Part 3 of 4: An Intense Experience

Be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 before proceeding, and keep in mind that these are my opinions — not facts based on scientific evidence or lab studies.

An intense Salvia divinorum experience can be incredibly disorienting. Dream-like hallucinations are common, and for a few seconds people may believe they are a different person, or in a completely different place and time. A common visual effect, is the perception of bright moving colors that spin and shift like a kaleidoscope, and completely fill a person’s field of vision. Extreme distortions in time are also common for people using Salvia divinorum. Someone may think that several hours have gone by, when in reality only a few seconds or minutes have passed. Experienced users are often able to remain calm throughout an intense experience, even if there is a mild amount of discomfort.

Intense visuals are generally considered a positive effect of Salvia divinorum, but the negative aspect is that some people feel lost or helpless while the hallucinations are occurring. Even when the person becomes aware of the fact that they are hallucinating, there isn’t really a way to end the effect — they just have to wait until the experience is over. Inexperienced users should try a lower potency of Salvia divinorum so that they are less likely to have intense hallucinations during their first experience. Most users, no matter what level of experience they have, are normally able to deal with intense visuals in a relaxing manner when they are in a calm, comfortable environment, and around the right people.

The strong effects of Salvia divinorum wear off in waves, and even a person who thinks they are starting to feel normal can be jerked in and out of hallucinations without warning. Usually, after ten to fifteen minutes, all of the intense waves will subside, and some of the milder effects described in the previous section will be felt. During the “coming down” period, it is nice to sit down, relax, and try to get a grasp of what has just happened. Some people report having headaches or stomach aches during this period, but they will usually feel better after 30 minutes to an hour. People should wait until they are sure the effects have completely worn off before they start moving around and trying to interact with society.

Immediately ater the effects have worn off, users can have some difficultly explaining or remembering everything that happened during the experience, because the effects are so far outside the realm of normal human brain activity. Once their mind has had time to process what happened, they will be able to explain things more clearly.

My overall conclusions about Salvia divinorum are in the next section.