Know that sensation around the ears / TMJ when on LSD?

[JacksonJackson]

Hi all,

I'm wondering if there's a name for a sensation that I (and others with me) have experienced when taking LSD.

I think someone (while tripping) described it as having an orange (the fruit) growing out from behind their ears. It certainly does have a...spherical...feeling to it. It perhaps has some crossover to eating something strongly sour and feeling a sort of 'squeeze' around the jaw hinge in front of the ear.

It's quite noticeable. Neither unpleasant or pleasant, just interesting. Perhaps mostly (or solely) apparent around the start of the trip. It's possible I've experienced it with other drugs, but can't be certain. I don't think it was associated with anything physical like teeth grinding or jaw clenching.

It's been many years since I've tripped. I bring the question up now because 1) I was always a bit curious about it, and 2) I sometimes notice a very similar sensation, only weaker and briefer, when I'm sober and when my brain fog has set in. I've spent years chasing a diagnosis for whatever is causing the brain fog (and a host of seemingly connected other symptoms), and am looking into whether this sensation could be a clue to what is going on in my brain. Or at least something that will help me describe my mental sensations to a doctor.

Thanks!

 

[nooodle]

Could you explain the sensation with more detail? I've tripped a lot on acid and i don't think i've experienced it ever... Maybe it's just me but you're the first person i've heard this from.

 

[JacksonJackson]

Yeah it does seem unusual. I haven't come across any other references to it. I would think it was just in my own head, except a friend I'd trip with would experience it too. And then when I introduced some new friends to LSD more than 5 years later, at least one of them was describing the same sensation (and I hadn't mentioned it to them beforehand).

Unfortunately I can't think of much else to describe it. Although it was in the vicinity of the ear, it didn't have any auditory effect. It was equally present on both sides of the head. I think the physical sensation, slightly electric but probably closest to having eaten something super sour, was probably in the jaw muscle running down from the temporomandibular joint. But it seemed, in its trippy way, like there was a dome, perhaps 10cm across, centred on the skull just behind the bottom of the ear. Even at the time we knew there was nothing physically there, but rather it was a cool and unusual sensation that we could feel and sort of visualise in our mind's eye.

It definitely wasn't the defining part of the experiences, but also I think it was distinctive and unusual enough that you'd likely remember it if it had happened. Especially over multiple trips. It was, if I remember correctly, one of the first signs you'd recognise that the acid had kicked in.

 

[TripSitterNZ]

your probably just feeling the flow of blood in the head. LSD makes you aware of everything happening inside your body.

 

[Hilopsilo]

I'm pretty sure I know what you're talking about, I get it from 2c-b as well, the closest thing I can think of is trying to wiggle your ears idk what muscle that is but it pulls backwards on everything, the muscle that I can only describe as "behind" your eyebrow raise muscle. I think its something that tenses up while tripping you forget to relax it, cause it can feel almost sore afterwards, I get it especially much if the whole trip was full of grinning and giggling. Eating something sour is similar minus the under/between the jaw glands (?) getting all riled up