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Fantastic Light Show, Great Buzz, and More
2C-I
Citation:   Mark S. "Fantastic Light Show, Great Buzz, and More: An Experience with 2C-I (exp32849)". Erowid.org. Nov 13, 2004. erowid.org/exp/32849

 
DOSE:
20 mg oral 2C-I (powder / crystals)
BODY WEIGHT: 135 lb
I have taken 2ci about 15 times, and have gotten to know the experience quite well. Overall, I find it a lot of fun at safe dosages, long-lasting, great visuals, and not edgy or mentally confusing a la LSD. All of my reports are based solely on my own experience, unless otherwise noted.

Set & setting does not seem to be nearly as much a factor for this drug as say shrooms or LSD, since the mental trip does not rely on outer-stimuli as much for its direction, nor does it have a profound direction to begin with. My experiences with 2ci have been fairly consistent, varying only in the quality of visuals (probably the main focus of this drug anyway / reason for taking it).

I usually take around 20mg, but find that taking more results in an even more colorful and active experience. If I dissolve it in water and drink it, the drug hits faster than normal, usually within an hour, while normal consumption of the powder can take as much as 1.5 to 2 hours for the desired effects. I have snorted it several times, but find this rather unpleasant on the nasal passages (red / watery eyes, quite painful) as well as mentally jarring, since I come up much faster (30 min or less).

The first stage (30 - 90 min) is characterized by a stimulating buzz, similar to MDMA or mushrooms. It is centered in the stomach, and leaves me feeling warm and calculated in my movements, again like MDMA. As the drug acts on the system, the stimulating qualities of 2ci slowly come out, as it feels really good to exercise muscles / release tension. The buzz remains throughout until near the end of the experience.

The first visuals (60-120 min) are fairly typical, mostly waving / moving of flat patterned surfaces, similar to mushrooms. Carpeted patterns exhibit this in particular, and also begin to produce larger patterns seemingly super-imposed on top of the surface, as the brain begins to play with the existing arrangement of random particles that are on most carpets. These patterns often resemble symmetrical, pointed starlets similar to those found on Oriental rugs / Persian carpeting. At this point, CEV's begin to reveal themselves, not yet too complicated but still interesting, with slowly-blending colors into fuzzy shapes too obscure to recognize yet.

As the trip continues, the visuals become much more varied, depending on the dose taken. At 20mg, lighting begins to cycle from dark to bright, indoor or out. In dim-lit situations especially, the eyes begin to track images differently, and the world can come in like a shutter as the eye moves rapidly, each picture appearing like an updated one of the last. Trails of moving objects become apparent, and there is some blurring of colors. Colors in general become deeper and more vivid. Waves of euphoria begin to come, and one can almost feel the serotonin being released. When this happens, one's vision can be completely covered in a giant rainbow, very briefly, like it is washing over everything (very deep, definable colors), but this goes away as soon as it comes. Sources of light all stand out in the peripheral vision, especially colored LED's. Patterns on the ground / walls stand out, sometimes shimmering if there is a lot of repetition (i.e. brickwork, tiles, etc.).

At this stage, most of the visuals are 'tricks', often occuring at the edge of vision, disappearing when you look directly at it. Reflections off of objects, normally white light, appear as their full rainbow spectrum in the edge of the eye, but turn to normal once I look directly at it. CEV's are more defined, the colors much brighter than before. If I concentrates on them, I can begin to adjust characteristics of them (i.e. speed of how they cycle, when they switch, etc.) and the longer I spend on them, the more detailed they become. Focusing the eyes differently (while closed) will often reveal different types of patterns, and straining the eyes (squeezing really tightly) can produce even more vivid bands of color.

At doses of 25mg and above, all of these visuals increase in intensity, and new ones appear as well. Thin lines of rainbow begin to cycle over every object, especially those that contrast to the background (including words on a CRT or LCD screen). Textures on surfaces do not just melt around as before, but also pop out in 3D. Objects begin to pulse and breathe more, as rainbows continue to cycle over them. Closed-eye visuals are simply a marvel, and can become whatever the user desires, if worked hard enough. They are not as complex as full photographs inside one's head, as one cannot visualize the full spectrum of colors at once by just picturing something (besides rainbows).

