opiates and spiritual experiences?

[Forthesevenlakes]

Its common knowledge that psychedelics are capable of inducing spiritual and religious experiences in users. SWIM is wondering if anyone has had the experience of an opiate, normally more of a 'body high' drug, inducing something of the same nature. Not necessarily hallucinations, but a feeling of contentment and one-ness with the universe above and beyond any kind feelings an opiate would normally cause.

SWIM has had one such experience, and wonders if this phenomenon has happened to anyone else.

About a year ago, when SWIM was using opiates daily, he had been wearing a 100 mcg/hr fentanyl patch. He had not taken any other drugs in 24 hours prior to the experience. After about 8 hours of wearing the patch, he began to feel the familiar opiate euphoria building into something unfamiliar, but pleasant. Emotionally, he felt similar to a 2nd-plateau DXM trip, characterized by an almost religious sense of joy, that perhaps he was feeling the presence of a higher power (normally SWIM does not adhere to the belief of a higher power intervening in peoples lives directly). When his thoughts turned to his friends and loved ones, he was able to see a spark of divinity in them too, and felt that a sort of divine intelligence was operating in them. He even had a quote from the bible, "and you will know the peace which passeth understanding" spring to his mind, and normally SWIM does not think about bible quotes whatsoever. Physically things were quite normal for SWIM, he did not have respiratory depression, did not experience any discomfort, etc., but the experience stood out because of its intensity (he's never had another experience like this with an opiate), and its duration (about an hour and a half of this sensation).

So, SWIM is wondering if anyone has had an experience like this, and if theyd share it! To this day SWIM isnt sure if this was due to opiates, or some kind of hallucinogen flashback, since he had used a good share of DXM and mushrooms in the past. SWIM probably wont try to repeat the results of this experience, but he's certainly glad it happened, and actually found himself treating his fellow man in a better and less judgmental fashion afterwards.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

[Bajeda]

Swim finds his spitiuality increases with some opiates as the general sense of euphoria and well being along with the decreased outside input make him very contemplative and happy. This tends to make him think more about higher powers and especially nature and its cycles.

Swim hasn't experienced anything like swiy described though. That sounds more like a psychedelic type experience.

Reputation Comments on this post:

nice response, good to know swim isnt alone

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by Bajeda

This tends to make him think more about higher powers and especially nature and its cycles.

Swim hasn't experienced anything like swiy described though. That sounds more like a psychedelic type experience.

Yes, SWIM has also found himself thinking about natural processes and themes of death/rebirth before, but swiy is right in that it did seem utterly psychedelic at the time, which is why it surprised him so much that he had the experience. He would rank that experience as being as profound as an intense mushroom or dxm trip, or even a salvia experience where swim has experienced a feeling of being at one with the universe. Thank you for the response!

Anyone else have anything like this happen to their lab giraffe or lab armadillo?

[Bajeda]

Swim knows a lab rat who has extensive experience with opiates. Swim will ask him about it and then get back to you.

[Bajeda]

Ok, swim talked to the lab rat with the heavy narcotics experience.


The lab rat told him that he can only really remember one experience with opiates that resembles yours, though it isn't quite the same. (*Note: This particular lab rat has done way too many drugs so his memory isn't that great. Still, swim believes him about this story as swim remembers the incident*)


The lab rat and swim were with a group of friends numbering about 10 or so. Everyone was rolling and smoking large quantities of spliffs. The lab rat and a few other guys disappeared into the bathroom for about 15-20 minutes about half an hour or so into the roll. They proceeded to snort quite a bit of heroin.

After they emerged from the bathroom the change in their roll was very evident. They all had redder eyes and were robbed of all their energy. They were very lethargic and unsocial after coming out.

The lab rat sat on a couch and sank into it. He felt way fucked and wasn't thinking straight. He remembered thinking that the entire thing was just a horrible idea, and then starting thinking about his drug usage. He was quite delerious at this point. He said that he had something akin to a psychedelic experience where he was lost in a web of mysts and didn't quite know what reality he was in. He said he sensed a divine presence in his head telling him to quit drugs and get his life straight. He said he felt as if it were God talking to him, though he didn't really see or hear anything, he just sensed the voice telepathically almost.

The lab rat quit drugs for a time after that, though he had a relapse in the future.

The lab rat couldnt remember any similar sort of experience using only opiates.


It would seem that maybe swiy's experience was just a simple anomaly. The setting and mood were right for a plus four trip, just as some MDMA rolls can be life changing and others can be just ok. In any case, swim is envious of swiy, and hopes swiy can replicate the experience again.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thanks for sharing that report.

