1950's LSD Experiment - Artist

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] LSD was isolated by stulen Hoffman in a Santos pharmaceutical company of Basel Switzerland when in 1943 Hoffman became temporarily psychotic to accidentally ingestion of the drug the door swung wide open for research into the nature of the schizophrenic process and in a larger sense into the biochemistry of psychosis TV's Paul Coates of confidential file undertook to film a model psychos in our laboratory in an attempt to impress upon a public through a case of artificial insanity that the mentally ill is not inhabited by the devil the battery of psychological tests compressed into four short hours will not be shown here our attention will be focused on the experiences of our volunteer subject till 12 o'clock and we're ready to start this experiment I'm going to give you this cup that contains lysergic acid 100 microgram would you drink [Applause] how did it taste had no taste how did it look colorless now would you tell me your name please William a lark and what is your address three five four oh the paseo los angeles 65 and you rage 34 I would like to ask you to describe me your profession I'm an artist painter that's true yes so suppose we're going to ask mr. Coates to come in here and act as the subject and mr. Montero technician will give us your equipment sugar and you charcoal and here you are ready to go go fine bill go ahead oh thank you how's this I think it's good just look over this way so many of the changes produced by this drug have to be described verbally and here we have the advantage of an artist who is able to draw a sketch and you can see all the changes just by simply observing the various distortions that will take place in your own portray just about right well as far as I can go without distorting - all right I'll let you see it let's show it to Paul that's an excellent light 12:17 this is a good time to do the control EEG so we go next door in less than two hours LSD will reach its climax in most subjects the Alpha Index drops and the frequency analyzer will show the gradual emergence of the fast frequency bands single light flash will block the alpha waves for at least twice as long a period as it does now it will modify each time the visual illusions bill is expected to see as he lies in a dark age with his eyes closed EEG abnormalities in a clinical sense are not expected now we'll go back to the other room before he sits down he remarks that he begins to walk on air here and they're forced irrelevant giggle how I feel well I feel very fine I feel very light and resilient feel so this chair is not solid as it seems to be I have feeling that my hands are are not resting against this chair and I see flashes of color quite a bit I I see this rug for example seems to have an awful lot of compliments of violet and yellow I see a lot of violets and yellows do you know what the exact color of this rug I assume that it is grey could you assume that it was good yes all right do you find any difference between one half of your body as opposed to the other hand well I have a sort of a wavering tendency I don't know which half is trying to get into the other half but somehow or other and I seem to be going like that one half a very pleasant feeling of nausea and I why do they laugh just because the rug seems to be billowing pulsating can you influence that pulsation hold your breath for instance take a deep breath hold it did you stop the pulsation more or less I bleed out will you change again well just it gets cool clever that's all clever yeah in what way does well it comes clever it seems to feel that I'm going to watch it you can have you have the feeling that the rug feels that you are watching it is that correct well somehow other I think that I'd like to rescue myself from the idea that there's so many different realities here somehow I feel and observe and feel as all these people are observing me and very amused and very good company but at the same time I feel as though I'm in more exalted position if he sorry for me that I'm left out of this experience what I have a feeling that you're enjoying it with me well I am enjoying it in a sense yes would you give me a description of the first thing that you see with eyes closed and then later on I will hand over a drawing board and try to draw a sketch of it all right now close your eyes first close your eyes now what do you see go ahead you can open your eyes if you want to draw it this is purple isn't it no it happens to be black you see it purple yes well this is just a chart cool look at it well of my mind's eye no I see this charcoal yes we all have it is sort of that disillusioning I see because in every Air Force it seems to me see I should like to find the words because I can ordinarily find them but it seems to me that what to my I can't seem to want to say what I want to say and there are times when I feel exactly what I I know that I know what I'm doing see oh oh I do somehow rather I can compose this as well as I ever did see why do you do that No well the square is the ordinary rectangle you see it's one of the perfect means I know what are you trying to reassure yourself that you're capable of lies yes I think that's what I would like to do I'd like to find out what reality I'm in 137 by now he loses the feeling that his body has substance he ate his last meal 20 hours ago but food holds no interest for a very fine and of course I don't think you can take much credence to what I say because it's the shifting patterns of things I feel and see around me are I do not know what part of what reality again I this feeling comes over me of almost like the singing you know of angels or something I think it's the soundtrack or the film going through thee the machine which which which makes you feel as if you were hearing the thing of angels yesterday and in murmuring finally you got no breakfast you said no we're supposed that we serve you something to eat no because you've been fasting long enough so mr. Mantha would you bringing me lunch well I really you know I couldn't eat that it seems repugnant realistic well you you told me not long ago that you were hungry of what what I'm hungry for is not this sort of thing because I want a feed off of of this feeling of joy which seems to be coming from everything but somehow I don't seem like I myself I feel as though I'm several other people and all of them better and all very benevolent I mean even I feel about that that I'm not being by us I'm not describing the word benevolence the way I mean it well returning back to the lodge I don't feel at all like eating at all no not at all about drinking something you might know I feel that I'm perfectly adequate I mean I could take care of myself no on I have no hunger my sensation is is perfect I mean it's just a wonderful state but I understand that you had nothing to eat now it's one o'clock in the afternoon and you're nothing to eat since last night when you had your dinner don't you think it's about time to eat something well I generally don't eat in the mornings and well this is no longer the morning this is already want p.m. Oh might be maybe I shouldn't you just taste it and maybe you maybe you would like why don't you just take a stab at it well taste at least this malted milk oh and even in such a wonderful situation why should you try to improve it well you tell me just a few minutes ago that you were thirsty how come that you don't feel like eating at this time I know but I can see the value of that but youyou don't understand