DOSE:	repeated	smoked	Salvia divinorum	(extract - 10x)
		oral	Alcohol - Beer/Wine	(liquid)
		insufflated	Cocaine	(powder / crystals)

BODY WEIGHT:

165 lb

After having tried Salvia Divinorum twice with pleasantly mild results, I was looking forward to the opportunity to try it again, perhaps hoping in the back of my mind to delve deeper into the bizarre, twisting world of which I had managed a fleeting glimpse. What was in store for me, had I had the slightest premonition of it, would probably have made me think twice – or at the very least think very carefully about my setting.

My first experience with salvia was several months ago, smoking 5x salvia extract purchased on a whim from a web site advertising entheogens. I’m a fairly experienced psychonaut, priding myself on many successful mushroom adventures in particular. So I wasn’t particularly anxious about trying a plant I had heard was “similar” to marijuana, but lasted only 15 minutes. Needless to say I was surprised at how misleading the comparison was, when after two bong hits I felt the room twisting around me as gravity pressed me against the couch. This was accompanied by a mild euphoria, perhaps more amusement at the sensation than anything else, and I was quite happy with the rather mild experience.

The second time salvia came around it was in the form of dried leaves. I knew the experience would be less intense, and I was right. It took about four deep bong rips to feel a heavy stoned fuzziness, and that was about it. The experience made me realize that the extract was much more efficient. So I went out and bought 10x Salvia Divinorum extract.

Last weekend the salvia arrived, about 5g in a little plastic bag – it looked more like greenish tobacco than anything else. While several friends and I had planned on saving all of it for a certain festival in the Black Rock Desert, the temptation became overwhelming and we gave in to the plant. It had been just an average Saturday night on the Stanford campus in the summer: fairly deserted, a few parties here and there to crash. We had been drinking pretty slowly over the course of several hours at a dinner party, and then decided we’d better raise the stakes if we were to make it an interesting night. So we started drinking more heavily and each did about half a line of cocaine, then walked down to Frost Amphitheater, Jerry Garcia’s old stomping ground.

The decision to take salvia came suddenly. Or perhaps we had planned it all along. Either way, I found myself sitting on the edge of the stage looking at the stars, moderately intoxicated and ready to take my first hit of 10x.

Having tried the plant twice before, there wasn’t much anxiety for me surrounding what I was about to do. I took the hit (about 2/3 bowl) and held it in as long as I could, maybe 40 seconds. Before I had exhaled, I could feel the effects coming on – a slight tingling, distortion of sound, and a sort of indescribable sensation that something is happening (or about to happen). Suddenly I was seized by the inescapable urge to twist and tumble, to roll across the stage. I began rolling and as I did (perhaps the cocaine had something to do with this) I became more energetic, and tumbled faster, whooping and shouting at the top of my lungs as I was enveloped in a sort of strange twisting space. I was having the time of my life and wanted to get up run as fast as I could, but for some reason all I could do was tumble. After about two or three minutes of somersaulting around the stage, I was able to get to my feet and jump down onto the grass of the amphitheater.

I kicked off my sandals and ran as far as I could until gravity became too overwhelming and I suddenly found myself pinned to the ground, laughing hysterically as a sort of blue glow whooshed past me.

One of the two friends I was with decided to try a hit, but he didn’t get enough and felt only a “strong, fuzzy stoned sensation”.

We decided to climb on top of a building for a view of campus, and by the time we got there, the effects were all but gone (~15 minutes). We had a beer on the roof, talked for about ten minutes, and then climbed back down. The third friend went home, and the two of us who had tried salvia got the urge to do it again.

I would estimate that an hour had passed between the time I took my first hit and the time we started walking to a “good spot” to do some more. I felt only mildly stoned and mildly drunk – the other substance having left my system some time ago, apparently. We sat on a picnic table next to the courtyard of Jeff’s dormitory and loaded a bowl into his bubbler. He vowed to get a bigger hit this time. Jeff took a large hit and, holding it in, passed the pipe to me, which I quickly loaded. (We wanted to trip at the same time) I took my hit, larger than before.

