red capped
mushroom called Amanita muscaria in order to reach the state of mind but they
typically left it to the shamans to use the drug. We will also find that in Peru they
actually still til this day, practice a form of self-searching where they use the
Ayahuasca plant to send anyone brave enough on their journey. Once again as
studied by Kowalski Kathiann, most of these trips are just a sense of distorted
sense of space and time. Users may even feel like theyre floating outside their
bodies. Another added effect is Synesthesia. Synesthesia is when the senses get
cross wired the users think that they can see sound or smell colors.
In addition to the information that I was able to dig up. I lucky enough to
interview a women who would consider herself a Psychonaut. I was told she was
uncomfortable reveling her true name so we will refer to her as Jane Doe. In this
interview I started off asking Jane Doe what it was that she was wanting to
improve. She responded with I want to improve my inner self. Jane Doe also
practices Yoga and wishes to eventually reach a state where her body and mind are
one in reaching some kind of enlightenment.
Once I was able to get a good understanding of who Jane Doe was as a
Person before her trips I proceeded to ask her more in depth about her
experiences with trying to explore who she was. What does the term Pshyconaut
mean to you? her response was To me . . . someone who wants to find their truth,
using a form that is considered taboo. When she stated this it made me open my
mind more to what she had to say about her technique. Solley because she had a
very valid point. Majority of people who hear about the techniques of a psychonaut

will think it is completely taboo and unethical. If you clear your mind for a
moment of everything you have been raised to believe is morally incorrect or taboo
then you will see that the use of hallucinogens to explore the psyche has been
around for 1,000s of years it is a practice that people have been using for ages.
Then the question arises do you think that people should use hallucinogens this
day in age? Yes, was her response and was exactly what I expected her to say but
then she followed up with, But, in small increments. Many abuse the substance or
become addicted to the feeling and then it becomes something that I disapprove
of. After hearing this response I felt as though Jane Doe was very aware of what
she was doing and the consequences that came with it. I soon, decided to go ahead
and ask Jane Doe one final question and that was Is there anything you think
people should know about psychonauts? her response was simple and sweet. I
think people should know that most psychonauts are not druggies, most are mainly
very spiritual people even business people; looking for the same thing as everyone
else . . . an answer.
After a very intriguing and informational interview, I considered it safe to
say that experimenting with different hallucinogenics is beyond a doubt dangerous
and can come with many consequences. Even though, these psychonauts are
attempting to find something deeper than their very own comprehension; they must
do so with caution and the awareness that they could possibly be opening the door
for possible drug addiction and if they are able to slide by the door of addiction
they more than likely will experience some kind of life changing, or even horrific
visions, that are not for the faint of heart.

Work Citied
Kowalski, Kathiann M.What hallucinogens can do to your brain.Current health,
2 Apr 2000: 6-12.Proquest.Web.3 Oct.2016

Doyle,Richard.Introduction:Among the Psychonauts with DreamWorks?

imagining Technoscience after the transhuman Prohibition. Configurations
16.2(2008):139,144,297.ProQuest.web. 3 oct.2016

Top 10 psychactive substances used in ceremonieslistverse.Listverse.N.P.2014.web.12 oct. 2016