the value of the experience it's tough you want to have it continue Oh in other words our conflict is that I want to limit this and you want this and I was able to go on and on and on yes well suppose you just taste this malted milk here just to give me an idea whether you have any particular distortion in sensation I see what you mean yes you want to experiment what I want to know what it is any particular feeling connected with it hmm the same distortion you get through throughout the whole experience [Applause] such as what well up sided and you don't seem to be feeling with your whole body you seem to be feeling it with a horn likeness things seem to be a taxing in I seem to be listening to myself and being you the audience listening to me what about the taste does it taste like the anticipated taste of the chocolate malt yes it does all those things are so well known that there's no sense in doing them I mean the fact that I would never eat a hamburger because it's so vulgar you've had a hamburger what would you like to eat if you had a choice well what I would like to eat nothing I have no this side I feel physical again and I think this is a bad thing you'd prefer to feel that joy that joy which gives me a feeling of anxiety at the same time why does it give you because it seems to want to take me over to Marseilles and I don't wanna let myself go do you think that it can happen that you let yourself go and it seems so ecstatic and perfect that perhaps I can and I don't want to suffer the consequences it would be the concert that's an interesting question well let me you see right now that tonight you are going to go home eat your dinner and he will look back upon this experience it was perfectly all right your same old self and in a few hours this whole feeling leave you as I have told you before we have the feeling that this whole experience of yours has a special meaning to the onlookers and the crew are taking this thing yes what kind of a meaning I feel as though there's some very definite driving meaning in it and is there a spiraling arrow going to its mark and I feel that everyone here is conscious of that feeling is it some sort of an influence yes one more question you heard that before do you wish like eating something are you know the whole good thank you ha thank you two o'clock he is now flying high we're getting ready for the second drawing please note that he does not see the difference between the two pictures well at this time I don't have any conception of time passing and we will make it guess she I can't make any any guess at all really meaning well what time were you supposed is right at 3 o'clock what 3 o'clock well you're only one all wrong in this instance I did you say that before well at that time too you were one all wrong that's that drug has still a good effect on you it would be important that you would now listen to snake backward in time like a mirror repeating itself or something well if you feel that way it does anyhow what I would like you to do now is to draw another picture of Paul just like I did before and while you're doing that if you want to say something you pulled out of here how does your left arm feel while you're doing this it feels very good justifying this you have that pleasant feeling that you discard before yes I still have it I'll never get over it it's something you'll never be the same what do you see here I see a lot of gentleness and what else well no beauty this is a general feeling when you look around yourself is that correct here now you're getting emotional again now look at look at the picture now look at the picture look at it and just concentrate on the eyebrows that's where you were just look at it you said it takes about five minutes isn't it correct five minutes come on not concentrate you have the feeling of reality when you look at this paper you hold a pencil in your hand no yes no I don't listen no it's correct all right now let's go on okay then we can move on good for model yeah and wait all this time for this that's fine do you find it easier to draw this picture or a little more difficult it's it's a lot of fun just about right you suppose you take a look at these two pictures and compare them and let's see if you have any comments very finished you see any big difference not really no really different the eyes for example are the same to me and the line of the nose is the same and the mouth is still sweet mouth okay okay 2:48 what follows now is called by Bill and messianic experience Universal love joy benevolence and above all the split between thought and feeling do you see a negative or a positive on my hand well it's a sort of an ethereal negative if it is there you a negative well it seems to have a Nimbus around it and Nimbus yes red violet blues now open your eyes they look at my face how does my face look to you at this moment all right you don't longer yellows a lot of yellows yes what else all right no it's a lot of greens the background is moving into your face I don't know how much I'm seeing around which I'm pretending to see because all of a sudden I see you sitting there and I don't see the background at all oh thank you then you see here some kind of a split yes between what you know you see and what you feel is yes I feel as though that I had a sort of an entrance into emotional life and yet I can't feel I'm sort of anxious about the reality of it this is there for a split between thought and feeling is that correct it seems to me that there is that yes mm-hmm now when you look at your hands do as I do close your eyes and just concentrate on your hands is there any difference in its weight and its substance distressing behavior the next one seems he seems more positive then there are the other things more there it is I feel these lovely colours vibrating all over me oh it's lovely any lines any forms just like the shimmering of water you know you can put your hand down oh come on discard it you feel happy now do you feel happy oh you must be because you have tears in your eyes oh is that a beautiful experience would you say I would say yes describe it again oh I shouldn't know hmm it's just giving and you're doing fine just try to describe it what happens when I do this oh nothing much except that sort of getting somewhere you interrupted it I see it sort of irritating in a way I suppose I know what I thought it maybe we can be because this experience was getting to be a little overwhelming is that right well I wouldn't say I like to keep it up to5 this is where the LSD effect usually goes into a decline but bill is still addict but such a benevolence what do you mean I feel very benevolent I mean I feel as though and I have no enemies in the world and this is very lovely do you feel very gradual delicate lovely and goes in comes you know I mean that one stayed there that was only I never experienced anything like that it's marvelous on the whole do you feel happy or do you feel I feel so happy what happened to this feeling messianic aiming that you described before I feel that it's if that's what I described that I feel is very valid yes but well do you still have it as strongly now as he had before was it weakening its weakening I suppose or it's becoming more well defined as both we have the general feeling though that you're coming down to earth yes I do one last burst of ecstasy at the end of this hour he noticed of the weight of his mic the sweat off his shirt the stomach that was empty he asked for food a grand use delusion implanted upon the loss of body feeling was over [Music]

