Is anyone interested in a discussion about Entheogens and the Psychedelic experience in general?

I'd like to start with this very thought provoking lecture where "Psychology Professor Dr. Jordan B. Peterson talks about the mystical experience people tend to have after taking substances like Ayahuasca. These experiences can result in permanent personality transformations. But why?"

I understand it can be a a touchy subject, but I would like to discuss the use and misuse of the psychedelic experience, and substances such as Psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, Ayahuasca, Mescaline, etc. I ask us all to keep an open mind, but to try to keep "Woo" to a minimum.

To me being able to gain access to certain arenas of thought through these tools has been almost crucial to my development as a human being. I experienced my first psychedelic at age 16 through roughly 5 grams of psilocybin cubensis(this was far too much). I had been experiencing worsening depression for most of my adolescence and this came along right in the middle of it, being in a bad mind set and physical setting in general, these factors can cause for a general bad time. I believe that this difficult experience let me look at my life objectively and was a really big catalyst in bringing out a curiosity of the natural world in me.

My next experience was with 1 tab of LSD dosed at approximatly 150 micrograms I would estimate from further experience. This was an absolutely beautiful experience spent with 2 of my good friends, where we were able to keep flowing conversations of things we may find to hard to describe or personal at any other time. The ability to think laterally is very pronounced from LSD in my experience, and can lead to very interesting conversations.

Mankind has been using natural Entheogens for thousands if not tens of thousands of years weather it be for personal spiritual use, as a tool to aid in hunting, or just for recreation, and I feel it is a harsh infringement on human rights to make illegal these avenues of consciousness exploration. But one should be very cautious if they do decide to explore, always have someone you can trust with you, things such as music or movies you are familiar with if things go south, and to not be afraid to let the experience take you, because fighting it can make it worse.

I would love to hear other's experience or feeling towards psychedelics, and maybe get a dialogue going :)

And some Alex Grey artwork: