DOSE:

18 mg

oral

2C-B

(capsule)

BODY WEIGHT:

160 lb

As this will be my first public bioassay I feel as though some background might be warranted. I have experimented with various drugs, particularly those of a psychedelic nature, for over 15 years now. I had always been warned about the dangers of using drugs and how they would destroy my future, and yet, here I was integrating them into my life both as a means of self-exploration but also for genuine scientific inquiry. As a sufferer of chronic migraines I have followed the evolution of psychedelic migraine treatments with great interest for some time and not willing to wait for policy to catch up with science, I have successfully self-administered LSD and Psilocybin for unprecedented pain relief. Not only was I finding that psychedelics actually improved my health, but I was successful in my career in Marketing, eyeing a potential return to university for a PhD in Psychology and generally the healthiest and happiest I had ever been. I wasn’t taking these compounds as a means of escape, they didn’t lead to self-destructive behaviors, nor was I suffering from addiction - my eyes had been opened to the fact that the war on drugs, particularly the physically harmless ones like LSD and Psilocybin, was political theater - a thinly veiled attempt at control.

Many might question my motives - I have been asked to provide a moral rationalization of my experimentations on several occasions. In my defense, not that it is needed, I can only say that I have a passionately inquisitive scientific mind and an immovable belief in individual freedom. I do not believe the government should have the right to dictate our consumption, particularly the consumption of plants, fungi and drugs that have a positive effect on people and in some cases make their lives more livable (as a chronic migraine suffered I fall in that category). In any case, I was working on seeing the physical world (32 countries now) but just as profoundly exciting, I believe, is the ability for man to make an inner journey. Some use meditation, others religious experiences - both have been profound in my lifetime - but neither can stack up against my experiences with psychedelics. I set out to try as many as possible, taking diligent notes about the effects and my experiences. With psilocybin, LSD, LSA, Salvinorin-A, AL-LAD, 1P-LSD and DMT under my belt, I began to read through Alexander Shulgin’s books for inspiration on what I might try next.

With a particular love for visual effects and a preference for trips of a shorter duration, I settled on 2C-B as potentially being my ideal psychedelic. Acquiring the drug took only a matter of minutes online - perhaps I should have been less surprised at how easy it was but the draconian drug laws of the past five decades have forced people underground and online - leveraging technology, it has become easier than ever to select from a staggering array of plants, powders and pills. Within a week, I had one gram of 2C-B in my possession (confirmed by marquis reagent) - enough for many trips.

After discussing my intentions with my significant other (a wonderful, understanding woman), I planned for what I hoped would be the perfect day to try 2C-B. With an unseasonably warm weekend ahead of us (in March no less), we decided a half-day hike would be ideal - I could wear sunglasses, the outdoors is an environment I feel inherently comfortable in and we could carry everything I might need (food, drink, cannabis and vape pen, toilet paper, etc.) in a daypack without being conspicuous. I couldn’t wait for Sunday to arrive, but as the sun poured through our large warehouse apartment windows that morning I knew it had been worth the wait. We packed up everything we needed, jumped in the car and drove out to a state park large enough to get lost in for half the day. It took me a few minutes to work up the nerve to swallow the capsule I had filled the night before , carefully weighing out 18mg as an introductory step into the world of 2C-B, but once we had walked into the woods a few hundred feet my nerves were calmed. Forests do that to me.

T+1:15 - It took over an hour of walking before I started to feel the first effects. Whether from distraction by the scenery around us or the fact that we had been walking rather briskly, I hadn’t noticed any visual changes at all. It was only when I took the small bag of candy out of my pocket that I noticed the writing on the bag was extremely disproportionate. Things weren’t moving quite yet but they were certainly on their way. I felt the same sort of excited energy I’ve experienced with acid, but it lacked the nervous edge that Lucy usually has for me. It was purer, more natural somehow.

T+1:40 - As we reached the top of a hill and entered a clearing, I saw a small boulder with a flat top and climbed up it - for a while I stood, unaware my girlfriend was taking pictures behind me, but eventually I sat down and happened to glance down at the rock. It was covered in lichen that swayed and moved and oscillated - rippling along the edges as if electrified somehow. Elated at how manageable the headspace was so far, I told my significant other that we should continue and explore further - besides, I was only just now elbow deep in the come up - we weren’t out of the woods yet, so to speak.

We walked further down the path, my eyes constantly darting around - first at the leafless trees (their long thin branches expanding and contracting) then to my girlfriend, seemingly more beautiful than ever and who would grin at me when she caught me looking at her, amused by my hobby of choice. Although she doesn’t take drugs, her opinion on them has completely turned around after having seen my responsible use of them and the positive effect they can have, emotionally and psychologically. The freedom of having a non-judgmental person to take this adventure with fueled my good mood, and we set off to find the perfect spot to rest a while.

