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2C-B 2C-B, code name for 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine(1), is one of the outstanding members of the phenethylamine family of psychoactive drugs. It is almost ten times as potent as MDMA, being active in the dose range of 12 to 30 m.g. It has its own unique characteristics, and for many is a great favorite. It is shorter acting than most of the full range psychedelics, lasting about six hours. The characteristic for which it is most appreciated is the enhancing of the senses. It makes all of the senses more acute, greatly increasing the enjoyment of vision, touch, hearing, and taste. Many have been excited by the amplification of eroticism, and have found 2C-B a marvelous enhancer of love-making. Jean and I usually found that we had so many resentments to work through that we did not fully appreciate 2C-B as a facilitator of lovemaking. However, when I have been able to enter what I consider the special 2C-B world, it is a delightful place. There is a subtlety of perception, a special way of appreciating nature. This enhanced sensitivity is very difficult to describe; perhaps the best word for it is tenderness. It is exquisite to experience and is unique to this substance. Sometimes it strikes me as if the highest qualities of a supreme feminine presence is everywhere manifest. 2C-B is not uniformly enjoyed. Only about half of those who have tried it report the favorable aspects I have described above. Many others found it made them quite uncomfortable in their bodies. I have known some that were so distressed that they don't care to try it again. As we got familiar with it we experienced the body discomfort people complained about, but found we could work through that to the enjoyable aspects. On the suggestion of others that 2C-B makes you quite aware of your body, I formed the hypothesis that the uncomfortable feelings are the result of the storage in the muscles of toxins resulting from inappropriate dynamics (or "negative karma" as described in Chapter 3, Note 8). If this were true, the use of psychedelics would be an excellent way to clear this up. Consequently if the subject were willing to confront the uncomfortable feelings and stay with them, they would be resolved and it would be possible to enter an enjoyable state with 2C-B. We decided to test this hypothesis; we asked those who had uncomfortable 2C-B experiences if they were willing to have additional experiences, confront their feelings, and seek resolution. In almost every case when the subject was willing to participate in such a program, within two or three additional sessions he/she became free of the body load and was able to achieve an enjoyable experience. In the case of one couple, the body load each of them was carrying was so great that it was just too uncomfortable to go through the experience. When it didn't clear up in two tries, they didn't wish to carry the experiment any further. For those that did continue, they were gratified to experience the very special place that 2C-B makes available. We were so intrigued with the properties of 2C-B that we worked with it almost exclusively for about a year. Another aspect we were very much interested in was the effectiveness of 2C-B following the initial ingestion of MDMA. Taking the MDMA first cleared up much of the body load problem, and paved the way to a much smoother 2C-B experience. With this combination we ran into a new problem. We heard reports that MDMA and 2C-B were antagonistic, so supplementing with 2C-B canceled out the effects of both. We found this to be somewhat true. The solution that we and others found was to give the MDMA plenty of time to wear off before ingesting the 2C-B. We found that an adequate time was two to three hours. So taking 2C-B three hours after the last ingestion of MDMA (either the original dose or the supplement taken 1-1/2 hours later) led to a fruitful and enjoyable 2C-B experience. Here are some excerpts from our trials. It is difficult to select from the large number of reports, as in almost every case the experiences are euphoric, uniformly rewarding, and instill awe at the grandeur of creation and the magnificence we are as human beings. I have chosen examples to illustrate the development of our knowledge, and some of the more outstanding events that transpired.
Jean and I start with 120 m.g. of MDMA. It is a marvelous experience with the usual
effects -- rejuvenation, youthfulness of skin, aliveness, bliss, bright colors. Looking into our
optically ground mirror, we are each pleased with what we see -- a good person to know;
radiant, alive, lovable.
