The Social Media Subculture Centred on Living in the Past

With TikTok now becoming people’s lockdown boredom eradicator and favourite pastime over the last year, Instagram has still managed to hold its own as a social media melting pot with roughly one billion users. It’s stood proud, tall and unmoved like a vast, ancient oak tree filled with little branches and diversions off into the eccentric, weird and wonderful. From the fitness side of Instagram to the cleaning side, there seems to be a community within a social media district for everyone. What started off as a photo-sharing app has become a colossal billion-user hub for some money-making factions. Some are a little less known but a lot more fascinating: Meet the social media subculture that’s centred on living in the past. 

Thousands of those users make up a little subculture on Instagram’s outskirts known as the ‘60s/70s community’ or ‘60s/70s revival’, using hashtags such as ‘60s’ and ‘70s’ to connect with other users exploring that mid-century neck of the woods. The ‘60s’ hashtag alone has 4.3 million user posts attributed to it.

Photo Credit: Alex Mason, Source: @a1exandra.rose on Instagram

Suppose you were to explore these hashtags on Instagram. You’ll not only be shown pictures of Bowie, Sharon Tate and the Beatles, but you’ll also be blitzed with white go-go boots, vibrant colours and a real feeling that you’ve wandered into an old archive of unknown authentic models from the time, but be fooled not. These are active modern accounts that are entirely based on the retro and vintage aesthetic of years that, more than likely, their grandmother’s would have lived through. 

So, already you may be thinking “how did a few decades from the past turn into a little subsection of the social media world?”. Well, this is a relatively new subculture of Instagram that has only formed within the last 6 years. Yet it is peaking now more than ever. Speaking to Alexandra Rose, a 21-year-old musician and Law student from the West Midlands, she reveals how she found her way into the community: “I have always been a lover and collector of 60s vintage fashion, music and memorabilia etc. and wanted to meet likeminded people out there who enjoyed the style and movement that I’m so heavily invested in.”

Alexandra then goes onto discuss the impact of a simple hashtag: “I saw others using the hashtag 60s and wanted to be part of their scene. I didn’t know how big it was until a month in I discovered so many accounts of likeminded people. People were very friendly, supportive and welcoming.” 

Many community members admit that their own political compass aligns with that of the 60s and 70s thus it has become a massive part of why so many people have grown to love this space. It’s almost as if Instagram is a new, modern medium of political self-expression and liberal thinking, becoming a powerful tool intertwined within the relationship between music, fashion and politics. Alexandra goes on to explain this: 

“I think the thing that’s so fascinating about the 60s was that it was a melting pot of new wave thinking. The whole movement developed not only because of innovators in music and fashion but also as a product of politics, women’s liberation, challenging class barriers, civil rights, lgbtq+ recognition, the pill, drugs etc.— every aspect and social norm changed in that time which is why I love its freshness so much. It’s all interlinked. It still has a long way to go, but the 60s marked the start of the revolution into liberal thinking.” 

20-year-old German Romance Languages and Literature major and active participant in the community since 2015, Selina, agrees with this by saying: 

“My political views are very leftist because there is so much injustice in the world—which I’m trying to change by protesting and helping out with election campaigns in my city. I really admire the hippie movement of the 60s and also the punk scene of the 70s so much because back then, the people weren’t as afraid of the consequences when they spoke their opinion on things that had to change.”

Just like in most tangible subcultures, this digital one has its very own icons. Users who are at the top of the social media hierarchy with thousands of followers. These are followers who become inspired by and mimic their content whilst communicating with others that do the same, thus creating a community. For this subculture, two of the biggest icons in the field are 24-year-old YouTube and Instagram star Devyn Crimson and 28-year-old fashion model Storm Calysta. Both of which are credited for their pioneering in the social media 60s/70s revival and known as the reason for why many people became so involved. 

Photo Credit: Devyn Crimson, Source: @devyncrimson on Instagram

Alyssa, who is 18-years-old and a high school senior from Canada, expresses her reasons for joining the community: “I always wanted to be an ‘influencer’ in the community. I started as most people did by following Devyn Crimson and branching off from there.” Selina also states that Devyn was one of her main inspirations, and from watching her YouTube channel, she decided to dip her toes into the community.

Devyn Crimson, who has an impressive 77k followers on Instagram and an even more impressive 101k subscribers on Youtube, explains how there was an already ‘vintage scene’ on Instagram in 2012, however under established it was in comparison to now: “There was already definitely something there when I joined, meaning following other vintage inspired creatives and posting my own vintage inspired photos. I was a sophomore in high school.”

