A Quick Trip
Lauren Newton
Spring 2022
People turn to drugs for a variety of reasons: to escape reality, to tap into an expanded reality, to experience something extraordinary. Psychedelic drugs have a specific ability to distort reality and even create new realities in the form of visual and auditory hallucinations. Pop culture depictions of psychedelic trips involve vivid colors, appearances from random figures or apparitions, and an overwhelming sense of discovery. Many psychedelic users report discovering a “deep secret of the universe” after their trips, revealing that drugs have the ability to tap into inner truths and help one reach a better understanding of the self[1]. Surrealists embark on a similar journey, hoping to find truths in deep layers of the unconscious and having an ability to see the world through a unique, marvelous lens. Surrealist painters distort physical realities and expectations, from Dali’s deformed human-like figure in “The Great Masturbater” to Magritte’s bird caged torso in “Therapist.” While Surrealists attempt to tap into the unconscious, psychedelic users experiment with an altered state of consciousness. Both endeavors result in bizarre perceptions of reality, and each trip is unique to the individual just as each dream is unique to the dreamer. Taking hallucinogenic drugs induces a trance-like state that produces similar conclusions to Surrealist practices and products – the sense of the uncanny, unnatural, and strange is present in both. However, many characteristics of psychedelic drugs differ greatly from the Surrealist experience.
Perhaps the most popular hallucinogen, LSD, was synthesized in 1938 and popularized in the 1950s and 60s, decades after the Surrealist movement’s peak. Toward the end of the 1960s, LSD became popular for recreational and spiritual use and began what was known as the “psychedelic movement.” This hallucinogenic drug is absorbed in the digestive tract and the effects reach their peak after about two hours, and the half-life of the drug is 175 minutes. LSD significantly alters the state of consciousness, leading to an enhanced capacity for introspection, feelings of euphoria, and a psychological functioning similar to that of dreams.[2] LSD users experience sensory alterations, including pseudo-hallucination, intensification of color perception, and metamorphosis-like changes in objects and faces. Additionally, users experience more imaginative thought and broader and unusual associations. However, not all LSD trips are enjoyable, and the term “bad trip” has been coined to describe undesirable effects. The most common unpleasant reaction is massive spurts of anxiety and panic and even a fear of death – this paranoid ideation may ensue for a few days following the trip.
The “magic mushroom” is a popularized hallucinogen that contains two psychedelic compounds: psilocybin and psilocin. The effects of psilocybin are similar to that of LSD: an altered state of consciousness with a greater ability for introspection. Illusions and alteration of thought are common, and the effects last about three to six hours.[3] Surrealist artist Salvadore Dali had a special interest in the magic mushroom, as it was the crux of his film “Impressions of Upper Magnolia.” In the film, fearful music and imagery are juxtaposed with calm scenes as the characters embark on a journey to Upper Magnolia to find the pure white mushroom that has hallucinogenic effects like that of LSD. Dali’s interest in the oriental culture shines through in the film, and godlike chants and rhythms are played throughout the hour-long piece. The film posits that the hallucinogenic mushroom “truly, inescapably determine[s] al the styles of the Dali figures,” suggesting that hallucinogenic drugs may give clarity to the disorder of much of Dali’s work.
Another drug, mescaline, is found in a Peyote cactus and is one of the oldest known hallucinogens. Popularized in religious rituals, North American natives used the drug as far as 5700 years ago. Mescaline produces feelings of euphoria by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain. Compared to LSD and psilocybin, mescaline is the least potent however has the longest duration of effects, lasting over ten hours. However, Aldous Huxley describes that mescaline changes the quality of consciousness more profoundly than any other substance while remaining less toxic.[4] Upon consumption of mescaline, users observe hallucinations, hypersensitivity to touch and sounds, and intensification of light and color. Additionally, there’s an altered sense of time and self-awareness. Objects can appear distorted and flattened with the “geometrization” of three-dimensional objects, appearing almost like a Cubist painting. It is also common that the user feels like he is communicating with God and thus is used by Native Americans for divine and sacred ceremonies[5].
The first use of Peyote dates back to the 1600s and was introduced to Mexican tribes for ceremonial purposes. They believed that the drug-induced visions were spiritual messages and that they could expand their consciousness under its influence, healing physical, mental, and spiritual imbalances. Users claim to have revelations that lead to new morals and ethical ways of living in addition to spiritual awakenings.[6] A prominent member of the Surrealist group, Antonin Artaud, struggled with drug addiction and depression his whole life and took a particular interest in Peyote. He traveled to Mexico, given a grant from the Mexican government, initially drawn to the post-revolutionary modern art that populated the country. Additionally, he felt that the Mexican society was closer to the earth and the “real creation.”[7] He partook in the tradition of the “peyote rite” with Mexican natives, a ritual that is used to increase the body’s bond with creative forces and vital nature. He believed the ritual allowed him to speak the repressed language of the unconscious and insists that universal, esoteric forces were at play during the experience. Artaud said “I felt, therefore, that I should go back to the source and expand my pre-consciousness to the point where I would see myself evolve and desire. And Peyote led me to this point.”[8] Furthermore, he claimed that experiencing Peyote created a new consciousness and an alternative view of life.
Although Artaud described his Peyote trip as “the happiest three days of [his] existence, he was struggling heavily when he embarked his journey to Mexico[9]. He was overcoming a horrid heroine addiction and experiencing painful symptoms of withdrawal. Though he paused heroine consumption while in Mexico, Artaud continued his use after returning home and said he felt heroine was an important extension of his body. He claimed it was a legitimate way to lessen his internal pain and disgust with the French society. [10] Artaud struggled heavily with mental illness, being diagnosed with nervous and depressive personality as a child. He believed that drugs calmed his consciousness, but nontheless spent a large portion of his life in sanatoriams, receiving electroshock therapy among other treatments. [11]
Not all the members of the Surrealist group agreed with Artaud’s opinion of drugs – in fact, the group’s leader, Andre Breton, looked down on Artaud for his use of drugs. Breton felt that hallucinogens were completely unnecessary, stating that the “basic metaphor of Surrealism evokes intoxication,” positing that one could feel the same results from Surrealist practices as drugs. Breton argued for a state of “natural intoxication,” which could be found through dreams and automatic writing.[12] Additionally, Breton argued that accounts of drug trips put their emphasis on visions rather than process of attainment, which was the most important factor in his opinion. Anna Balakian states that rather than an interest in the poppy seed, Breton had an interest in the poppy field, the fertility of that field, and its inner space occupied by the immortal soul.
Though Breton argues that a natural intoxication can occur through dreams, accounts of psychedelic trips reveal the experience is similar to that of dreaming. Psychedelic drugs combine the normal waking imagination with daydreaming and there’s a freedom of altered conscious similar to that of dreaming.[13] Surrealists have a particular interest in the dreams, believing that they reveal hidden meanings and messages about the person and deserve to be analyzed. Unlike in dreams, when one undergoes a psychedelic trip, he is able to remember details with far more clarity. Should Surrealists be interested in understanding the meaning of dreams, they may be interested in hallucinogenic’s unique ability to concern the mind solely with “being and meaning.”[14] They should be equally interested in analyzing occurrences in a drug-altered state as in a dream state - the images come from within and are perhaps more complete than those in dreams.
One large effect of hallucinogenic drugs is the confusion and distortion of time. One user reported that he “seemed ot have lived for 70 to 100 years in one night,” unable to follow time regularly[15]. Many users feel fearful that the trip would last forever, one user detailing “I realized I could not tell how long this had been going on. Had I been like this for months? Would it ever end?” [16] Perhaps Dali’s most famous painting, “The Persistence of Memory,” emphasizes this theme of fluidity of time. In the piece, there are several clocks that melt across objects, similar to that of Camembert cheese. Time, what is a stable and unequivocal notion, becomes everchanging and unreliable. Similarly, Aldous Huxley notes that his watch was in a “different universe” and that under mescaline, he had a complete indifference to time.
Dr. Sigmond Freud posits that human beings and their personalities are made up of three parts, which play a role in creative life: the id, the supergo, and the ego. The id is the subconscious instinct and represents our most personal desires. Freud wrote “the core of our being then, is formed by the obscure id.”[17] Freud explains that the id appears through our emotions and we navigate through it in pleasure and repulsion. The superego is our conscience and judgement of what is morally right. It is created by cultural norms and can be attributed to inherited values from parents and adults. The ego is the negotiator internally that tells us what to do. [18] It is the agency most “intimately connected with consciousness.”[19] It lies just below the consciousness in a state Freud calls “preconscious,” and controls the relationship between the inner and outer reality, balancing the id and superego. [20]
Just as Freud believed there were hidden layers of the “self” that one could unlock and communicate with, many argue that drugs allow one to connect with a deeper subconscious. Users of psychedelics proclaim that after the drugs “melt apparent surfaces away,” they reveal the “infinite which was hid.”[21] Additionally, they argue that a “wild being” reveals itself under the influence of psychedelics, a layer that is normally hidden in the state of consciousness. This “wild being” may be similar to the id – drugs may reveal our more basic human impulses without deliberation, or our inner id being locked inside of sobriety.
However, not all Surrealist paintings share visual commonality with the visions psychedelic users report to experience. Take Rene Magritte’s “Les Amantes” (Figure 1). Two figures, a man and a woman, are shrouded in a sheet and appearing to kiss through the fabric. They are enclosed in dark blue and red walls, the man in black and the woman in red. This piece is by no means characterized by its vibrance, but instead its mysterious quality and unambiguous statement, Surrealist qualities. However, a large feature of psychedelic trips is the immense vibrance of colors. Users report having a heightened aesthetic appreciation and vivid coloration.[22] Additionally, synesthesia, which is when one is able to hear colors or can experience one sense through another, is reported by some psychedelic users, proving that vision and color is a key part of hallucinogenic trips.[23]
Just as Surrealist paintings and psychedelic drugs don’t elicit similar images, they also don’t elicit similar emotions. LSD users report that the drug induces bliss and increased feelings of trust, openness, and closeness with others.[24] However, many Surrealist paintings evoke feelings of darkness, paranoia, and confusion. In Magritte’s “Double Secret,” for example, a man’s face is cut in half, revealing dak bulbs and branch-like textures within him (Figure 2). The background is murky, and it appears to be a treacherous day on the ocean. This painting evokes a bit of fear and darkness, where LSD trips are characterized by bliss.
Though psychedelic trips are characterized by bizarre and unnatural occurrences, similar to Surrealist paintings, there are some differences between a drug induced state and Surrealist trance-like state. Both trances have an emphasis on discovery and untapping into an unknown, often that unknown being a deeper state of consciousness. Hallucinogenic drugs do induce a dreamlike state, however the abundance of bright colors and feelings of euphoria don’t necessarily relate to Surrealist principles. Beyond drugs’ abilities to present the unknown, they also have a healing effect, which is why many, including Antonin Artaud, turned to drugs to mask inner pain. Regardless of the purpose of use, psychedelic users are open to experience something unique, uncanny, and bizarre, just like what members of the Surrealist groups have been searching for.