T+2:30 - Find it we did. The woods opened up to a ravine maybe 60-80 feet high at its highest point, but easy enough to descended safely. Looking across the wide ravine the enormous evergreen trees on the other side were an incredible sight - they swayed magnificently in the wind, the drug in my system making the leaves looked as if Van Gogh himself had painted them, the deep green of their leaves a shade that - there’s no other way to describe it - moved my spirit. I navigated to an enormous boulder in the middle of the gulley, the inclination of which was perfect for laying down on. And so, on a 70 degree day in March, laying on a boulder with the sun beating down on my face, I looked up as this natural Van Gogh masterpiece swirled before me. Listen, I’m a realist by nature - I don’t go in for a lot of the new-agey stuff associated with psychedelics, but in that moment laying on that rock looking up at those trees swayed by an invisible force that touched us all, I could understand the whole “one with the universe” thing. I’m not saying I’m joining the drum circle just yet, but I get it. It was a beautiful moment, and as my girlfriend busied herself taking photos I amused myself watching the lichen dance underneath my palms, greatly enjoying the fruit flavored candy I had remembered while climbing the boulder.

T+3:20- After almost an hour, we decided we should start turning back - we had errands to run if I were feeling up to it. The walk was absolutely pleasant - I was still peaking however I felt able to talk and only a slight proclivity towards distraction at this dosage - we enjoyed long, in-depth conservations about politics, life, and everything in between which is not uncommon for our relationship. I cannot stress how incredible it is to have a significant other who is at least highly tolerant of psychedelic usage if not downright encouraging. After having spent years of my life hiding my psychonautic exploration from parents, friends and a spouse, the experience of taking a psychedelic journey with someone lovingly holding my hand and clearly enjoying my state of wonderment was something quite magical.

As we came to the halfway point back to the car, a family approached us with a happy and wiggly dog in tow. After asking permission from the owners (and seeing the pup could barely contain his excitement at meeting someone new) I bent down to give out a generous amount of ear and belly scratches. If you haven’t had the experience of petting an animal on 2C-B (or another psychedelic) I would highly recommend it. The tactile sensation alone made it worthwhile, however the emotional connection I felt with that animal is astounding, even to a pet owner such as myself.

T+4:45- I’m still definitely feeling the effects when we reach the car - we had already agreed upon my not driving that day but I was certainly not in a state to be able to do so regardless. As we drove out of the park (my first experience in a vehicle on a psychedelic) I was rather quiet as I watched out of the passenger window, the effects slowly but surely starting to wear off. The cars passing us were much more saturated than usual, and I was much more aware of the people driving them, each with their own life, their own dreams, their own love stories and heartaches, their own fears and failures. Consciously or not, I felt a strong connection with the other humans around me - we may try to separate ourselves with fast-moving boxes of steel, glass and plastic, but really we’re not all so different I don’t think.

T+5:30 By the time we reach the grocery store, I am feeling much closer to baseline. I keep my sunglasses on, just in case my pupils are large enough to attract attention, but it’s an abnormally sunny day out and a lot of people have sunglasses on - I don’t feel weird about it. Walking behind my girlfriend, the only visual difference is that everything seems a little bit sharper and more contrasty, although the effect could be imagined. Realizing I’m hungry, I pick out a granola bar and some sparkling water and we finish our shopping, happily munching as we finish up our errands.

————
In some respects, finishing up my first 2C-B experience with something as mundane as grocery shopping is a perfect example of how little after-effects I experience with this drug. There is little to no fatigue, no headache or other bodily pains - in fact after the psychedelic effects had worn of I felt no more tired than I would after a sober 3-4 hour hike. The relatively brief duration of effects coupled with the near non-existent side effects confirms this as one of my favorite psychedelics. This was, in short, an absolutely ideal introduction to 2C-B, and I particularly enjoy this dosage (accurate +-4mg) - it is manageable in social settings (we chatted briefly with the owners of the dog) and allows me to enjoy my surroundings while enjoying all sorts of psychedelic effects. Although I have since combined the two, I ended up not smoking any of the cannabis I had brought with me despite being a daily smoker. The two have a wonderful synergistic effect, however I simply didn't feel the need to combine them during my first experience with 2C-B.

I hope that this bioassay has been enjoyable to read - if you made it to the end (or even if you didn’t) thank you for reading. Please feel free to share an unmodified (excerpts may be taken), complete and attributed version of this bioassay.

Psychonautika

Exp Year: 2016	ExpID: 108414
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 28
Published: May 11, 2016	Views: 23,112
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2C-B (52) : Glowing Experiences (4), Nature / Outdoors (23), First Times (2), Small Group (2-9) (17)