When trying to stave off depression, it’s important to experiment with different possible methods of amelioration. There is no single panacea for poor mental health. One solution may work for one individual but not for another. Some people also require a specific combinatory approach that works best for them. In managing my own depressive episodes…
View Post
The sensory deprivation tank (also known as an isolation tank or a floatation tank) was invented in 1954 by John C. Lilly. Lilly (1915-2001), as well as being interested in the effects of sensory deprivation on consciousness, was also interested in dolphin communication and psychedelic drugs. When studying neurophysiology at the National Institute of Mental…
View Post
Ketamine is a dissociative drug, meaning that it produces feelings of dissociation – dissociation from one’s environment and even dissociation from one’s own body. The drug is used in human and veterinary medicine, both as an anaesthetic (to knock the patient out) and as an analgesic (to numb any feelings of pain). Ketamine is also…
View Post
Hypnagogia is the experience you have when you are falling asleep (but not quite asleep). When you’re waking up (but not quite awake) this is known as hypnapompia. Other terms for hypnagogia include: ‘visions of half-sleep’, ‘the borderland of sleep’, ‘half-dream state’ and ‘dreamlets’. The hypnagogic state can be characterised by many sensory experiences. These experiences can range…
View Post
The Voynich Manuscript dates to the early 15th century and it is believed to have come from northern Italy. It is not named after the author (since the author is unknown) but is named after the book dealer, Wilfrid Voynich, who bought it in 1912. The language of the book remains unknown and no one has…
View Post