MAN IS PRIMARILY a visual animal, both in terms of vision's being his primary and generally most efficient way of perceiving his environment, and in terms of visual styles' influencing his thinking, imagining, and conceptualizing. Changes in visual experience while intoxicated on marijuana are thus of particular interest. We shall first consider phenomena related to visual perception of the external world, then those related to visual imagery and hallucinations.
Figure 6-1. PERCEIVED FOCUS OF THE VISUAL FIELD
Note.In interpreting the "How Stoned" graphs, note that the percentage of users plotted at each level is the percentage indicating that level as their minimal level of intoxication for experiencing that particular effect. Thus. a drop in the curve with increasing minimal level of intoxication does not mean that fewer users experience that effect at higher levels. but that fewer give a higher level as their minimal level for experiencing that effect. |
Figure 6-2. PERCEIVED COLORS WHEN STONED |
Figure 6-3. DEPTH PERCEPTION Note.For guide to interpreting the "How Stoned" graph, see note on Figure 6-1. |
Just | Fairly | Strongly | Very Strongly | Maximum | ||||||
| AURAS AROUND PEOPLE | |||||||||
HALLUCINATIONS | ||||||||||
FACES CHANGE | ||||||||||
PULSING OF VISION | ||||||||||
AURAS AROUND OBJECTS | ||||||||||
BLURRINESS | ||||||||||
JIGGLING OF DEPTH | ||||||||||
SENSUAL QUALITY TO VISION | ||||||||||
DEPTH MAGNIFIED | ||||||||||
MORE CENTRALITY OF VISION | ||||||||||
Flat quality to the world | ||||||||||
PERIPHERAL VISION CHANGES | ||||||||||
PATTERNS, MEANING IN AMBIGUOUS MATERIAL | ||||||||||
THIRD DIMENSION ADDED TO PICTURES | ||||||||||
VISUAL IMAGES AUTOMATICALLY ACCOMPANY THOUGHT | ||||||||||
VISUAL IMAGERY MORE VIVID | ||||||||||
NEW SHADES OF COLOR | ||||||||||
VIVID IMAGERY WHILE READING | ||||||||||
colors get duller | ||||||||||
CONTOURS GET SHARPER | ||||||||||
Just | Fairly | Strongly | Very Strongly | Maximum |
BACKGROUND FACTORS | EFFECTS | |
---|---|---|
More Drug Experience | More frequent: Sensuality of vision Auras, objects Auras, people Hallucinations Face changes More intoxicated for: Blurriness Pulsing of vision Peripheral vision changes More centrality of vision | Less frequent: Peripheral vision changes Less intoxicated for: Sensuality of vision |
Older | Less frequent: Peripheral vision changes Auras, objects Hallucinations | |
More educated | More intoxicated for: Colors duller | Less frequent: Patterns in ambiguity Sensuality of vision |
Males | Less frequent: Blurriness | |
Meditation | More frequent: Face changes | |
Therapy & Growth | Less frequent: New colors |