Silver_Meteor wrote:
Stellian wrote:
A few years ago, my friend started investigating about ways to experiment with his mind. He started with lucid dreaming (which he keeps doing today), programming his brain to challenge the concept of reality, and other subjects. He later intended to try a couple of the least addictive drugs for the hallucinogenic effect, so I showed him I-Doser -a software that supposedly reproduces the effects of some drugs through auditory stimulation- to prevent him from damaging himself. I-Doser was working for me at the time, but didn't work for him. He then tried marijuana and wasn't too satisfied with it, so he gave up the idea of the drugs and concentrated on his dreaming.
I never gave all of this a negative connotation, because I know he's smart enough to deal with the consequences, experiment only in the name of knowledge, stop when it's still safe, and stay linked to reality. I wouldn't recommend all his experimentation to anyone else. Furthermore, I shared some of his experiences (lucid dreaming, I-Doser). I wouldn't support him if I wasn't sure he has enough willpower to stay in control.
Recently, he said he had been showing symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. He's in his 20s, the most likely age to develop schizophrenia. He was still pretty much himself, not the stereotype of schizophrenia you see on films. He was just the same very smart person, but with added hallucinations.
We think he developed schizophrenia as a result of some hallucinogenic fungus he took (probably pscilocybe or similar). He describes his current hallucinations as very similar to the day he took the fungus (distortions of reality, alleged astral projection, etc). He hears unreal voices constantly, and they get irritating after a while, even though he knows they're not real. He has also had paranoia attacks which he describes as overwhelming and desperating.
He plans to stay without treatment and without telling anyone but myself, until his hallucinations become dangerous (like when he jumped from a bridge on the day he tried the fungus). Most of the time, he knows they're not real, but there are few times when he is convinced that they are real.
So far, nothing of what he has done with his mind has affected his daily living or made him anything near "crazy". He has a job and he's a student and likes to talk about scientific subjects. But this time I'm worried. Should I keep supporting him? I believe him when he tells me he can cope with his schizophrenia and he will seek treatment if it gets worse, but there's still a risk. What do you think?
He needs to see a medical professional and get a complete workup. Schizophrenia can have a physical origin in the chemistry of the brain. One cannot "will" themselves cured nor is Schizophrenia caused by "lucid dreaming". And if he keeps letting it go, these symptoms may gradually get worse.
Thanks for your opinion. I agree that he's probably going to get worse and I'm not sure if he will be able to realize it once he gets there.
However, I didn't say it was caused by lucid dreaming, if that's what you're implying. I said it was probably caused by a hallucinogenic fungus (which is possible; like several drugs, it may cause a permanent alteration in brain chemistry resulting in persisting hallucinations). I should have mentioned that we both are very interested in neuroscience, so we have done quite a bit of research on schizophrenia.
I didn't say it could be cured by simple will either. What he said is that he could learn to live with it, like John Nash. Of course, I don't think that's the better solution knowing that there are many treatments to eliminate the symptoms.
25 Jul 2007, 5:27 pm