One hour 26 minutes later, we each take 2C-B: Jean 16 m.g., I take 20 m.g. As it comes on, I feel more expansive. Jean notices no difference from the MDMA state. We become quiet and listen to music. Outdoors the mountains are exquisite, resplendent with radiant light. The clouds are unusually beautiful with a softness and tenderness not encountered with other substances. At times things become very bright. I feel close to a deep level of love, but do not break completely through. The experience is not as profound as some. Listening to music is very compelling. Jean has never responded so completely. I find the 2C-B more opening than MDMA; it is easier to contemplate a variety of subjects. The price for me is a diminution of the deep bliss and sense of wholeness. Outdoors it is easy to get absorbed in plants, the details of nature. I am swept away by a beautiful, transcendent feeling. Late in the afternoon I note a change in the character of the experience. Earlier I felt that using volition, like consciously turning on love, was followed by an inner emptiness. During the descent I find volition helpful in changing the character of the experience. I can move to a higher level and feel bliss and love, which drains away inner tensions and discomforts. [From subsequent training in meditation, I surmise that I "built up merit," or having cleared away some inner obstacles, I was freer and had more energy to direct volition. At the time of this experience I preferred not to deal with the uncomfortable feelings that were surfacing.] In late afternoon I went for my mile run. The first half was very difficult. But the body responded and the second half of the run was blissful, leaving all tensions behind. Lovemaking that night was exquisite. The days following the experience were the best part. This is quite different than with other substances. Despite the experience not being particularly outstanding in profundity, there developed a feeling of inner strength and stability as though important interior changes had been achieved. 2C-B yields a very benign feeling and deep euphoria that seems quite special. It feels very friendly, and makes all the world appear friendly. Two days after my body feels light and cleansed. I have an eagerness to accomplish things, and experience a marvelous inner peace. In the evening, awaiting the arrival of company, while looking at the mountains and listening to music, I move into an elevated experience as profound as any during the journey itself. It is an even better feeling, as there is no inner tension or feeling of having taken a drug. We had received information that when following MDMA with 2C-B, there was a tendency for the two drugs to cancel each other. So in the following experience, three months later than the one reported above, we purposely left a longer time interval between the ingestion of the drugs.
Jean and I take 120 m.g. of MDMA. We have our usual joyful experience. We realize
that we need to do this, just the two of us, more often. We take a 40 m.g. supplement at
1-1/2 hours. We clear up many things in our relationship.
We purposefully wait 2-1/2 hours before taking 2C-B. Jean takes 16 m.g., the same as before; I take 25 m.g. Jean reports that the MDMA and 2C-B experience are all one. Then she notices that the 2C-B enhances taste; her mouth is more alive. Things separate out more. The experience continues to gather momentum. There is a gentleness, softness, subtlety to 2C-B. I feel that it will not be abused, as you have to learn how to turn it on. Otherwise you might not find much. As we walk outside everything becomes intensely bright with brilliant colors. We enjoy the breeze, the clouds, the vistas of the mountains. The more we pay attention, the more magnificent it is. It doesn't have the intensity and clarity of LSD, but offers much more tenderness and inner wholeness. The intensity of the experience continues to develop for two full hours, at which point it is very potent. We find lovemaking exceptional, bringing closeness and fulfillment without orgasm. Afterwards, sitting on the deck, it is most enjoyable to simply observe the sky, the clouds, and the mountains. Being still and letting go heightens the joy. There is a strong sense of Presence, not as intense as with LSD but in some ways warmer and more meaningful. All senses are turned on, which brings delight to eating and enjoying music. The aftermath of this experience was the best thus far. The following day there is an all-pervading feeling of gentleness, kindness, and inner meaning. Inwardly I feel strong and solid, like it isn't going to go away, as the LSD exalted feeling sometimes feels. I feel a powerful change. Three days later I still feel it deeply, with much inner strength. A drive to a neighboring town two days after the experience is like a continuation of the session, with enhanced colors, beauty, and that pervading feeling of softness and gentleness. The third night I am still feeling +1 (see rating scale in Appendix II). Supplementing with 2C-B certainly dispels the lethargy that tends to develop following MDMA alone. This combination, with time between ingestions, is excellent. The relationship between Jean and me has greatly improved, with real closeness, tenderness, and understanding. We are holding onto it better than after any previous experience.
Another trial: Jean, on 120 m.g. of MDMA followed by 20 m.g. of 2C-B at 2 hours.
For the first time she becomes her spirit. Now she knows what everyone is writing about.
What utter exaltation, peace, sense of infinity and eternity! She knows she will be all right no
matter what happens to this planet.
a. 120 m.g. of MDMA followed by 40 m.g. supplement, followed by 2C-B: Jean 20
m.g.; Myron 25 m.g.; couple 30 m.g. each. Jean feels she has a bit too much; it became
jangling, confusing, more like LSD. She enjoys the group very much. The couple felt that
the 2C-B is more centering than LSD and like the feeling of inner wholeness. They feel it
permits resolving more of what is going on in your life; it addresses more where you live. But
it did not have the profound opening of the center produced by MDMA. After three days
together we all felt centered, strong, relaxed, and with all of our problems resolved.
b. Sabrina and Weldon. Weldon is a good friend we have been working with for several months. He is deeply interested in spirituality, and committed to personal growth. He is a very complex person and has some serious emotional disturbances. We agreed to a series of six MDMA sessions with him. Although there was much learning, he was very subject to upheavals from his unconscious, which manifested in a great variety of imagery and disturbing thoughts and feelings. Sabrina is an attractive girl of 36. She had numerous psychedelic experiences in her younger days, but has not explored for several years. She is anxious to try the new substances. Weldon hopes that the addition of 2C-B and the support of his girl friend will yield greater progress.