The next thing I knew, I was laying on the grass in the middle of the courtyard, pressed firmly to the ground. I half expected to find Jeff holding me down, but when I managed to roll over I saw him writhing on the ground as well. Beyond the physical sensation of being overwhelmed by gravity, there was again this twisting feeling, like somehow the whole world was getting twisted up into a single line and taking us with it. The visuals were much more intense than any I had experienced before with this drug, and quite different from anything else I’ve tried. The grass took on a rubbery texture, and seemed to shine with a kind of glossy finish (it felt this way to the touch as well). I remember the lights around the courtyard taking on various colors, almost like they weren’t sure which one to choose. At this point I would say that I was very confused but still quite conscious of what was happening – that I was on salvia.

I didn’t gain any significant spiritual understanding (other than the absurdity of the situation) from this brief fifteen-minute experience, but that was more of a function of my mindset going into it than a lack of potential insight.

After about five minutes we were able to sit up again and discuss what was happening, and to wonder how we had gotten from the table to the lawn (abrasions indicated we had rolled through a nearby hedge). We waited until the effects had subsided completely, about fifteen minutes total, to try it again. This time we each loaded a large bowl and took the whole thing in one breath, holding it indefinitely.

What happened next I will never forget for the rest of my life. I don’t remember exhaling, but I remember the whole place taking on a strange appearance, the physical objects sort of blending together. Then I began to realize that it wasn’t the same place at all, that it had nothing in common with the place I was before. Suddenly I found myself once again on the lawn, and though I knew I was on the lawn, I began to forget where I was and what I was doing. The last I saw, Jeff was folding into the ground next to me, sort of groaning and chuckling at the same time. The grass still had a rubbery texture, and felt uncomfortable beneath my feet. I was no longer pressed to the ground, but was instead compelled to walk across the rubbery lawn toward the darkness. Tiptoeing down the hill, I was suddenly aware that none of the things that had been nearby were there anymore.

The buildings, the hedges, the trees, picnic tables – all were gone, replaced by an depth of blackness I had never seen. I began to panic, overcome by the desire to get out of this place. Where was I? What had happened to everyone else? Where was I going?

The fear started to well up in me as this bizarre unseen force kept compelling me to walk further toward the blackness. I began to walk faster as the squishy plastic lawn narrowed into a thin corridor made of what appeared to be old gray trees.

The faster I walked, the narrower the corridor became and the blacker the darkness at its end, and suddenly I realized there was no way out of this place. The walls of the tunnel began to streak by in vivid colors, and I turned around to see the same horrifying blackness from where I had come. Still I was pulled toward the endless darkness, and I was all at once aware of some sort of presence telling me that I had brought myself here and here I must remain. (It wasn’t any sort of human language – more of a telepathic understanding – but the presence of another being was almost tangible.) At the same time I became aware of my family somewhere far away, knowing they had lost me, and I began to cry out in terror. I was convinced my parents were standing over my body.

“Helllp!!! HELP ME! Get me out of here!!! HELLLLLLP!”

I later learned that all this time I was wandering across the lawn in confusion, yelling at the top of my lungs for help.

As I screamed over and over for somebody to help me get out of that horrible place so I could be with those who loved me, the walls slowly began to dissolve. I was convinced that my body was still somewhere safe and if I kept shouting, somebody would realize I wasn’t dead and would get me home. Suddenly I was jerked to the ground and felt my face pressed against the grass. Jeff had tackled me, and he was holding me securely, telling me to stop yelling. As I slowly began to realize what had happened, that I was in fact on something (I couldn’t completely remember what), I relaxed and told him it was ok to let me go. We sat up, both breathing heavily and hearts racing.

“What the fuck was that place?!?” I said in an exasperated whisper.

“I don’t know, but we better get the fuck out of here quick,” Jeff quickly replied with great urgency and confusion.

We were very lucky!. Even though I have experienced some dissociation mind and body before, this was something else entirely! This plant is extremely powerful. Our recklessness proved to be dangerous. If Jeff and I had been almost anywhere else, we might have been seriously injured if not killed.

The physical aftereffects lasted about thirty minutes, and I was able to sleep almost right away. The mental effects persisted much longer and I was still grappling with the experience from a psychological standpoint up to 72 hours later. (This of course could have been much longer.)

I, for one, look forward to exploring the mysteries of this bizarre, colorful, twisting, shimmering world. Next time I will be sure to do it with respect for myself and for this strange, fascinating leaf that is my guide through the corridor.

Exp Year: 2003	ExpID: 26069
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: May 5, 2006	Views: 5,725
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Salvia divinorum (44) : Difficult Experiences (5), Retrospective / Summary (11), Small Group (2-9) (17)