CO2, a common denominator in altered states of consciousness - meditation, mesmerism, hypnosis, fakirism, ecstasy, anesthesia, near death experiences

[miquelangeles]

The most extensive CO2 research in the 20th century was done separately by Ladislas Meduna and Ernst Gellhorn in the context of psychiatric diseases, consciousness and autonomic physiology. Meduna was a professor of psychiatry and neurology and Gellhorn was a professor of neurophysiology.

But before Meduna and Gellhorn, Jean-Charles Herpin made the same observations in the 1800s.

This is an autotranslated excerpt from the book "De l'acide carbonique; de ses propriétés physiques, chimiques et physiologiques; de ses applications thérapeutiques comme anesthésique, désinfectant cicatrisant, résolutif, etc. (1864)": (page 197 - ANALOGIE AVEC LES PHÉNOMÈNES DU MAGNÉTISME ANIMAL.)

From the analogy of the phenomena of insensitivity, catalepsy, of ecstasy, obtained by animal magnetism or by hypnotism, with those produced by inhalation of carbonic acid.​

We think (1) that it is by means of carbonic vapors that the priests of antiquity produced the convulsions of Pythonesses responsible for making known the will of gods.

To render her oracles, the pythia mounted on a tripod placed above a crevice in the earth from which came thick vapors of incense and perfumes (2).

At Cumae, where resided the famous sibyl, oracle of Apollo, the earth still exhales today a great quantity of carbon dioxide.

"It seems almost certain today," says M. Girardin (1), "that it is by means of carbon dioxide that priests of antiquity determined the convulsions of pythia responsible for making known the will of the gods. This acid produces, moreover, the most varied effects and even contrary on the nervous system, because sometimes it causes violent spasms, and sometimes it seems to plunge the cerebral faculties in complete atony. “

The processes used by the sorcerers of Egypt, to obtain sleep accompanied by numbness, have undoubtedly has the effect of diminishing the normal exhalation of pulmonary carbonic acid and overload the blood with this gas.

“They order the subject to stare at the center of a crossed double triangle, drawn with ink in the middle of a perfectly white earthenware plate. —
Four or five minutes later, here are the effects that occur:
- subject begins to see a black dot in the middle plate; this black dot grows, a few moments later changes shape and produces different fluttering appearances before the eyes. Arrived at this point of hallucination, the subject often acquires somnambulistic lucidity (2).

“The fakirs of the great Indies fall into catalepsy in staring at the tip of the nose for a quarter of hour. At the end of this time, a bluish flame seems them appear at the tip of the nose, and soon catalepsy manifests. It's obviously to this cataleptic sleep that the Indian fakirs can retain, for such a considerable time, that these attitudes and these extraordinary poses that earn them respect and admiration of the multitude (1).

“The monks of Mount Athos throw themselves into long cataleptic ecstasies staring at the umbilicus, the ecstatic state can only be attributed to nervous sleep provoked in these monks by this singular contemplation.” (Mr. Bouchut, ibid.)

If you consider certain phenomena, certain states peculiarities produced by animal magnetism or by hypnotism, we are surprised to see that these phenomena have the greatest analogy, and even that they are identical, with those produced by the slow inhalation of the gas carbonic.

In both cases there is dilatation of the pupils; the sensitivity of the skin is reduced or even abolished; we can sting the subjects without them feeling pain; in both cases there is catalepsy, ecstasy, etc.

Would it be unreasonable to assume that the phenomena of animal magnetism and hypnotism are the result of an anesthetic state produced by the abnormal accumulation carbonic acid in the blood?

Indeed, the rest, the immobility, the sustained attention that subjects subjected to the action of magnetism are required to sleep resulting from this have the primary effect of slowing down the breathing movements, to determine an exchange insufficient gas in the lung and, consequently, to decrease considerably the amount of carbonic acid exhaled by breathing. — See pages 62, 69.

Then the venous blood incompletely gets rid of the carbonic acid with which it is overloaded. If magnetic sleep is prolonged for some time, the acid carbon dioxide accumulates in the blood, and then the blood which circulates in the arterial system loses its glowing color, he is incompletely revived and he no longer has the property to excite the nerve-centres, as demonstrated by Bichat, there is a decrease in vital properties.

Many experiments have proven that when the black blood, deoxygenated, overloaded with carbonic acid, arrives in the organs instead of red blood, there produces numbness, loss of contractility, anesthesia. (M. Robin.) — See pages 133, 136, 143, 168, etc

Animal magnetism, hypnotism, as well as procedures employed by the sorcerers of Egypt, the fakirs of India and perhaps the pythonesses, would therefore produce anesthesia, ecstasy and catalepsy, owing to the accumulation abnormal carbon dioxide in the blood, which then becomes unfit to maintain the vital functions of the system nervous.

We submit this explanation to the lights and the sagacity of physiologists; at least this hypothesis, based on physical and physiological facts, it can explain the phenomena of animal magnetism and of hypnotism which have so far remained unexplained eligible.

 

[BearWithMe]

There are so many gems in this short excerpt. Thanks for sharing!

 

[PeatBull]

Can confirm. Its de control of breath or lack of it, that gives me the altered states during meditation.

 

[TheSir]

Netflix had a documentary about DMT called The Spirit Molecule. But clearly CO2 is the true spirit molecule!

 

[miquelangeles]

And cave air naturally has higher CO2, probably why yogis and monks prefer to meditate in caves.

 

[PeatBull]

And cave air naturally has higher CO2, probably why yogis and monks prefer to meditate in caves.

Yeah, and under trees.