Frame's First Interview

[Tom Frame]

At the age of 61, I participated in my first published interview. I discuss my life, the intersection of magic and psychology and my ongoing study of the non-toxic, non-addictive, transformative compounds known as psychedelics.

I’ve never before described the losses and The Incident that determined the course of my pursuits. It felt good. I’m pleased with the interview.

I’ve received much positive feedback from the medical, psychology and psychedelic communities. But none from magicians. I’ve vacillated for several months whether or not to share it with you.

But my wife is away for a week. I’m home alone, feeling lonely and seeking connection.

So here is the link:

https://psychedelictimes.com/magician-t ... tom-frame/

If the Chief wants to delete this post, I understand.

If you don’t feel comfortable responding to this post, I understand. Just send me an email at tomframe1@comcast.net

I’d love to hear your thoughts and feelings.

[Dave Le Fevre]

The jaw-dropping question for me is wondering what sort of person thinks that it's ok to give sweets laced with LSD to a nine-year-old. I cannot conceive of anybody who's even vaguely human doing so.

[Tom Frame]

Dave,

The person who dosed me didn't think it was okay. They knowingly engaged in a twisted, malicious act.

To benefit from the magical, transformative effects of psychedelics, you choose to use them, maybe a few times a year, in a safe setting, with specific intent in mind. Dosing a kid, or anyone with psychedelics without their consent is reprehensible and sadistic. The victim can experience profound anxiety and terror, because they don't know what's wrong with them.

As a therapist, looking back, my perpetrator's behavior would easily satisfy criteria for Anti-Social Personality Disorder.

Part of me hates them for causing me to endure that temporary trauma.

Part of me thanks them for opening my eyes.

[Krenz]

They knowingly engaged in a twisted, malicious act

Being dosed is traumatic.

[Richard Kaufman]

Fascinating. Sorry to hear you went through that, Tom.

[Tom Frame]

Thanks guys!

[Tom Frame]

And lest we forget, the CIA paid John Mulholland to instruct the agency how to covertly dose unwitting citizens with psychedelics. And they did so on a considerable scale, with predictable, unfortunate results.

"With great power comes great responsibility."

When it comes to magic, presentation is everything.

When it comes to psychedelics, set, setting and intent are everything.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Thanks Tom, much respect.

[Tom Frame]

Jon,

Thanks for your thanks! Much respect back to you for your journey and your contributions to our beloved passion!

[Tom Frame]

I'm amazed and delighted by the positive input that I've received (primarily private) from my "scandalous" post. Thanks again.

One kind gentleman asked how I dealt with the trauma.

Here is my response.

"We all experience trauma during our lives. How we process the trauma determines if we are going to let it traumatized us or not.

"I focused on the positive aspects of the experience, not the temporary terror or the perpetrator. I became fascinated with the mind. I knew that there was a hidden, wondrous, magical realm within me, and all of us, that lies just below the surface of what we collectively call reality. Somehow, I chose to let that awareness empower and inspire me, instead of frightening and psychologically crippling me."

To paraphrase the Bard, " There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking [and feeling] makes it so."

[Edward Pungot]

I picked-up 2 books at the local thrift store a while back by Michael Pollan and Oliver Sacks that were great reads on this topic. They have a bit of Gonzo journalism in that they describe thier own subjective first-hand accounts of the experience. Then they turn to the science to make sense of what, where, when, and how.

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
2018

--------

Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks
2012

--------

Books on cognitive science also seem like another good place to look into that directly relates to magic as well.

[Tom Frame]

Hi Edward,

Thanks for your feedback. Both of the books that you cited are mandatory reading reading for anyone interested in this field.

I also highly recommend Dr. Carl Hart's recent, outstanding, conceptually game-changing book, Drug Use for Grown-Ups. He's a professor of psychology and a neuroscientist at Columbia University and he has conducted government-approved, controlled, empirically-sound research to support his ostensibly heretical thesis.

Buy it, read it, live it!