I have a friend who I am honestly ashamed of that is into pill popping and taking some of the more mind warping drugs (shrooms, acid, etc.) and she claims that they increase her perception and self understanding. To be honest (again) I always sorta felt that this "increased perception" from drugs is just a feeling that is gained from just feeling completely wasted and overstimulated. I have asked many of my friends that do drugs if they can present me with a very specific example of how drugs have actually done this for them, made them realize or see something that they failed to perceive before they did drugs, a noun possibly. Most just say that they either can't explain it or they reiterrate that drugs increase awareness, yadayada, etc. I feel that they only feel "expanded" because they are told that drugs do this, in other words I think it's a placebo affect. When people talk about seeing music as colors its not that I don't believe them, its just that I feel that they only experience that because of the nature of drugs; they make you f*cked up and prone to hallucination. I liken it to visualizations (hallucinations) in Windows Media Player or something like that.

I would like to know from someone that has done both, drugs like acid and that lucid dreams, if what people say about expanding their minds from drugs is true. I know that through lucid dreaming one can explore their subconscious and literally discover themselves. I just don't see how drugs could possibly do this for you. Again, I DO see that drugs can cause people to change because of new experiences but I DO NOT see how they can discover themselves more than any average sober person with time to simply sit and think let alone a lucid dreamer.

Let me know if this makes no sense whatsoever.