If marijuana is smoked any time during the peak, the visuals are sent into a new level entirely that cannot be attained with just 2ci. Instead of colors and shapes, visuals now can be anything from cartoon figures to words rapidly appearing. Marijuana makes symbols appear out of nowhere, much more rapid than before. I now have enough neurons firing to picture just about anything I imagines. I can listen to a song, and internally visualize a WinAmp-style plug-in, changing it whenever I sees fit, synched exactly to the music. Picturing a word, for example, whenever I want to spell a word in normal living, will produce that word that I can now see, with any font or color I choose. Open-eyed is not drastically different, but all morphing becomes much more easy to control (not right after smoking marijuana, but after I have some time to play with the visuals). At times, I would have a whole pattern of INTRICATE gemstone-like projections and symbols cascading over everything, with my eyes open. This lasts for about 1 hour after smoking, depending on marijuana tolerance. Note: To produce these kinds of visuals, I need at least 25mg 2ci and some very potent cannabis.

Mentally (30-120 min and beyond), the brain begins to work faster, like any psychedelic. I am quite aware of my mental changes and activities. Instead of the trip taking on a deep psychological or ego-rooted meaning like LSD or shrooms, the trip of 2ci remains an electrical buzz of fast thoughts and insights. Self-examination and introspection is optional, and very possible if I choose, but I can focus on anything I want, and am rarely limited to one subject in particular. It is never out-of-control; instead, 2ci seems to give me an expanded mental control over these new thoughts (mostly observations), so that I always feels comfortable. This expanded 'awakening' that 2ci provides is not like other conscious-changing, word-defying psychedelics where I cannot hope to remember exactly what it felt like to trip, but is instead quite recallable. That said, the 'awakening' stage lets me ponder concepts, such as relationships, in a deeper and more complete manner, taking all factors into account that would normally be difficult to grasp at once. I come back with a better understanding of whatever I was pondering.

A word of caution: A few people I know who took 2ci were overwhelmed by the speed of their brain, and did not know what to do with their thoughts / knew what it all meant, but these people had almost no psychedelic experience to begin with.

Near the peak of the trip and beyond, my sense of reality begins to warp, and I am not as rooted to all the confines of standard reality. Anyone familiar with psychedelics probably knows of this feeling. 2ci exhibits this, but not to as great an extent as others.

Socially, 2ci is not a bad choice, although certain social situations can seem more demanding on the psyche. However, once I become more familiar with the trip, I can fall into social situations and forget completely about the drug. I was able to go to parties and clubs while tripping hard, and become one with the guests very quickly, while still have enough mental capacity to analyze the scene / make hilarious observations. I found myself laughing a lot on 2ci (not as much as shrooms), since many social habits of people would seem hilariously controlled compared to the mental freedom I was experiencing. I learned to love any social situation on 2ci, since its analytic properties let me enjoy the quirks that sometimes I would never notice / think of.

Going along with the stimulating properties of 2ci, sex is perhaps the greatest activity that 2ci can promote. Sexual drive / energy seems to almost double at times, although this is not consistent throughout the trip. Sometimes I would feel waves of sexual energy take over me, mixed with empathetic feelings closer to MDMA. Orgasm takes longer to reach, but this is a good thing, since the whole process is much more enjoyable and fulfilling. The waves of sexual euphoria seem to come around during the peak of the trip (2.5 - 3 hrs into it) and last for as many as 4 hours or more.

Taking 2ci normally lasts for 6-8 hours, but I last as long as 12 hours if I take enough, and smoke marijuana. If I take enough 2ci, certain CEV's will return whenever I smoke marijuana, as well as some of the mental trip, regardless of if I had any 2ci that night. I haven't had 2ci for over a month, but still get the fast, symbolic CEV's whenever I smoke, something that certainly never happened before. In addition, even if I don't smoke, I can get some textures to move around even when I am completely sober, although this is a very minor effect.

In conclusion, 2ci is a fantastic light show, a great buzz, and a terrific aphrodisiac. However, it sticks with me if I take enough, and I dont know if this is good for my health. I develop a fast tolerance, I gotta wait at least 3-4 days before tripping again, and more than likely I will need an increased dose to experience the same effects.

Exp Year: 2004ExpID: 32849
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Nov 13, 2004Views: 25,358
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2C-I (172) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Glowing Experiences (4), Various (28)

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