Psychedelics and Language

[elr]

So, out of curiosity, has anyone noticed changes in either language ability or new vocabulary after psychedelic use? In a lot of material, language is again and again mentioned. Mostly from the evolutionary development of humans.

i don't know. i think that you could attribute change to a psychedelic experience but people change constantly with or without drugs.

Or perhaps the experience was such as where no language could describe?

i've experienced things that i've been unable to put into words at the time.

Has anyone experienced anything like what Graham Hancock said regarding his fiction novel Entangled? He said his ayahuasca experience ''told'' him to write the story.

yes. i used to be more superstitious and had a more old world type worldview where i might have described having "conversations" with plants. now i think it's just being creative or being inspired. i think that what you think on drugs is the same as just plain ol thinking. i've been inspired by cactus, alcohol, and other drugs to write, draw, make music, paint, etc.

a few years ago i was swept away by poetry and story telling. i had some profound thoughts and ideas to express and i felt like life was really happening. i felt like i was a part of history. morning glories, cactus, having my own place and being free; i felt like i was part of a long american hippy beatnik tradition of creating a set of new ideas and values. it was beautiful. my writing was different than what i think most people would come up with but some of it (my radical new ideas) was pretty stupid. i had fun and i didn't hurt anybody but i drank too much. i got too wrapped up in my artwork and eventually had to back away from it and get real. looking back it almost feels like it was someone else living that life; and i think that's kind of what i was going for by living out a hippy beatnik philosopher fantasy. i wrote every day. i developed a lot of forms and techniques with my poetry and my style evolved. but, and this relates to your original comments, if i had partied and not actually put in the time to sit down and spend time writing i wouldn't have gotten any better i think. if i had tripped and thought but not practiced my writing skills i don't think there would have been much of a change. and if i had written every day completely sober i think my style would have still evolved and progressed.

 

[PandaGun]

When I take a psych I talk with self appreciating articulation as if I am a genius but then always end up holding it back out of modesty and embarrassment. However in retrospect I should have just talked how I want because when I'm sober I wouldn't give a shite what my mates think when we do a substance like that but at the time I do. Always seems to be a game of navigating endless emotions...

For most of the times I have tripped with my mates I can't escape how they all revert to the same method of talking, my self included (but I try and avoid it!), the same words, flow of sentences and it is bluddy irritating. They all sound queer in the actual use of the word queeeeer as well as almost sounding camp. This is noted SOBER or spannerd. Which is why I hold back my tongue instead of talking cos I don't wanna sound like them. So ime psychs do seem to temporarily increase my articulation and language skills but I wouldn't wanna sound like that guy so don't even attempt to carry it on to reality! And if my mates were to all start talking like the way they do I would learn another language.
Anyone else noticed/get this? It actually can seriously screw up my trips.

 

[Serotonin101]

^sometimes when my friends and I tripped together we would get stuck in "loops" where we would have the same conversations over and over. and endless deja vu moments... used to drive me nuts.

 

[PandaGun]

Oh yeah that is horrible when you can forsee that 70% of the trip is going to be this same fucking time frame OVER and OVER again for 8 WHOLE HOURS. Throw in some tiredness from deciding to do it at 11pm after work and you have got crying and possible murder on your hands < True story. Thank the lord for downers.
But yeah it really bugs me the whole speaking thing. And it isn't just cos that was a different trip to last time it's always the same!? I always seems to become way too caring and attentive to how everyone could perceive what I say. Emotions in people's voices change abruptly. For example someone may say to me 'Where are you going?' Can suddenly become, after they have said it, 'WHERE ARE YOU GOING' as if what I am doing is seriously pissing said person off and often the visuals on people's faces change to reflect it. So I try and use words that are soft and can only be interpreted as a passive thing to say. I think again tiredness creates worry and these are higher doses of whatever psych. But seriously destroys any sociability in a trip and at times you want to be able to express yourself.

 

[FnX]

Language is an ecstatic activity of signification. Intoxicated by the mushrooms, the fluency, the ease, the aptness of expression one becomes capable of are such that one is astounded by the words that issue forth from the contact of the intention if articulation with the matter of experience. The spontaneity the mushrooms liberate is not only perceptual, but linguistic. For the shaman, it is as if existence were uttering itself through him.

I familiarize with this very much. Sometimes it's as if the words come out before you can even think them! In fact, sometimes when you try to actually stop to think, this sudden verbal flow comes to a halt as if it was consuming all of your mental capacity. The fluency is truly unbelievable. Often what comes out is extremely witty and perceptual as well as plain intelligent (atleast that's how I feel). Your mind is pouring it's greatest ideas and thoughts ever at such a pace you couldn't believe it was even capable of. Unfortunately, such an information flood is quite overwhelming for most listeners exposed to it, not only is it usually something extremely complex but it's also packed very densely. To absorb and digest all that information in such a short timeframe the listener would probably have to be in a similiar state as well.

It depends on set & setting, too.