The short answer to that question is yes they are a myth. "Flashbacks" are one of those drug war lies just like "weed will make you go crazy." However, the long answer is more complicated than that. The propaganda is obviously not a reliable source of information and popular culture loves to perpetuate that myth (it lends itself to comedy particularly well). Despite what we may be told, those of us who have a history of use with these drugs will not suddenly find ourselves in to middle of an unexpected acid trip because we had a few hits five years back (its too bad too, because I would love a free, surprise, acid trip right about now). That being said, I do believe that it is possible slip into a somewhat psychedelic state of mind but I think their intensity is far overstated and I disagree as to what the cause is. While one does not have the sort of "flashbacks" that are depicted in bad anti-drug "educational" films, there is a little seed of truth hiding inside that big pile steaming of falsehood and I wanted to explore it and provide my thoughts on what I think is really going on.
The "flashback" myth seems to be rather persistent one and it makes psychedelics seem particularly scary to those who believe the anti-drug propaganda. "What kind of terrible drugs must these things be, if they can come back to haunt you after years of abstinence" those people must think. Not surprisingly, the propagandists ran with that lie because it seemed to capture people's attention. It later began to bleed into popular cultures and our collective imaginations until it was largely accepted as truth. I just read a recent article that mentioned flashbacks, in fact (that is part of the reason that I am writing this) but even positive portrayals of psychedelics can perpetuate this misconception.
While all the anti-drug propaganda about "flashbacks" is pretty much false, there are times in which I feel some effects that are reminiscent of my trips, despite not having taken anything. I like to imagine that some captured psychonaut reported this kind of phenomenon to an authority after being arrested for the "terrible crime" of eating a fungus or having a little piece of colorful paper and then the authority blew the idea out of proportion before going on to spread his or her exaggerations to the masses. Digressions aside, I do find that, at times, certain elements of what feels like a trip can show up in some situations. For example, if I am around a group of people who are tripping and I am not, I will start to "tune in" with them. Their weird conversations start to make sense and I will laugh along with them at all the absurd silliness that often comes along with psychedelics. Also, if I can reach a state of deep relaxation and I let my mind wonder freely, I occasionally feel as though I am sticking my toe across that psychedelic boundary. I don't trip, of course, but my thought process feels altered in a distinctly "trippy" way. I can get similar results when I am very tired or under an extreme amount of stress as well. Again, the sky doesn't open up before me but I get a wispier of a psychedelic state of mind.
While those things might sound "flashbackish," I think there may be more going on here than being struck by the lingering effects of an ancient trip. No drug is active for such a long period of time (psychedelics can take a while and a few after effects can stick around for a few days but not for years). These substances have also been shown to be pretty harmless (the traditional ones, anyway) which kind of rules out the possibility of "flashbacks" being the result of some lasting damage. That being the case, I am led to believe that "flashbacks-like" experiences are not actually "flashbacks." Instead, I think that they may be new and naturally occurring states of mind, which we all experience at various points in our lives (regardless of our history of drug use or lack thereof), that are recognized as psychedelic by users because they have a basis for comparison. If someone has never tripped, how would he or she know that he or she is feeling naturally trippy at a given moment? He or she wouldn't know is my answer. That person would think that he or she feels a little funny and move on with his or her day.
Now, let's take a look at the situations that cause my (kind of) "flashbacks," with the previously discussed idea in mind and we might be able to see what is going on. The causes all seem to be things that can naturally change a person's brain chemistry. A joyous social gathering and a lot of trippy deep thought when I am with some fellow users can affect the chemicals that are being pumped into the mix in my head. Relaxation, fatigue, and stress can do the same thing. Everyone feels a little different under those kinds of circumstances. That is perfectly normal. The only difference, I think, is that a psychonaut is able to recognize that those natural changes in consciousness are psychedelic in their character, while a non-user cannot.
How does a unaltered brain just make itself trip? That isn't a bad question but I think there is a good answer to it. There is reason to believe that DMT is produced in the human brain (it is definitely in other parts of our bodies and it is confirmed to exist in rat brains). That is a powerful (and nonsensically, considering we all have some inside us, illegal) psychedelic drug. A trace amount could be released under certain circumstances and I think that may account for some of our sudden and unexpected trippy feelings. Even if that is not the case, we know, for a fact, that other naturally occurring changes in brain chemistry can have a profound effect on consciousness. In a sense, a crazy person is "tripping" without any drugs at all. In my mind, this seems like it could be a plausible cause for the experiences that are reported, by some, as "flashbacks." That is, we all get a little taste of that "home brewed psychedelic juice" every now and then and some of us have caught on to what it feels like without realizing that our own minds are its source.
I know that this topic is not the most pressing issue that is facing humanity but I also feel like psychedelics and their image still need a little help in today's society. The broader population has not seen through the lies about that class of drugs in the same way that they have with weed. There is still a lot of misinformation floating around, even among users, and I think that it is important to address it and provide alternative views on the subject of psychedelics. These drugs have the potential to do a lot of good in this world and we shouldn't let questionable claims about "flashbacks" discourage us from taking advantage of that potential.
Peace.
All the images in this post are sourced from the free image website, unsplash.com.
Excellent!
Had a trippy moment the other day but it's more like a temporary reopening of the gateway. like a regaining of access to see it.
but it always fades faster than a trip for me ;)
Haha Yeah. Sometimes I wish the flashback lie was a little more true lol.
I get that feeling the most when I am listening to music at night and smoking a little weed. The relaxation, the music, and the "trippyish" buzz all kind of come together and get to a place that feels kind of psychedelic but it is fleeting and very mild.
Yay, it's such a reenergizer of past trips especially if they happened recently. We could write such a huge book together ahahaha, but I guess we already are ;)
Haha yeah. I have been writing about some of my crazier trips lately. Most of those are my old stories from before I knew how to pace myself lol. There is one that I think I will write about in the next week or two I think about one of my worst trips but it is a long story so I have been taking a while to get around to it.
When I read your title, my brain crawled back to a childhood memory of the cautionary tale of a mother holding her child and it having some terrible trauma because her mother had an acid flashback. I have no reason to believe this came from anyone in my personal life (the topic just was not relevant) so it was likely some D.A.R.E propaganda. Your observations on the exaggerations by the unexperienced being the source of these myth certainly hits it on the head. Fear, uncertainty, doubt; docile states to maintain.
A visual setting, a physical sensation...the integration of the senses into the internal experience of psychedelics makes these trails where if one were to remain with that trigger of recall, it becomes easier for the mind to anticipate accompanying signals... "Neurons that fire together, wire together". Depending on the individual's tendency toward positive thinking (not the biological default by any stretch), a positive regard toward the experience can encourage greater connectivity. If that happens, the former user can enjoyably, as you mention,
Much of human society is trapped in cycles of suffering; a moral freedom to pursue any treatment must become a rallying cry in the face of health and well-being in the majority of our population. Everyone in the community can help spread this message of compassion and truth. Very grateful for your contributions @artisticscreech
Thank you.
Haha I didn't realize I missed that typo lol.
Yeah I remember all that dare stuff and made up stories about people putting their babies in the oven because they thought it was a chicken or some other nonsense.
No typo, I just changed the tense for readability in the sentence I was writing.
Oh damn, baked babies is brutal. And the users are immoral, not the people putting this shit in kid's heads.
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If you break your leg when you're young you might have flashbacks of the pain later on in life but I don't think your leg will just re-break itself if you don't do anything to it. I would think that would apply to psychedelics also, then again this might be a job for the mythbusters!