Observations placeholder
Jane Dunlap - The danger of delusions of genius
Identifier
015527
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
One of the features of LSD is it appears to improve a person’s perceptual ability as well as make them more creative. There may also be a greater appreciation of music, art and the countryside. There may be a feeling that you want to read more poetry or write poetry.
There is one downside to all of this. Only a few are gifted enough to be 'real' composers or great artists or great writers and there is the danger that the creativity unleashed by LSD, instead of being used for pleasure and to enrich the person's world, becomes a source of utter disappointment as all these new 'masterpieces' the person comes up with are ignored. Instead of simply enjoying their new ability to be creative, a little of the old money oriented self creeps back thinking 'maybe I can make a bob or two with this lot'. And they won't be able to and their new sensitive self will be sorely hurt by the constant rejection.
The following shows the problem - the music is not within, as she puts it, it is without.
A description of the experience
Exploring Inner Space – Jane Dunlap
As I sipped the broth, my thoughts turned to the almost unbelievable fact that beautiful original music was somehow stored deep inside me. With overwhelming astonishment, it occurred to me that if I ever learned enough technique, I could be a composer. I felt convinced that anyone who could compose mediocre music would, if given LSD, become truly great; and that deep inside every person must be a fount of music which men like Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert had been able to reach.