I've written elsewhere that I had a short, unhappy period many years ago when I taught at a private women's college in Ohio. I've been thinking for the past few days about one particular evening while I was there. Some fellow who was, I think, an educational theorist of some renown was visiting the campus. I was somehow invited(?) to stop by a faculty member's home where the fellow was holding forth. What I recall was that he was, at the time, anyway, taken with learning to play the cello. To that end, he carried with him not a cello, but a bow, and he was constantly "playing" an invisible instrument. I found this whole thing quite odd. But then, I have never been a musician.
I remember that there were, I think, three young women (students) who were in attendance and who, when it came time to leave, offered to walk me home to the house where I was temporarily staying while waiting for remodeling of what was to be my house on the farm portion of the campus. It was cold--winter in Ohio--and one of the young women, as was the custom in those days and in that place, fired up a joint and began to pass it among the four of us. There may have been other things--I honestly do not recall. Arriving at my porch, they bid me goodnight and went away. I remember hearing much laughter as they walked away.
What happened next lasted, I'd say, six or eight hours. Alone in my room I will not try and describe the "trip" I was taking, but it resembled very much the acid trips I'd read and heard about from my days in San Francisco. It was frightening. I feel confident I was somehow given LSD.
As I said, it lasted six or so hours. But it came back to me in what I can only call horrifying ways for many months afterwards. For years, in fact. I'm still unnerved by the recollection.
I wonder if they knew how close to psychosis they brought me?
I remember that there were, I think, three young women (students) who were in attendance and who, when it came time to leave, offered to walk me home to the house where I was temporarily staying while waiting for remodeling of what was to be my house on the farm portion of the campus. It was cold--winter in Ohio--and one of the young women, as was the custom in those days and in that place, fired up a joint and began to pass it among the four of us. There may have been other things--I honestly do not recall. Arriving at my porch, they bid me goodnight and went away. I remember hearing much laughter as they walked away.
What happened next lasted, I'd say, six or eight hours. Alone in my room I will not try and describe the "trip" I was taking, but it resembled very much the acid trips I'd read and heard about from my days in San Francisco. It was frightening. I feel confident I was somehow given LSD.
As I said, it lasted six or so hours. But it came back to me in what I can only call horrifying ways for many months afterwards. For years, in fact. I'm still unnerved by the recollection.
I wonder if they knew how close to psychosis they brought me?