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Old 07-19-2002, 06:52 PM   #1
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Question Hallucinogens and blindness

O.K., I have a very weird question and dont know where else to ask it.

I would like to know if anyone here has any idea what would happen if a blind person was to ingest LSD or another hallucinogens.

Is it possible they could have "visions" even if they have never seen anything with their physical eyes?

The question is for some research I am doing, I am not supplying drugs to blind people.
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Old 07-20-2002, 05:34 AM   #2
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I'm unaware of any specific research applicable to you, but I think there's nothing that contradicts LSD producing 'visions' in the blind. After all, if it can affect the parts of the brain responsible for vision without actually supplying stimuli to the eye in normal people...
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Old 07-20-2002, 06:06 AM   #3
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It probably depends on whether the person is born blind or blind later in life. The effect of LSD should be similar to dreaming in humans.

Dream studies show that people who are born blind had no "vision" in dreams, only sounds and scents. On the other hand, people who are blind later in life could still "see" things in dreams.
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Old 07-22-2002, 05:05 AM   #4
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Yeah, fascinating subject. Cf. a recent article, in SA, or possibly that pop psych monthly, about contemporary USA guy , born blind then later as an adult (surgically) given some vision. Cf. also the NT gospel anecdotes about Jesus's miraculous(alleged) giving sight to one or more blind guys. (The most detailed and eensyteensily persuasive of these is in JOHN, I think; could be LUKE, tho...) The gospel anecdotes reveal the high IMPROBABILITY that the stories are "TRUE", because vision doesn't happen instantaneously like-that: it has to be learned. (My note here is tangential to your original post, sure.) Abe
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