“Taking LSD was a profound experience, one of the most important things in my life. LSD shows you that there’s another side to the coin, and you can’t remember it when it wears off, but you know it. It reinforced my sense of what was important — creating great things instead of making money, putting things back into the stream of history and of human consciousness as much as I could.”
― Steve Jobs

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A vivid history

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Many of us have heard the story of how lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) had first been synthesized — Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann and his infamous bicycle day which we now celebrate on the 19th of every April — but few of us have come to appreciate LSD’s significant influence on countless areas of our socio-political culture. 

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Our collective curiosity into examining the effects of this peculiar substance have been exemplified in both enlightening and nefarious ways — from the enthusiastic studies of Timothy Leary and the hippie counterculture of the 1960s to the CIA’s experimentation with LSD (and Project MK-Ultra) the decade prior.

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Acid, as it’s become colloquially regarded, has a long and complex history, infusing North American culture with the same kinds of effects it seems to produce in the mind of its consumer: intensified thoughts and perceptions, expanded cognitive activity, existential contemplation.

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And it seems we’re only on the cusp of understanding its true potential. 

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Nature or nurture?

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One of the most fascinating aspects of LSD’s history regards its transition from a naturally-occurring derivative (from ergot — a fungal growth common to grains) to the synthesized product we use today.

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Its extreme potency is a testament to the true power that it holds, in even the smallest amounts. It’s odorless, colorless and tasteless nature allows it to be easily infused into any medium — tablet, capsule, powder or, most popular, either suspended in liquid or ‘blotted’ onto paper.

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Effects are typically felt within the first half hour to an hour, causing sensory distortion, more vivid perceptional experiences, synesthesia and variable degrees of hallucination.

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Notable amongst its core characteristics are the duration of its effect on the mind, sometimes lasting up to 20 hours. Despite the heavier effect, micro-dosing has become an increasingly popular method by which LSD is consumed, offering a manageable regiment of steady effects that are regarded to be especially conducive towards efforts of self-improvement or focus-habituation. 

 

Psychedelic 2.0

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Perhaps most appealing is LSD’s status as the prototypical psychedelic — a synthesized compound of utility that offers to increase cognitive activity and performance. Its effects are more stimulatory in nature as it binds to dopamine receptors in addition to serotonin receptors, offering a more fast-paced experience than other psychedelics like psilocybin. 

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For these reasons, LSD has become synonymous with productivity and self-optimization, from the tech-savvy crowds of Silicon Valley to the financiers and traders of Wall Street. 

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Though it should be regarded that LSD still offers a capacity for reverential insight, as well as a tremendous prospect for therapeutic endeavors, becoming a mechanism of choice for countless clinicians and pharmacologists across North America. 

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Compounded with concepts like neuroplasticity or practices like meditation, LSD offers a dramatic expansion of our horizons when it comes to our conscious potential, from efficiency to understanding. 

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As our relationship with LSD evolves amidst greater understanding and acceptance, the true potential of this powerful substance is finally being fully realized. Though as the current reverberations flow through so many domains of our existence — from therapy couches to workspaces to easels — we’ve yet to reach the peak of its potent effect on our culture. 

Due to its extreme potency, LSD is considered to be rather unpredictable in intensity, as even the most miniscule of dosage variations can induce considerably different trips; combined with the setting of an experience and a number of other variables (i.e. purpose, frame of mind), LSD is considered an extremely versatile psychedelic, illuminating the fact that hallucinogens should always be perceived as extremely subjective commodities.

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On the lower end of the scale, whereby a consumer can experience a mild or threshold experience, 10ug to 50ug will often prompt some level of change to sensory perception and a very subtle sense of mood elevation, along with an array of cognitive effects that can be likened to a strong cup of coffee. A microdose range will typically fall somewhere between 15ug to 35ug and is often associated with boosts to mental efficacy, increased creativity, improved cognitive function and heightened focus. 

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On the moderate range of the scale, at about 50ug to 200ug, a more substantial experience can be felt whereby hallucinations will occur alongside a distortion of sensory perceptions, time, and emotion. Ego-dissolution, identity contemplation, existential commiseration are all normal happenstance, with effects peaking within 1-2 hours and lasting 4-8 hours in total.

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On the higher end of the scale of 200ug +, experiences can vary depending on tolerance, setting, and expectation, through very strong hallucinations are common, alongside substantial distortions of time, sensory experience, auditory perception and vision. Rationality and self-identity is usually compromised, as is a sense of control. For those unfamiliar with psychedelics, panic may occur during this temporal disassociation with reality. Some level of psychosis (not necessarily unpleasant) will be induced during the intense period that can last up to 12 hours.