I don't want to go

This tale involves one my favourite chems, 2C-E, a couple of beers and the acclaimed psychedelic film "Yellow Submarine" by The Beatles.

Released in 1968, Yellow Submarine is one of the most acclaimed works of animation from the psychedelic era. It is almost legendary in the use of music, story and colour; and it is still one of my favourite animated films of all time.

2C-E –strange and wonderful stuff

First act: 2C-E

 

I had already loaded a cap with 15mg of pure snow white 2C-E and ingested it in the late morning, as I had finished the chores in the house the next six hours could be spent in "lalaland": no meetings, no articles to write, no deadlines, nobody to mind. Bliss. Joy.

The first couple of hours were fun "come-up pleasure". Visuals, amazing music enjoyment. Very pleasurable trip with no noticeable ill-effects. Surfed the net. Watched a black and white film. Lounged around.

I'm getting thirsty and it's time to get something to drink.

Second act: two beers and Yellow Submarine

 

As it was a hot summer afternoon, at T+3:00 I drank the two beers in a relatively short time, and then started watching Yellow Submarine –a thoroughly fascinating film whilst in a "different existential mindset".

The colours and the animation –even with the stereotypical psychedelic constructs of the 1960's– are absolutely brilliant and the music of The Beatles in the film is intense and very emotional.

"The Blue Meanies" – the villains of Yellow Submarine

Things were going well and I was glued to the screen with a perma-grin for almost the whole movie – until close to the end when one of my favourite numbers comes up: the end of the "Blue Meanies" when The Beatles perform "All You Need is Love"

Mesmerised and with the fully-dilated eyes glued on the screen, I went into a trance –I was very, very close to nirvana– and thought to myself in a comforting and almost loving way... "this must be a beautiful way to go once your number is up"

Bad move

 

Suddenly an intense panic attack came over me.

For a split second I felt I was drowning. I was agonising. I could feel my heart racing almost out of control –the ugly feeling of asphixia and panic you get when desperately trying to reach for air in a nightmare.

My experienced and fried brain went into "support mode" and I almost robotically switched the TV off, closed my eyes and –whilst still looking at all the closed-eyed visual fractals and spinning artifacts– started breathing deeply and evenly to calm down.

I thought about the cause of the unexpected bad funk. Because once you get it out of your system, it's gone forever and the trip can be turned around.

In my altered mind, the thought of "this must be a beautiful way to die" was transposed to "you are dying now" –and my primal survival instincts had kicked in, no doubt influenced by the copious 2C-E and boosted by the two king-sized bottles of beer.

I decided to kill off the trip with a couple of Valiums and a cold shower. Some coffee and rest, whilst listening to light classical music. That did it and by nighttime I was feeling exhausted but in a serviceable condition.


The moral of the story: even in a perfect set and setting you have to be careful. Even happy thoughts can hurt.

2C-E

2C-E; 2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylphenethylamine. C12H19NO2

Alexander Shulgin said that 2C-E was "a difficult and worthwhile material" for researchers. And he also included it in his magical half-dozen. I humbly agree with his learned opinion: 2C-E is one of the main weapons in my arsenal of the mind. And I truly respect it.

A white powder with an unctuous consistency, not dissimilar from talcum powder -or even graphite powder, if you could imagine graphite to be snow white. Even when dry, 2C-E has a tendency to cling on all sorts of absurd surfaces: the baggie, the measuring utensils, the table. Everything.

Strangely in me, insufflation produces the strongest effects - it hits me within 10 or 15 minutes; as if someone had boxed me in the ears. The come up phase starts very quickly soon after, and I feel as if I am a passenger in a high-speed lift.

I feel the pain while getting there. 2C-E is a painful snort and during the first few minutes, I feel the waves of pain radiating from my frontal sinuses through the rest of my face. But it can be done -rest assured- and very soon the pain turns to pleasure.

The experience lasts six hours when administered orally. Maybe four hours insufflated. I have experimented with rectal administration only once, it was very uncomfortable.

Dose ranges, oral, milligrams (male, 90 Kg)

• Light: 5 to 11
• Mid-range: 12 to 24
• Strong: over 25

2C-E is very sensitive to dosage and its effects are not linear - 30mgs will not give you a trip twice as hard as 15mgs. It might be three or four times stronger. Or you could trip for two days straight.

I have also read about people that are very sensitive to it - in fact, I have seen my dear better-half take a light dose of 2C-E and go through a very unpleasant full-blown psychedelic excursion.

2C-E mixes well with MDxx, methylone, 2C-B, and other phens. In my opinion -and like most other phens- it does not mix well with tryptamines. The combo of 2C-E and methylone works remarkably well in me.

You have to respect 2C-E. Know yourself, your dose and your mind. This is strong stuff.