Another icon in the community and mother of two with over 11k followers, Leah Horrocks, 29, (@70smomma) shared a similar experience as one of the ‘OG’s’ like Devyn, stating: “I made my account back in 2012. I’m not sure when the ‘vintage community’ started but I was in it from the very start. I’m one of the originals here.”

Devyn and Leah’s experiences are also similar in discovering and distinguishing their taste in music and fashion and how this developed online, sharing their love for creativity, colours and of course, bell bottoms.

Devyn reveals in our interview of when she began to notice her platform taking off: “Even at just 1k followers or so, which came kind of early for me for being a kid in small town Wisconsin, I was taken aback at the idea of anyone being interested in my life,” she continues, “…I really noticed it had the potential to be more than a hobby at least was when I was 19, working a job I hated for very little money. I really tried to put more energy into online stuff to see where it would take me.”

“I loved talking to people online, sharing life and creating art for others. I just want to be happy I have always said. Whatever I am doing, I just want to be happy doing it.”

Texas-based model, Storm Calysta who has almost a 55k following on Instagram, was happy to comment on both the growth of her audience and the growth of the community in general: 

 “I noticed a big jump in my audience growth during 2015 when I started doing modelling gigs and began sharing those photos to my Instagram. At the time, Instagram was still primarily a place to post cats and food pictures; very few people were doing the 60s/70s style revival at the time. People were intrigued when they stumbled upon my profile, thus resulting in my audience growing about 10k in a month.”

However, both Storm and others within the community claim that since the subculture’s growth, it has become infiltrated with lack of inclusion and over-saturation to the point that the roots on which the subculture has grown off of have been forgotten: “A big part of me misses it being more of a smaller niche because I feel like it’s a little oversaturated right now to the point where the history of the music, style and culture is being misconstrued from it’s highly important origins.” 

High school senior Alyssa is actually no longer a part of the community as of 2020 due to what she reports is because of a multitude of reasons but mainly racism and elitism: “The teenage mod group really made/makes me uncomfortable. Excluding minorities from the conversation and having this snootiness and arrogance about them. I won’t name names, but when I check up on them, they’re the same. You’re 16 and have 10k on Instagram; you’re not Beyoncé. Plus, whenever they got called out on fatphobia, they were really fake and defensive, which didn’t sit right.” 

This is to be expected in a community that has surged so quickly in such a short number of years. The larger a community, the more differences in opinion and before you know it, the foundations of the community have been buried under the ashes of hostile outside infiltration. This is why Alexandra Rose says that she prefers to not have idols within this subculture as, like many, she may run the risk of feeling inadequate if she too harshly compares herself to others.

The negative sides to social media are endless and have been widely debated for as long as it has existed. It’s important to remember that it’s not exclusive to just one sector either. A certain debate that keeps reappearing in modern culture is how social media acts as an escapism from reality, but what if that is mixed with a completely different decade? Is this an even further escape from reality…and is this a bad thing?

Leah Horrocks (@70smomma) spoke on whether she believes that the 60s/70s to some people is merely just a nice Instagram aesthetic or it’s truly a form of escapism from reality: “I think both. You never know if someone’s Instagram page is a true reflection of how someone actually lives their life, but I think a lot of times it is. Even if they are scared to dress vintage in the “real world”, Instagram gives them that space to show off how they really want to look/dress. A place to show off creativity.”  

In our interview, Leah also spoke of how she can be negatively perceived by others as a big name within the community: “I’m sure you have seen I’m pretty controversial on here. Some people love me and others hate me, but it’s all good. I share about real topics that others tend to shy away from because it’s not the norm. I’m one of THE only ones in the community sharing the stuff I do and I’m okay with that.”

Speaking of the controversy surrounding her personal choices relating to covid vaccines, Leah continues: “I’ve been called some crazy things on here…conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer, dangerous, selfish. I know that I’m not any of those things but those are labels they like to give because they don’t get it. I keep fighting my fight and the ones who want to stick around, totally can. I’m so super grateful for my followers/anyone who supports me.”

Devyn spoke of her own experience within the social media subculture stating that: “The online space has been a very welcoming and kind place for me. Naturally, in any large group of people you’ll find someone who has a strange distaste for you, but that’s just life isn’t it? Only recently has anyone ever really tried to hurt me (not physically, though I did have a stalker early on).”