We take 120 m.g. of MDMA, followed by 2C-B: Weldon 12 m.g. (because of his very
unusual sensitivity), Sabrina 18 m.g., Jean and I 20 m.g. Sabrina lights up dramatically with
MDMA, becoming a happy young girl, full of life and spirit. She feels the 2C-B a
continuation of the MDMA experience.
Under the 2C-B, Weldon develops a feeling of well-being. He is able to pass through and discard the kinds of disturbances that have bothered him in past sessions. He feels stronger, and that he has made much progress. The feeling of solidity and euphoria grow throughout the day. We experience exceptionally close bonding, and all have a marvelous time. Sabrina dances beautifully to Japanese music; we enjoy musical selections. That evening an excellent recording of Christmas music drives home deeply the experience of Christ Consciousness and what it means for the world.
Many experience under the influence of psychedelics what appears to be past lifetimes. Whether these are actual or the mind's symbolic way of portraying dynamics is difficult to prove. To the one who experiences them they seem very real, as in the second session reported below. There are a number of therapists who practice Past Lives Therapy. The premise is that the patient's problems arise from an event in a previous lifetime. Even though I am personally convinced that reincarnation is real, and have gathered data for other writing which makes a strong case for it, I prefer to hold an open mind and be aware of alternate interpretations of experience. The human mind is enormously creative, and under appropriate circumstances can create intriguing, sharply detailed events that carry powerful feelings of authenticity. Research with hypnotized subjects reveals how readily good subjects may be suggested into a particular time and place, and begin to describe people, events, costumes, and environments appropriate to that time and place. Whether or not Past Life therapists are able to get their clients to actually experience past lives, I have always thought that it is a very useful mechanism. This is because it allows the client to search his/her unconscious for the source of the problem without having the burden of responsibility for acts in this lifetime. Once the problem surfaces and is acknowledged as having occurred in the past, it is easier for the client to deal with it. When resolved, then the implications for this lifetime can be addressed. So regardless of the authenticity of past lifetime events, two experiences described below illustrate how they may surface in a psychedelic experience:
a. On 120 m.g. of MDMA followed by a 40 m.g. supplement, then 30 m.g. of 2C-B:
The male subject feels he has experienced a previous lifetime. He reviewed the akashic records
to see where he had gotten off the path to enlightenment. He felt there were three
lifetimes where he might have made it, but didn't. They were all similar, and he failed in the
same way each time. This was by trying to be the good guy, bringing in light and love. But
he had never been strong enough to prevent being overcome by evil-doers. So he felt
betrayed. Now he is afraid to expose his feelings as they will be used against him. He must
be wary of people.
b. Another experience involving past lifetimes. Experiences with sacramental substances can take many different turns. The combination of a special group of people, and a particular agreed upon direction, can strongly influence the nature of the experience and the outcomes. This journey is with a person well experienced in using sacramental substances, and highly motivated in a spiritual direction.
We start with 120 m.g. each of MDMA. I am suddenly hit very hard, going into instant
euphoria. It's my most sudden takeoff to date. We agree to an interior experience, and the
three of us -- Jean, our friend, and I -- lie side by side on a bed, listening to Kitaro's Silk
Road. This is my first interior journey with MDMA, a process which I find very much
intensifies the experience. It is outstanding, the music exquisite, and we have profound, elated
feelings. Compared to the usual experience, it is more intense and compelling. However, it
doesn't last as long, as this process seems to "use up" the substance. In an hour I feel I am
coming down, though I feel at peace.