[Forthesevenlakes]

great story! that is the kind of thing swim was wondering about. the experience of the lab rat sounds somewhat like an intense self scrutiny during an MDMA roll or a shroom trip, especially the part about God talking to him, and realizing he should change his life. SWIM would love to one day take an fMRI scan of people this has happened to while they are given a dose of opiates, and see if certain areas of the temporal lobe are more responsive to opiate doses than users who have not experienced such a thing. of course, maybe the user's prior psychedelic experiences could play a role also, in that it could prime them to be more receptive of spiritual phenomena than people who have not had a previous psychedelic experience.

thanks so much for that input. anyone else??

p.s. swim would love to repeat the experience..actually he has had a similar one while sober, but thats a whole other thread!

[enquirewithin]

thanks so much for that input. anyone else??

SWIm has never experinced anything he would call spiritual except for pleasant dreaminess and muted euphoria on opiods. Mostly SWIM used to find heroin rather dulling.

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by enquirewithin

SWIm has never experinced anything he would call spiritual except for pleasant dreaminess and muted euphoria on opiods. Mostly SWIM used to find heroin rather dulling.

oddly enough, so does SWIM. heroin is probably his least favorite. swim usually experiences dreaminess and euphoria with the opioids too, thats why that fentanyl experience stood out so much for him, he's still trying to figure out how it happened.

[enquirewithin]

^Curious! SWIm has tried a few opiates in the past, but not fentanyl!

[Love_N_Bruises]

Yes I definatly find my sprituality increases with them...I THINK so much more and feel so more open to believe...

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by Love_N_Bruises

Yes I definatly find my sprituality increases with them...I THINK so much more and feel so more open to believe...

any experience in particular stand out?

[Fantasian]

SWIF feels that the opiates put him in a state of total relaxation, this state just like yoga or meditation tends to be quite spiritual in his sense of feeling. SWIF has never had an experience like what you speak of though.

[machine_elf]

Originally Posted by Fantasian

SWIF feels that the opiates put him in a state of total relaxation, this state just like yoga or meditation tends to be quite spiritual in his sense of feeling. SWIF has never had an experience like what you speak of though.

SWIM would agree. SWIM uses opiates to achieve inner peace and to reflect on his inner thoughts and dreams much like the way he uses psychedelics. However, SWIM never warmed to opiates like pethidine, perhaps due to their pervading synthetic feel and action at the DAT.

I don't remember where but I've read that fentanyl can be hallucinogenic at high doses, but am not sure of the pharmacology involved. Maybe low affinity kappa opioid agonism that is only prevelant at high doses? Pure speculation, but a possibility.

[Ellis D.]

SWIM rat had to have testicular surgery and once the rat came to after surgery the nurse administered fentanyl IV, twice, upon request from the rat, as it kicked mucho asso. The nurse was naive or too new to realize that she squirted it into the bloodstream too fast and an amazing rush was felt. The rats consciousness quickly went from the uncomfortableness of the situation to the amazing glowing yellow light around him and warm glowing sensation in his body. The most tranquil peace known to exist flowed through the rats senses, making him nodd in and out of this bliss for about 2 hours...then they put Rat on IV drip morphine and gave him a perc lol..dunno why the perc. SWIM nor the rat has felt anything like this (except for first opiate experience with hydrocodone which also kicked ass). It seems sometimes experiences go bad or go really good..

[Pino]

Swim is not the spiritual type, but he had an interesting experience on kratom. He wrote this to me:

I have a statue of Sarasvati in my bedroom. It is esthetically pleasing and I have some kink with Goddesses. It is standing before a man high mirror on some sort of altar. I hadn't done any opiate for a while and I just wanted to do a relative high dose. Kratom isn't a strong opiate, but it is stronger than codeine. I dosed maybe 30 grams at once. I smoked some weed. After it started to work I started to nod. I had very nice dreams for a while. I laid down on my bed and at a sudden I saw the statue from a real strange perspective. I was laying on my back with my head lowered and Sarasvati moved her arms above her head, sparkles came from her hand. And while she was moving them to her belly, a rainbow was created between her hands. She began to walk and the whole room was gone, the whole scene was in the open air like on a bad weather day. The mirror was also kinda strange. I only could see clouds in it, passing quite fast. Like you see in films. Not my own reflection of the one of Sarasvita.

And then I thought, oh shit I forgot to breath. It was a bit of a pity, the experience stopped there. I have been a while a little cautious around the statue. It was really dreamlike.