IV ““MescaL Psycuosis ”’ “Mais, ce qui est plus important, jecrois . . . c'est de connaitre Paction du poison sur la partie spirituelle de homme. . . . BAUDELAIRE. Our discussion has been chiefly con- cerned with the formal characteristics of the sensory and perceptual phenomena in the mescal state. If we now recall the fact that some investigators speak even of a ‘‘ mescal psychosis ’’, it becomes apparent that we have neglected important aspects of the psychological picture pro- duced by the drug. Thus for Beringer the three main constituents of the mescal psychosis are: 1, abnormal sensory phenomena; 2, a fundamental change in conscious states and attitudes; 3, abnormal emotional states. He empha- sizes the fact that these three “ funda- mental reactions’ may appear indepen- dently of each other. For a_ better understanding of the visual phenomena 97we shall now discuss some phases in the psychotic state as caused by strong doses of mescal. Undoubtedly in many instances the "subject faces not only an abnormal external world, but also an entirely changed inner world during the mescal state. He has to accept the fact that objective events as well as ego-conditions are changed. But how is he to accept this fact? How is he to react intellec- tually and affectively to these changes produced by an alkaloid? But his “normal” modes of reaction are also changed ; the question, therefore, reduces itself to a consideration of the various changes produced in “ ego ”’ and “ world’, in “subject ’ and “ object”, as well as in the subject-object relations. Thus we may observe a distortion of time and space, a modification in thinking and volition, disintegration on different levels of reaction, paranoiac reactions, delusions of reference and persecution, euphoria, and tendencies to “ identification". Only a few of these psychotic trends will be discussed here. 98Very often the subjective experience of “time” undergoes definite changes. There may be eg. “no time” or “eternity” or ‘‘a large, empty hole”. A given period may appear infinitely long or short. The time for answering a simple question may appear to extend over hours. Upon “concentration” it is in most cases possible to make fairly accurate estimates as to duration. Never- theless, the temporal appearance of real objects is frequently changed in a striking manner. The succession of visionary phenomena may also turn into an “ in- describably overwhelming complexity ” of a “ stationary presence’”’. Such para- . doxical states are often associated with the above described disturbances in the perception of movement. Here it is of interest that in one of Beringer’s subjects even the ability to imagine the movement, the successive appearance, of a given object was disturbed. Time distortion and disturbances of associative processes may go hand in hand. Instead of temporal continuity there is a series of disconnected situations 99