Hofmann went home, lay down on a couch, and “in a dreamlike state,
with eyes closed . . . I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic
pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors.”
Thus unfolds the world’s first LSD trip, in neutral Switzerland during the
darkest days of World War II. It is also the only LSD trip ever taken that
was entirely innocent of expectation.
Intrigued, Hofmann decided a few days later to conduct an experiment
on himself—not an uncommon practice at the time. Proceeding with what
he thought was extreme caution, he ingested 0.25 milligrams—a
milligram is one-thousandth of a gram—of LSD dissolved in a glass of
water. This would represent a minuscule dose of any other drug, but LSD,
it turns out, is one of the most potent psychoactive compounds ever
discovered, active at doses measured in micrograms—that is, one
thousandth of a milligram. This surprising fact would soon inspire
scientists to look for, and eventually find, the brain receptors and the
endogenous chemical—serotonin—that activates them like a key in a lock,
as a way to explain how such a small number of molecules could have
such a profound effect on the mind. In this and other ways, Hofmann’s
discovery helped to launch modern brain science in the 1950s.
Now unfolds the world’s first bad acid trip as Hofmann is plunged into
what he is certain is irretrievable madness. He tells his lab assistant he
needs to get home, and with the use of automobiles restricted during
wartime, he somehow manages to pedal home by bicycle and lie down
while his assistant summons the doctor. (Today LSD devotees celebrate
“Bicycle Day” each year on April 19.) Hofmann describes how “familiar
objects and pieces of furniture assumed grotesque, threatening forms.
They were in continuous motion, animated as if driven by an inner
restlessness.” He experienced the disintegration of the outer world and
the dissolution of his own ego. “A demon had invaded me, had taken
possession of my body, mind, and soul. I jumped up and screamed, trying
to free myself from him, but then sank down again and lay helpless on the
sofa.” Hofmann became convinced he was going to be rendered
permanently insane or might actually be dying. “My ego was suspended
somewhere in space and I saw my body lying dead on the sofa.” When the
doctor arrived and examined him, however, he found that all of
Hofmann’s vital signs—heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing—were
frankie
(Frankie)
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