Althouse: "There were dead bodies all over the place. There was one skeleton sticking out of the snow. And somehow I knew that was my father."

October 19, 2019

"There were dead bodies all over the place. There was one skeleton sticking out of the snow. And somehow I knew that was my father."

"I don’t know exactly how we communicated because I didn’t see anyone alive but I heard his voice. He came to me and I asked him a very important question, which was: 'why didn’t you say goodbye?' He said, he thought he could get out of it, and be back the same day, so why wake up little George? I asked a second question: 'Did you love me?'... I asked a second question: ‘Did you love me?'; [He pointed at the skeleton sticking out of the snow. The skeleton’s mouth hung open.] 'That’s my last breath. And with my last breath, I blessed you and I promised to guard you all your life.'... It changed my life completely."

From "Taking Ayahuasca When You’re a Senior Citizen/Some older adults are dabbling in this powerful psychedelic, which is mostly illegal in the United States" (NYT).

14 comments:

Sally327 said...: Turn on, tune in, drop out. That first guy, living in San Francisco, he could have done all this already back in the day, he didn't need to wait until he was 74 and go to Mexico to get high and have a profound experience.; 10/19/19, 6:42 AM
Howard said...: Another popular trend brought to you by Joe Brogan.; 10/19/19, 6:55 AM
rhhardin said...: Psychedelic politics too.; 10/19/19, 7:12 AM
MadisonMan said...: The skeleton with his mouth agape reminds me of Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol (that I am currently re-reading to get in the mood -- it's not just stores that start Christmas early!) So I wonder how much that woman read Dickens.
One of the more fascinating things out of Mom's mouth as she was declining in hospice towards her endtime was the description of people coming to visit her. She achieved this without psychedelics as far as I know, and it's a comforting something that I look forward to when my time comes. I hope to see my grandmother at the very least -- and maybe meet my grandfathers for the first time.; 10/19/19, 7:23 AM
Temujin said...: Interesting. I've read a few articles about this. Seems to be more of a thing done by bored Palo Altoites and San Franciscans, but nonetheless, it's interesting in a sort of Carlos Castaneda way.

But I have to say, when I got to the line, "having been unhappy with her relationship to food for decades", the entire thing lost it for me. If we're doing articles about people traveling to Costa Rica to take psychedelics because they think it'll help them figure out their 'relationship with food', well, I'd say they have a multitude of problems and Amazonian plants are not the cure.

I dunno- as I get older, I find my peace in my mind. I had my psychedelic phase, as a young college student. It was not a good thing to do, but it seemed to be adventurous and mind-opening at the time. It really just made me lose days at a time. It did not help me excel in any facet of life. But it taught me to keep my feet firmly grounded and notice those things around me, every day. It's all there in front of us to enjoy. You don't have to go to Costa Rica to drink Amazonian plants. You can love what you have and love what you see in every day, even in Madison.; 10/19/19, 7:29 AM
traditionalguy said...: Sounds like a seance speaking with the dead spirits who want to help you by adding pieces to the story of your past. What's new about that? Adding getting your brain fried is a cover story for spiritualism.; 10/19/19, 8:05 AM
Fernandinande said...: when I got to the line, "having been unhappy with her relationship to food for decades", the entire thing lost it for me.

Heh. When saw that I thought "stop going to McDonald's" and also though that it was a shame they put that dopey line in the article, the same with "a friend who is a naturopath [a quack, basically]" because the positive "psychedelic" effects can be very real for some people in the right circumstances.; 10/19/19, 8:23 AM
mikee said...: The only visions - well, halucinations to be exact - that I've ever had were from lack of sleep. Four days with a total of 2-3 hours asleep led me to see a man in a bowler hat peeking around the corner of lab. And once, sitting in a library after several all-nighters I could not remember if I was wearing pants or not. Fortunately, despite the Althouse dislike of same, the breeze on my knees was an indicator that forgotten shorts were being worn.

Neither of these events were life changing, other than to convince me to get a good night's sleep asap.; 10/19/19, 8:50 AM
Krumhorn said...: The Boomers are at it again. Has there ever been a more destructive generation in American history? Everything that is most wrong today can be traced to my fellow Boomers.

- Krumhorn; 10/19/19, 9:01 AM
Mr. Groovington said...: Flew to Mexico to take ayahuasca 3 times with the physician most notable for advocating its use.

Harrowing, life changing, will do it again. I’ll also be taking Iboga in LIbreville, Gabon this year. It’s supposedly a much more difficult experience than ayahuasca, but worth it also.; 10/19/19, 9:23 AM
Yancey Ward said...: I have never taken any of them, but I once synthesized the main β-carbolines found in most of the plants.; 10/19/19, 10:14 AM
wild chicken said...: I took lsd a few times when I was 19 but we all thought it would be horrible to take as an old person. Like it would strip you of your self-protective denial. I'm 70;now and uh, wine is fine. Yeah I'm old but there are a few good years left.; 10/19/19, 11:04 AM
Ice Nine said...: I've done my share of acid and Ecstasy in the distant past, and I did them because they were freakin' *fun* -- not to find the meaning of life. If you have to do psychedelic drugs, spiritual retreats, white boy drum circles and sweat lodges, and the like to accomplish that then you are as crippled as the lady with "food issues" who seems to have not yet figured out why she is fat. A modicum of common sense and pragmatism comes in handy. Leave the psychedelics for having a rollicking good time.

That said, shitting and puking all night isn't my idea of fun, so I'll definitely pass on Ayahuasca.; 10/19/19, 11:08 AM
Mr. Groovington said...: Blogger wild chicken said...
I took lsd a few times when I was 19 but we all thought it would be horrible to take as an old person. Like it would strip you of your self-protective denial. I'm 70;now and uh, wine is fine?

Written with wisdom.; 10/19/19, 1:43 PM