She elaborates by saying: “As the community grows, I am happy to see more representation of the diverse people that make up this community because really anyone who has a love for vintage is in the community as far as I’m concerned and that stretches to all walks of life. It’s beautiful to see it all come together.”

Finally, Devyn expresses how much the community has had on her life: “I really don’t know where I would be, what I would be doing if I hadn’t found this place. I found my career path through the community, my friends, my band. It really fuelled my love for the 60s & 70s knowing I wasn’t alone in my interests. So who knows if I would have even met my fiancé, moved to Chicago, gotten any modelling opportunities. I could never say ‘thank you’ enough to truly express my gratitude.” 

The benefits of becoming so involved in an ever-growing subculture for those at the top are the modelling gigs, the brand sponsors and making an income from a hobby that inspires others. However, there is likely to be a few rotten apples in such a large community whereby the community’s soul and purpose become lost for those who follow, especially on Instagram. The core becomes lost under the surmounting pressures of how many followers they have and why they don’t look like their idols. Selina talks about the importance of holding true to the liberal values on which the community was built: “I think the spirit of the time is what makes people drawn to these decades. Back then, children were just children and didn’t focus on growing up fast or wanting to be popular.” Maybe it’s high time the 60s/70s subculture come together to centre on its own past roots and the ideals it was founded upon rather than getting caught up in the infiltration of the social media platforms’ popularity and monetary success. To avoid hypocrisy and sad irony, there needs to be a closer look at the decades before and the reasons why it became such a vast digital hub full of like-minded people for a more inclusive and progressive future.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Rothesay Castle

The once dominating, bustling hub of Bute’s Viking Raids and regal occupation by The Stewarts now lies as a quiet, well preserved (despite its age), central artefact amongst the everyday commotion of Rothesay life. One of the oldest stone castles in Scotland, and certainly one of the most uncommon due to its unusual circular plan, has survived a remarkable history, much of which can’t be easily accessed through a hand-out pamphlet.

I’ve decided to take the most unusual, fascinating and real nitty-gritty facts about this must-see Rothesay landmark that has survived the greatest battle of all – the test of time – and compile it into one easily-digestible article. Here are 5 things that you didn’t know (and if you did, then pretend you don’t so you don’t put me out of a job) about Rothesay Castle:

1. The castle may not have originally been built to be a castle at all

McNab, Archie; Rothesay Castle; Bute Museum; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/rothesay-castle-166506

One of the most captivating factors of anything is not actually what we do know, but more so what we don’t and Rothesay Castle is no exception to this. Much of its history finds itself torn between intense speculation and historiographical mysteries but one thing can be agreed upon: its history is a lengthy one.

One of the proposed theories amongst the debate is that this proud castle wasn’t actually built to be a castle at all. It’s been noted that the likelihood of its erection as a fortress during on-and-off Viking Raids in the late 11th Century is more probable than the theory that Walter the 3rd High Steward was the first ever to construct it in the early 1200s. Still, there is no certainty on how the castle ‘came to be’.

The Viking Raids commenced around the year AD 800. Norway seized control of the Western Isles and Scotland – no longer governed by its own native kings – was now under the thumb of the Norse ones instead. In 1098, Scotland and Norway agreed a treaty which allowed the Norse to seize all of the Scottish West Coast Islands after Norse King, Magnus Barefoot, noticed weakening domination in their Western occupation and was the leader of many expeditions to consolidate, and once again, dominate with full Norse control.

Many speculate that during this domination, the Scottish King was under the impression that Bute and Arran would be an exception to this treaty due to protection from the Kintyre Peninsula but he believed wrong. Magnus claimed both Bute and Arran for Norway and as a way of marking his territory, the first fortress of Rothesay came to be and speculated to be what stood before what we now know as Rothesay Castle. Whether it was originally made of wood or stone is, again, unknown.

Despite its earliest history falling under myths, legends and intense speculation – one more probable theory remains and is widely regarded in many history books as close-as-possible to fact, which is that Walter, the 3rd High Steward, built the first stone castle in the early 1200s as a defence against the Norwegians. Much of its history, thereafter, became a lot clearer.



