Psychedelic Sound, Unheard Echos, and The Heartbeat of the Universe

When we discuss psychedelic hallucinations, we usually focus our attention on those of the visual variety. This is understandable, of course. The images these drugs can conjure up are incredibly vivid and infinitely complex but they are not the only sort of hallucination one will experience. Many people report "hearing" things when they use psychedelics. Echos are common. Words seem to repeat in the mind of a psychonaut, hanging there like a dense fog. Sometimes, there are high pitched buzzing noises that seem to call out from the void as if to welcome or to warn a sailor of the soul. These effects are not trivial. They are often more "convincing" than many of the visual manifestations of the psychedelic influence and they can be rather intense, even at lower doses. Like the visual hallucinations which a psychonaut might encounter, psychedelic sounds seem to carry a meaning for the user. For those who are willing to "listen," auditory hallucinations, can be every bit as valuable as the "visions" that are produced by these drugs.

An echo is one of the most common auditory hallucinations that an individual may encounter during a trip and, while it often seems random, there is occasionally a deep person or contextual meaning to be found in the repetitive sound. While one is under the influence of a psychedelic substance, he or she may hear some words or noises repeat in his or her mind. It it is bit like an echo in an empty room but more vibrant. A lot of the time, this effect happens randomly throughout a trip but, in my own experience, it often has some hidden significance. To elaborate, I vividly remember the word "pathetic" echoing during one of my more difficult trips. It was said in reference to someone else but it stuck in my mind and forced me to meditate on it and its meaning to me. There was something nagging at me that night. There was something that I had done wrong and it had driven another person to act in a way that was pathetic (in truth, it was just some teenage drama but I had initiated break-up poorly and really hurt and confused the girl in the process). It was the echo that brought this realization to my the center or my consciousness. I resolved, in that moment, to rectify the situation (I chose to better explain things and apologize for acting coldly). I did just that the next evening and regained my peace of mind (more drama came from that relationship but that is a different story). There are enough similar incidents that I have either experienced or witnessed to lead me to believe that if one hears an echo during a trip, it is worth his or her time to listen to what it has to say.

The meaning carried by the buzzing call is more abstract than that of the unheard echos. They appear out of nothing, much like the peacock feather patterns that one may see covering the walls. These sounds seem to coincide with intense visual hallucinations or strong emotional responses (in my experience and from the reports that I have heard from others, anyway). A female friend and fellow psychonaut once called me in a panic and begged to be picked up from the house of a man, with whom she had taken mushrooms. I, being concerned, rushed over and gave her a ride to my home where she told me what had occurred. They had eaten their mushrooms and were tripping fairly hard. He suggested that they sit in a hot tub. She agreed but immediately began hearing high pitched sounds which she described as being like those produced by a theremin. At that point, she said, she felt an intense desire to leave and dialed my number. Now, I won't say that she was "warned" of his "impure" intentions by the screech of some psychedelic intelligence but I think the sound did have something to tell her. She was less comfortable around that individual than she had realized. When she was put into a vulnerable position with him, her fear, or insecurities, or what have you manifested in a way that got her attention. They literally shrieked at her from the void and she knew that she should seek a safer place (not that the guy she was with was dangerous or anything). I have had similar experiences but none express the value of the buzzing noises quite so concisely. The point is, if you find yourself under the influence of a psychedelic drug and your mind starts screaming at you in shrill tones, it might me a good idea to take heed.

Sometimes auditory hallucinations impart meaning through revelation in much the same way that the visions do. One of the sounds which I would hear during many of my trips was a low pitched rhythmic hum. It was a bit like the white noise of an air conditioner running in a quiet room. It was present during all of my most intense experiences. While I felt like I was being ripped apart and cast adrift in the void, there was the hum. When I lost myself in the flowing visuals patterns that were hiding behind my eyelids, the hum followed me. I, in those moments, began to believe it to be the "heartbeat of the universe." It, for a short time at least, let me view the people, the world, and everything in existence as part of an unfathomably large organism. Things that seemed too small and too insignificant to be worth consideration became incredibly important. This realization (whether it is accurate or not) directly and positively impacts the way I approach my life. It has made me more considerate of things that may have slipped past my attention. I am more thoughtful in my actions so as not to harm the "organism" of which I am a part. The revelations you or anyone else may have will, doubtlessly, be different. However, regardless of what wipers of wisdom one overhears, the words are worth hearing.

Some people believe that these sounds, along with visual hallucinations, are a form of communication with outside entities but I find these claims to be questionable. Terrence McKenna famously dealt with this idea in his work but countless other psychonauts, recreational users, and traditional shamans have made similar claims. Individuals who subscribe to this belief would likely assert that the "messages" in the psychedelic sounds originate from somewhere else. They might say that the gods made me feel guilt for wronging my former lover, or the aliens sent me a message about the true nature of existence through the low hum of the "heartbeat of the universe." One could say the Earth spirits warned my friend of some hazard and drove her away from it. I can't prove those people wrong, of course, but I tend to be very rationally minded and I usually operate under the assumption that these phenomena are born out of the mind of a user (however, there are times when I begin to rethink that position). I am certainly open to the possibilities here, though. If one could produce some compelling evidence to suggest that these supernatural sorts of claims are true, I would be more than passingly interested, to say the least.

The source of the psychedelic sound is of little relevance. It really doesn't matter if these revelations, discoveries, and flashes of insight originate with some far off sender or within our own minds. Their "truth" is true and their positive impact is real. My friend was just as safe whether the warning came from within or not. I righted my wrong all the same in the end. Hearing the "heartbeat of the universe" changed the way I approach the world around me, even if it was all just in my head. It is easy to get caught up caring about whether the knowledge we gain during our trips comes from us or not but the important thing is that we reflect on what we learn and not on how we learn it.

Peace.

All images in this post are sourced from the free image website, unsplash.com.