Definitions Page:

Alkaloid A class of nitrogenous organic molecule that has a pharmacological effect on humans and other animals. Many are highly poisonous, some have cruative properties. The name derives from the word alkaline; originally, the term was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base (an amine in modern terms). Alkaloids are found in plants (e.g., in potatoes and tomatoes), animals (e.g., in shellfish) and fungi), and can be extracted from their sources by treatment with acids (usually hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, though organic acids such as maleic acid and citric acid are sometimes used).

Analgesia / n l-j z - , -zh / is the absence of pain in response to stimulation that would normally be painful. The term is often used to mean hypoalgesia, a reduction in the intensity of pain that occurs in response to a normally painful stimulus.

Bardo, in Tibetan, means literally "intermediate state" - also translated as "transitional state" or "in-between state". In Sanskrit the concept has the name antarabhava.

Dissociative drugs are a class of psychedelic drugs characterized by intense feelings of depersonalization, derealization, and analgesia. Several of them are legal (owing perhaps to legitimate uses), while others are illegal.

Entactogen is a descriptive name applied to psychoactive drugs with effects similar to those of MDMA. The term was coined by David Nichols as an alternative to "empathogen", owing to the potential for improper association of the latter with negative concepts related to the Greek root "pathos" (suffering). The word "entactogen" is derived from the roots "en" (Greek: within), "tactus" (Latin: touch) and "gen" (Greek: produce).

Flashback /fl sh b k / Flashbacks are recurring sensory or emotional experiences that happen independently of the initial experience or event. In the case of drug-related flashbacks, the person usually re-experiences a visual or emotional hallucination previously seen or felt during a strong trip. This is defined by Grinspoon and Bakalaar as 'a transitory recurrence of emotions and perceptions originally experienced while under the influence of a psychedelic drug'.1 Physicians now refer to this as a condition known as Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD). Flashbacks only appear to manifest in a small percentage of (perhaps heavy) users. Flashbacks are usually associated with LSD, DOM and cannabis use. Studies generally show that roughly a quarter of LSD and cannabis users experience some kind of flashback.

Such flashbacks may or may not be triggered by a sight or sound. In the most extreme cases, strong visual hallucinations occur without warning, often causing alarm. Most flashbacks are episodes of visual distortion, time distortion, physical symptoms or relived intense emotion lasting a few seconds to a few minutes.

There appear to be different types of flashbacks:

Spontaneous return of perceptual distortions During a flashback an individual suddenly sees a familiar object in a way he or she remembers seeing while hallucinating. This may be the glowing stripes on a road or auras around people's head.

Increased susceptibility to spontaneous imagery This is similar to spontaneous return of perceptual distortions but involves seeing or thinking about visual imagery regularly. People who have them also say their imagery takes on a different quality - it is more vivid, seems to just spring from an unknown source and is less readily suppressed than formerly. Such flashbacks can be very vivid, involving disturbing images of animals or people. Though the distortions can live with a person for along time, the stronger animate images tend to lessen with time.

Recurrent unbidden images Unbidden images are those that repeatedly force themselves into a person's awareness, demanding attention and resisting efforts to dispel them. Unlike spontaneous images, these tend to be more life-like and personally threatening. They have been described by those who experience them as having 'a will of their own'. Some people are frightened by not being able to dispel the images. Anxiety reactions, even psychotic reactions, may result.

Flashback - By Danny Gomez:

Hallucinogen /hal·lu ci·no·gen// Typically non-addictive alkaloid chemical substances that produce altered sense-perceptions or states of consciousness. More specifically, they are characterized by classes of pharmacological agents which change the subjective qualities of perception, thought and emotion. These effects may last from a few minutes to days. In the basic definition, there is no quantitative change in alertness/activity. In practice, however, hallucinogenic drugs may have such activity in addition to their hallucinogenic effect; very few drugs have only a single effect on the human body. As with all chemicals, whether the effect is medicinal, narcotic, or poisonous depends on the chemical and the dosage. Many such chemicals are also called "psychedelics" or "entheogens." Many hallucinogens often have chemical structures similar to those of human neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, and temporarily interfere with the action of neurotransmitters and/or receptor sites.

Hyperspace /hì´per-spâs´/ /n./ is a realm that may be considered to exist beyond or outside our traditionally accepted four-dimensional (spatial + temporal) perspective. Such regions are described by numerous world mythologies, and more recent research into quantum theory has added a scientific backing to the concept.

MAOI Monoamine oxydase inhibitors or MAOIs are antidepressants used to treat conditions like depression, insomnia (inability to sleep), panic disorders and anxiety. They work by inhibiting or reducing the levels of monoaomine oxydase or MAO. This in turn increases the levels of 'feel-good' neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, by preventing their breakdown in the brain.

