After more than two years of lurking around this board, many moments of awe, intimidation and reverence regarding the big guys in here I have decided to break the silence and start to humbly share my experiences and knowledge with this wonderful community.

I'm a self-thought explorer and - if I may take the liberty - cartographer, especially interested in the unknown territories and various manifestations of (my?) being.

My background is in Computer Science, but I have recently migrated, through AI studies, to theories of consciousness and Psychology. Most of my time and energy are translated these days into researching, discussing, understanding and practising small steps on the way to self-discovery and enlightenment, by the means of (psychedelic) psychotherapy and spirituality - I'm approaching Hinduism and Buddhism, and trying to practice Vipassana meditation.

I love good cinematography, graphic design, literature and putting together various bits and pieces of knowledge collected in my frequent internet wanders, and I'm looking forward to be part of this amazing place.

Peace and love,
Paulsd

Welcome to the forum, Paulsd!
Interesting introduction, you seem like a pretty well-rounded person. Like you, I was hidden into the woodwork before finally jumping on the wagon. This is a great place though, and I wish you the best on your journeys!


See you around,

BM

welcome paulsd,
A.I. huh? thats some pretty fascinating work as well as the study of consciousness. around here that makes you one cool hombre : : .

would you mind giving us some background of your trip history and likes? i feel that working with dmt has given me great insight as to just whats the heck consciousness is and what it isnt. id love to hear your thoughts.
cheers and welcome to the community. let me know if you need any help navigating your way around the forums or wiki.
OM'

Thank you, Bassmethod and Olympus - looking forward to see you around!


The links between AI and other cognitive sciences are quite solid, and I'm seeing them now as inseparable parts of the same whole: philosophy of mind, psychology, neuroscience, anthropology etc.


My gateway to the altered states of mind was the first (polar/non-polar) extraction of several HWBR seeds, which I performed a few years ago. This led to more and more intense psychedelic explorations, slowly moving from the ethnobotanical world (Salvia Divinorum, Psylocybe mushrooms) to the RC scene. I discovered Shulgin's works and became fascinated about neuropharmacology and various mechanisms of interaction between chemical substances and the living human brain. There was a time of focusing more on the differences and particularities of the individual compounds, rather than the striking similarities.

In all this time, I had a single encounter with DMT, through a Rue/MHRB brew in my early days. The experience was more intense than I was prepared for, and it dragged me to an infinite hell of eternal, existential damnation - one of the strongest episodes of fear that I can recall.

After many other unmeaningful trips on various tryptamine and phenethylamine derivatives - which I felt that mostly brought up to light the darkest elements of myself - I started to look more seriously into the available literature. And there is an incredibly vast block of research material from the time LSD and Psilocybin were unscheduled; I'm not talking about pharmacological or chemical research, but impressive theories and extended maps of consciousness.

Serious academic figures such as Stanislav Grof and James Fadiman conducted in the 60s and 70s many studies which revealed that psychedelics are an unprecedented tool for powerful psychotherapy. Their LSD research motivated me to follow and experience their theories on my own - and the acid didn't disappoint me

This led to a series of experiences which finally turned me back to nature, with a new understanding of the relationship between man and nature, and between the material and the spiritual realms of my existence. It's this attempted reconciliation that brought me back to Nexus and raised a new interest in Spice.

Hi Paulsd,

welcome to Nexia! I'd be super interested in hearing more about your work with A.I./consciousness research. When I started studying physics it was what I wanted to get into, but for some reason the opportunity never presented itself. As a scientist in this area, what do you make of the psychedelic experience in relationship to consciousness?