No, I don't mean that a k-hole is simply taking more than a threshold dose...
I guess what I'm saying is that there is enough of a distinction between regular or high-dose ketamine (and other dissociative) experiences, and these "breakthroughs," to warrant having a specific word for it. In my mind a k-hole is a very specific, though extremely ineffable and idiosyncratic experience. Similar to a DMT breakthrough, it doesn't feel as simple as just "being on a lot of this drug," though it may indeed be as simple as reaching a certain level of "saturation" in my brain. To put it another way, you could say these experiences are somewhat like how Shulgin describes his "+4:"
"Plus Four: A rare and precious transcendental state, which has been called a 'peak experience', a 'religious experience,' 'divine transformation,' a 'state of Samādhi' and many other names in other cultures. It is not connected to the +1, +2, and +3 of the measuring of a drug's intensity. It is a state of bliss, a participation mystique, a connectedness with both the interior and exterior universes, which has come about after the ingestion of a psychedelic drug, but which is not necessarily repeatable with a subsequent ingestion of that same drug."
In order to breakthrough or reach this "higher state" I generally need to have not done any of the drug that day, and then take as much as I can, as quickly as I can. For ketamine this generally means injection of at least 100mg, and for DMT it means vaporizing at least 50mg all in one to three hits. In these experiences I enter a whole other modality, a whole new way of perceiving, very similar to dreaming. Most of the time, like in most dreams, I'm not aware that I'm on a drug or really have any idea what's going on until I come down. Because of the unique, transcendental nature of these experiences, as well as the somewhat arbitrary way they occur, independent of dose/compound, I think it makes perfect sense that people would give them their own distinguishing term.
In my opinion, some drugs are "more desirable for," or "better at" achieving these transcendental states, namely DMT and Ketamine. Most likely it's possible to achieve these "holes" or "breakthroughs" on nearly any psychedelic or dissociative, but in my experience (and many others'), nothing does it better than those two compounds. Something about the sheer magnitude and cutting-to-the-core of the highs, combined with the relatively short duration makes them perfect tools for diving into the mysterium tremendum. It's for those reasons that I think the word "k-hole" has become so popular, and that "breakthroughs" are usually associated with vaporized DMT. Whether or not these are "good" terms to have, I think they are useful. You could substitute the word for "near-anesthetic" or any number of terms, but I think hole works just fine for the full-out dissociative experience.
I guess what I'm saying is that there is enough of a distinction between regular or high-dose ketamine (and other dissociative) experiences, and these "breakthroughs," to warrant having a specific word for it. In my mind a k-hole is a very specific, though extremely ineffable and idiosyncratic experience. Similar to a DMT breakthrough, it doesn't feel as simple as just "being on a lot of this drug," though it may indeed be as simple as reaching a certain level of "saturation" in my brain. To put it another way, you could say these experiences are somewhat like how Shulgin describes his "+4:"
"Plus Four: A rare and precious transcendental state, which has been called a 'peak experience', a 'religious experience,' 'divine transformation,' a 'state of Samādhi' and many other names in other cultures. It is not connected to the +1, +2, and +3 of the measuring of a drug's intensity. It is a state of bliss, a participation mystique, a connectedness with both the interior and exterior universes, which has come about after the ingestion of a psychedelic drug, but which is not necessarily repeatable with a subsequent ingestion of that same drug."
In order to breakthrough or reach this "higher state" I generally need to have not done any of the drug that day, and then take as much as I can, as quickly as I can. For ketamine this generally means injection of at least 100mg, and for DMT it means vaporizing at least 50mg all in one to three hits. In these experiences I enter a whole other modality, a whole new way of perceiving, very similar to dreaming. Most of the time, like in most dreams, I'm not aware that I'm on a drug or really have any idea what's going on until I come down. Because of the unique, transcendental nature of these experiences, as well as the somewhat arbitrary way they occur, independent of dose/compound, I think it makes perfect sense that people would give them their own distinguishing term.
In my opinion, some drugs are "more desirable for," or "better at" achieving these transcendental states, namely DMT and Ketamine. Most likely it's possible to achieve these "holes" or "breakthroughs" on nearly any psychedelic or dissociative, but in my experience (and many others'), nothing does it better than those two compounds. Something about the sheer magnitude and cutting-to-the-core of the highs, combined with the relatively short duration makes them perfect tools for diving into the mysterium tremendum. It's for those reasons that I think the word "k-hole" has become so popular, and that "breakthroughs" are usually associated with vaporized DMT. Whether or not these are "good" terms to have, I think they are useful. You could substitute the word for "near-anesthetic" or any number of terms, but I think hole works just fine for the full-out dissociative experience.
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