The Doors of
Perception is a 1954 book by Aldous Huxley detailing his experiences when taking
mescaline. This short book
is considered to be one of the most profound studies of the effects of mind-expanding drugs and what they teach about how the mind works.
The title comes from William Blake''s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell:
"If the doors of
perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern."
Psychedelic drugs are thought to disable filters which block or suppress signals related to mundane functions from reaching the conscious mind. In this book, Huxley explores the idea that the human mind filters reality, partly because handling the details of all of the impressions and images coming in would be unbearable, and partly because it has been taught to do so. He believes that psychotropic drugs can remove this filter (to an extent), or "open these doors of perception." Huxley was administered
mescaline, and had an interviewer prompt him to comment on various stimuli around him, such as books and flowers. The conversation was recorded and the book mainly concerns Huxley''s thoughts on what he says in the recordings. He observed that everyday objects lose their functionality and suddenly exist "as such." Space and dimension become irrelevant, and perceptions seem to be enlarged and at times even overwhelming.