Hofmann的LSD体验
”Last Friday, April 16, 1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home, I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring) I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away “
Even worse than these demonic transformations of the outer world were the alterations that I perceived in my self, in my inner being. Every exertion of my will, every attempt to put an end to the disintegration of the outer world and the dissolution of my ego, seemed to be wasted effort. A demon had invaded me, had taken possession of my body, soul, and mind (Idem.).
I jumped up and screamed in order to free myself from him, but sank down again powerless on the sofa. The substance triumphed over my will. A dreadful fear grasped me that I was becoming insane. I was taken to another world, another time. My body seemed to be without sensation, lifeless, strange. Was I dying? Was this the transition? At times I believed myself to be outside my body, and then perceived clearly, as an outside observer, the complete tragedy of my situation. I had not even taken leave of my family. Would they ever understand that I had not experimented thoughtlessly, but rather with the utmost caution and that such a result was in no way foreseeable? My fear and despair intensified, not only because a young family might lose its father prematurely, but also because I thought of having to break off unfinished my work, which meant so much to. Also, the reflection emerged, full of acrimonious irony, that I was to be compelled to leave this world behind prematurely through the use of this lysergic acid diethylamide that I had brought into the world (1994: 39).
When the doctor arrived, he could detect no abnormal symptoms other than extremely dilated pupils. Hofmann's pulse, blood pressure and breathing were all normal. Slowly, Hofmann "came back from a weird, unfamiliar world to reassuring everyday reality. The horror diffused and gave way to a feeling of good fortune and gratitude." He began to be reassured that the danger of insanity was past, and to enjoy the kaleidoscopic display of fantastic colors and images which danced behind his closed eyes. "Images surged in on [him], alternating, variegated, opening and closing themselves in circles and spirals, exploding in colored fountains, rearranging and hybridizing themselves in constant flux. Every acoustic perception, such as the sound of a door handle or a passing automobile, became transformed in to optical perceptions" (1994:40). Eventually, he fell asleep, and awoke the next morning with "a clear head, though still somewhat tired physically. A sensation of well-being and renewed life flowed through [him]. The world was as if newly created. All [his] senses vibrated in a condition of highest sensitivity, which persisted for the entire day" (Ibid., 28).
It may not have been a total surprise to Hofmann and other scientists at Sandoz that LSD caused such mental effects. Numerous stories about ergot, the natural source of lysergic acid, had been passed down through the ages. "The rye fungus had a mysterious and contradictory reputation. In China and parts of the Mideast it was thought to possess medicinal qualities, and certain scholars believe that it may have been used in sacred rites in ancient Greece. In other parts of Europe, however, the same fungus was associated with the horrible malady known as St. Anthony's Fire, which struck periodically like the plague. Medieval chronicles tell of villages and towns where nearly everyone went mad for a few days after ergot-diseased rye was unknowingly milled into flour and baked as bread" (Lee and Shlain 1985:13). Until recent times epidemic-like occurrences of ergot poisoning have been recorded in most European countries and also in certain areas of Russia. "With improvements in agriculture and with the understanding that ergot-containing bread was the cause, the frequency and extent of ergotism epidemics diminished considerably. The last great epidemic occurred in certain areas of southern Russia in the years 1926-27" (Hofmann 1994:37).
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LSD，麦角酸酰二乙酸。原名LSD-25(Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)，口语称为Acid。1943年由瑞士人阿尔伯特·霍夫曼(Albert Hofmann)发明，本来是要用做治疗一种中世纪流传于欧洲的怪病，但在无意间试用后，他却经历了人类历史上第一次“迷幻之旅”(Acid Trip)。LSD是已知药力最强的迷幻剂。
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