Benefits of psychedelics: Can they teach us about the search for meaning in life? - Vox

I come from the 'Wild West' days of psychedelics, where the emphasis was not so much on finding meaning in life as it was 'tripping balls' and seeing what happened. I can say I experienced Synesthesia, as in seeing the music of Hendrix pour out of speakers as waves of colors. Once I saw a flying saucer land in my backyard and aliens exit it before it flew away. Another time a friend turned into Christ with a burning crown of thorns on his head, though I have to admit he already looked like the blue-eyed, Aryan depiction of Jesus hanging in all the Southern Baptist Sundy School rooms, so that was just a semi hallucination.

The main lessons psychedelics taught me was perception is fluid and funny, life is full of loopholes, and not quite as black & white as we are led to believe. There is a lot of space between and in them atoms. Taking a psychedelic is basically renting psychosis short term for a little test drive around the block, at least hopefully. I have known a few folks who forgot to buy the round-trip ticket. I do know at this age I don't personally hunger for any meaning in my life. I created my own meaning as I went along. Maybe that was the true gift of psychedelics.