Channel: Troy Baverstock

Views: 4,364,479

Rating: 4.9439287 out of 5

Keywords: LSD, Psychology, Experiment

Id: ydor_2TaoMg

Length: 23min 57sec (1437 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 22 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/kitties_r_cute]

That doctor is so annoying with his persistent questions. I feel bad for the guy, he wasn't getting a chance to just enjoy the experience!

[u/[deleted]]

I love that feeling where you just laugh/cry in awe of the beauty that you see when you close your eyes on a peak. I cant even imagine what it must have felt like to be berated with questions and clapped at during that experience though.

[u/bmxludwig]

That doctor acts like an asshole. Definitely not a good trip buddy.

[u/jbw10299]

When the doctor clapped at him I wanted to go into a time machine, go back to that moment, slap the doctor across the face and let the man enjoy his moment.

[u/carters_here]

I would love to know what happened to William Malark after this video and his experience with LSD. I googled his name and only found it attached to this video. I would be interested to see some of his work post-LSD experience.

[u/infineks]

That guy said some pretty interesting stuff haha. It's too bad the doctor was treating it like a hardcore interview, but still, it was pretty interesting.

[u/[deleted]]

So awesome. Pretty sweet piece of old film. Funny the history around this. Thanks for sharing!

[u/elderos]

After watching this, I, too was inspired to record a track! i saw god in the ceiling

[u/5keod]

Is this Bill?:
WILLIAM M MALARK
SS#: 108-12-2222 DOB: October 4, 1916 (Bill answered "34" when asked his age)
DOD: May 28, 1994 age at death 77 years
Last Residence: Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, NY 13669
Source: http://www.faqs.org/people-search/malark/