We take 2C-B two hours later, Jean 20 m.g., our friend and I 25 m.g. We continue to listen to music. The experience reaches the peak obtained with the MDMA, and then goes even deeper. I see the most beautiful visuals I have ever seen with 2C-B -- they have a softness and gentleness characteristic of this material. Letting go to the experience is a superb feeling, regardless of the content. At times I go through pain, but it doesn't matter. I simply accept it as part of the flow. The music gets more and more compelling. Suddenly I am overcome with deep, intense anger. I am so angry that killing means nothing. I experience myself as as brutal captain, like Genghis Khan, leading hordes on horses and killing people right and left. The depth of my anger makes it easy to reach out and kill. There is even satisfaction in destroying others. I laugh contemptuously at pain and death as I urge my men on. My anger is finally spent; then I see that the life I am now leading is to help atone for this past behavior. I wonder about forgiveness; I see that even killers are forgiven if they can forgive themselves. This makes me think of Jesus dying on the cross to forgive our sins. It works if we can accept it in the depth of our being. Anything at all that we can use to get us to realize we are forgiven helps achieve forgiveness. These realizations make me feel much kinder toward Fundamentalist Christians. I wonder if I would die for others. I feel an enormous love for God. The only thing to do is love and live the truth when it is appropriate. If we are killed for the truth it's all right, since we are indestructible and will simply appear again in another body. At this time I feel myself slipping easily out of one lifetime into another, in a succession of reincarnations. As I focus on what is happening, it appears that the change-points are the most difficult, especially the birth process. I seem to have a difficult time with getting born. I postulate an easy birth and things get better. By mid-afternoon the music is superbly outstanding. Each instrument stands out clearly in magnificent harmony and melody. Love, beauty, euphoria overcome us all. I am feeling exquisite freedom and ecstasy, when all of a sudden I realize I have died! I laugh as I realize it is exactly as Jacob has described death. Jacob is an outstanding psychedelic therapist who has monitored over three thousand experiences. He claims that it is not a real death if you are trying to die and observe the process. With real death, you don't know you are dying until you are suddenly aware that you have died. Now it is clear that we can never die because we are eternal; we always have been and always will be. Death is an illusion. What dies is the pile of garbage from the past that I have been dearly holding onto. As I let this go, I can be completely here and now in the moment; this is being utterly alive. Words cannot describe the joy of this experience, or how marvelous it is to be free to flow with the music and whatever develops. Our friend is far, far out, experiencing himself as pure spirit. To talk, he reports that he has to come down through levels to get back to the viewpoint of his body. His mind is crystal clear and his perceptions extremely sensitive. As the experience draws to an end, I have a clear, profound view of honesty. I see more clearly than ever before how easy it is, after such experiences, to let the perception of who we really are fuzz up and return to old ways of perceiving, judging, and evaluating. This was an exceptionally outstanding experience, for which we were all truly grateful.
One important experience Jean and I shared with MDMA followed by 2C-B was with two young, very competent therapists. It was an outstanding experience, in which all participants fully realized the major attributes of these two substances. Our journey was greatly enhanced by the outstanding qualities of these therapists as persons and as skilled professionals. Because of their experience, the conduct of our session followed some fresh approaches. Here are some of the ways:
Chris and Kay strongly affirm and express the good qualities they perceive in each of us.
We feel their honesty, sincerity, and love. They also frankly talk in a loving way about
possible limitations they see in us. They are quite helpful and supportive in helping us find
improved ways of relating.
They comment on my way of being a loner and functioning by myself; Jean's way of working alone in the kitchen that makes it difficult for others to help. They are aware of unresolved areas within us, and keep us focused on it with questions. They support us with love and energy enhanced by touching, and are not satisfied until we break through to the essence of the difficulty. In keeping with the general development of the experience, we each in turn became the center of group attention until there is a breakthrough or new realization. The height of the experience for Jean and me comes when we realize how much we shut each other out and need to affirm each other. Chris states that there is a part of our partner that our unconscious recognized in choosing him/her for a mate. He and Kay have each made a commitment to affirm that part. When Kay asks Jean about her commitment to me, it becomes apparent that she has none, which was an extremely painful blow to me, to the extent that I cry deeply. This in turn opens a great flow of love between Jean and me. As we progress it becomes clear that the experience mounts in intensity as each person is real and creative; playing an old tape breaks the magic and progression. As we deepen and enrich communication, it results in an enormous flow of love and intimate closeness. I learn in a very concrete way how wonderful it is to share a problem openly and honestly and get the love and support of the group rather than trying to work it through alone. And how important it is when someone is transmitting to make sure the message is really received. Most of my life I have felt it quite sufficient to rely on the Inner Teacher, especially with the greater access provided by a good sacrament. But the Inner Teacher can work through many instruments, as was so aptly demonstrated in this experience. Wise, knowledgeable companions are an enormous asset on sacramental journeys.
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