MAOIs can be dangerous if taken with certain foods and drugs. Because MAOIs stop MAO, they also help build up other chemicals, such as tyramine, found chiefly in the gut to help digest food. Tyramine is found in cheese, pickled herrings, fermented soya products such as Marmite and Bovril, bean curd, broad bean pods, red wines, and anything aged or fermented, such as soups.

When foods containing high levels of tyramine are eaten, the build up can bring on severe headaches, high blood pressure, increased heart rate and even heart attacks. Users therefore have to be careful about what they eat when prescribed these drugs.

Phenethylamine is found throughout nature, in both plants and animals. even found in chocolate, but as well as the human brain where it is discussed as a putative neuromodulator or neurotransmitter. In nature phenethylamine is synthesized from the amino acid In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. It is the end product of phenylalanine in the putrefaction of tissue. Some consider phenethylamine from food to have psychoactive effects, however it is quickly metabolized by the MAO enzyme so that significant concentrations do not reach the brain.

Oneirogen Literally, substances which cause dreams, or which causes change in or effect to dreams.
oneiric=of, or pertaining to dreams; gen=creation

Psychoactive /s k - k t v/ drugs or psychotropic /s k -tr p k, -tr p k/ substances are chemicals that alter brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness, or behaviour. Extreme use may have permanent effects on the brain. Such drugs are often used for recreational and spiritual purposes, as well as in medicine, especially for treating neurological and psychological illnesses.

Psychotomimetic /s -k t -m -m t k/ Having the ability to alter the mind and produce behavior similar to that exhibited by psychotic individuals.

Psychedelic /s k -d l k/ The word psychedelic is a neologism coined from the Greek words for "mind," psyche, and "manifest," delos.

The term was first coined as a noun in 1956 by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond, as an alternative descriptor for hallucinogenic drugs in the context of psychedelic psychotherapy. The term featured in a now-famous exchange with Aldous Huxley, in which the ill-fated term phanerothyme was suggested:

               To make this trivial world sublime,
               take half a gram of phanerothyme.

Dr. Humphry Osmond responded:

               To fathom Hell or soar angelic,
               just take a pinch of psychedelic.

A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from it ordinary restraints. Psychedelic states are one of the stations on the spectrum of experiences elicited by psychedelic substances. On that same spectrum will be found hallucinations, distortions of perception, altered states of awareness, mystical states, and occasionally states resembling psychosis.

The impact of psychedelic drugs on western culture in the 1960s led to meaning drift in the use of the word "psychedelic", and it is now frequently applied to describe any brightly patterned or coloured object. In objection to this new meaning, and to the pejorative meanings of other synonyms such as "hallucinogen" and "psychotomimetic", the term "entheogen" was proposed and is seeing increasing use. However, many consider the term "entheogen" best reserved for religious and spiritual usage, such as the Native American Church does with the peyote sacrament, and psychedelic left to describe those who are using these drugs recreationally.

Shaman /shä´men, shâ´-/ /n./ A member of certain tribal societies who acts as a medium between the visible world and an invisible spirit world and who practices magic or sorcery for purposes of healing, divination, and control over natural events. Characteristically, the shaman goes into an auto-hypnotic trance, during which he is said to be in contact with spirits. He occupies a position of great power and prestige in his tribe. Noted especially among Siberians, shamans are also found among the Eskimos, some Native American tribes, in SE Asia, and in Oceania.

Singularity /s ng gy -l r -t / The postulated point or short period in our future when our self-guided evolutionary development accelerates enormously (powered by nanotech, neuroscience, AI, and perhaps consciousness uploading) so that nothing beyond that time can reliably be conceived." [Vernor Vinge, 1986]

Trance /tr ns/ A hypnotic, cataleptic, or ecstatic state, as between sleeping and waking; a daze. Detachment from one's physical surroundings. Also a form of rhythmic, repetitive dance music.

Virtual Reality abbr. VR is the ability to do the impossible, see the inconceptual, and touch worlds that do not exist. Also known as Artificial Reality or Cyberspace, it is a special form of computer simulation. Unlike many other computer simulations which mimic a happening or event, VR is a computer simulated environment. By using special interfaces (input devices such as a joystick, keyboard or head mount display), a user can "travel" through a computer generated world and interact with the objects in it.

"'The matrix has its roots in primitive arcade games,' said the voice over, 'in early graphics programs and military experimentation with cranial jacks.' On the Sony, a two-dimensional space war faded behind a forest of mathematically generated ferns. demonstrating the spacial possibilities of logarithmic spirals; cold blue military footage burned through, lab animals wired into test systems, helmets feeding into fire control circuits of tanks and war planes. 'Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts... a graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the non-space of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding...'" (Neuromancer, William Gibson)

"What is "real"? "How do you define "real"? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then "real" is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain."
Morpheus - The Matrix

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