One of my students (who will remain unnamed for obvious reasons) came in with an interesting drawing for her homework assignment this week. She said she was trying to represent her first experience with LSD. She also said that she had only taken two pills and it was a disappointing experience, no hallucinations. So this weekend it will be three pills. Previously she had been drawing her experiences taking Ecstasy. Obviously my role is to critique the drawing (not the draw-er) from an aesthetic point of view. I did however wander into telling the story of my experiences with LSD, which actually are far different from the usual.
When I was in high school, in the 50’s, my mother worked as secretary (she actually ran the office, so was what they call administrative assistant these days) at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. At that time, NIMH was doing research on LSD, using conscientious objectors as their bodies. My mother was very amused by the stories of these young (mostly Amish) men from Pennsylvania farmland and often invited them to our house for dinner. So I heard many versions of hallucinogenic experiences at my dinner table (enough so that I knew it would not be something I could do, being close enough to the edge, enjoying an active imagination without it). But......an interesting way to serve your country.