2. The castle was not always in the centre of Rothesay

Rothesay Castle, 2018. Photography: John Williams. Source: @williamsjohn76

In my early childhood, when my dad would take me on little tours of Bute, he would always tell me that in Rothesay, before all its promenade improvements, the sea would reach just before the castle and in my cynical, ignorant youth and growing up around the thick, flood walls of ‘down the front’, I would shrug this comment off. In my later research, however, I discovered that my dad was right. Naturally and untamed, the sea has a completely different idea for the town’s formation and this is evident in the positioning of Rothesay Castle.

Rothesay Castle was initially built upon a mound approximately 100 metres from the sea and whether that mound was man-made or natural is another part of its history that remains unknown. It sat raised, projecting dominance at the head of Rothesay Bay, as a symbol of powerful governance before harbour and promenade works over the last 2 centuries have forced the castle inland as a quaint artefact.

Even today, it’s hard to imagine how impressive the large stone fortress would have looked to any incomers of times gone-by but today, I’d argue that it’s just as impressive as its charming, rugged-self. Even in the centre of town, with its multitude of stories that spanned more centuries than is easily fathomable, it carries mysteries that will forever be etched on its injured walls.



3. The Kings of Norway, not once, but TWICE seized the castle

Rothesay Castle as it may have looked in the 16th Century (Hewison 1985). Source: thecastlesofscotland.co.uk

The Kings of Norway captured Rothesay twice: in 1230 and in 1263.

After the surrender of the Hebrides, including Bute, by Edgar of Scotland in 1098, his descendents were set on regaining the jewel island. However, Norway still ruled the Western Isles legally until the Treaty of Perth in 1266 which formally transferred power from Norway to Scotland. Everything before this treaty was a huge, messy power struggle.

The Scottish King, Malcolm, gave Bute as a reward to Walter Fitz Alan, the High Steward of Scotland and the head of the family which became the royal Stewarts, for the Kingdom of Scotland’s victory in the Battle of Renfrew against the Kingdom of the Isles.

However, when Norsemen attacked Rothesay in 1230 as part of a 3 day siege on the orders of King Haakon IV of Norway, what followed was probably a much more dramatic escalation of events than that of 1263 as it became preserved by one of the saga writers, Haakon Haakonson:

“And they sailed south round the Mull of Kintyre, and so in to Bute. The Scots sat there in the castle; and a certain Steward was one of the Scots. They attacked the castle, but the Scots defended it, and they poured out boiling pitch. The Norwegians hewed the wall with axes, because it was soft. The torch-bearer who was called Skagi shot the steward to death. Many of the Norwegians fell, before they won the castle.”

Not only had the Scots lost their castle, but they had lost their Steward in the process. Documents reveal, however, that the Norse had only a short occupation here before they withdrew to Kintyre.



4. Robert the Bruce had ties to Rothesay Castle

Robert the Bruce. Source: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

At the initial outbreak of the first Scottish Wars of Independence, Rothesay Castle was in the hands of James Stewart. Sadly, it fell to the English in the late 13th century, only 30 years after Bute had finally had some peace and security from the Norwegian occupation. Most of Scotland, including Rothesay Castle, was occupied by the English Army from 1303 and this persisted until King Robert I retook the castle in 1306. A short-lived, but probably exhausting, 3 years.

The castle was returned to James Stewart, who would go on to connect his family by marriage to Robert the Bruce when his son Walter married the King’s daughter, Marjorie Bruce. In 1371, their son would become Robert the II. The first Stewart King and the one to establish the tradition that whomever had heir to the throne would be titled Duke of Rothesay. A title currently held by Prince Charles.

In the later years (1400s), Rothesay Castle seen a huge refurbishment with an enhanced gatehouse to ensure stronger protection and the addition of four round towers. However, once again, the chaos within these castle walls were once again stirred in the 1600s by the occupation of Cromwellian forces during the civil wars of the 1650s and again in 1685 by Archibald, the 9th Earl of Argyll’s revolts. Both of which caused damage to the castle’s interior and exterior, rendering it uninhabitable. This is when the Keeper and his family moved from the now derelict castle to the Old Mansion House across the road on the High Street, which remains as one of Rothesay’s oldest buildings.

Rothesay Castle was placed in state care in 1961 by the Marquess of Bute and is now cared for by Historic Scotland.


5. There was a paddle steamer named after the castle that caused the deaths of 130 people

Rothesay Castle or Rothsay Castle Paddle Steamer. Frederick Whymper. 1887. Source: Mechanical Curator Collection.

Built for service on the River Clyde in 1816, Rothesay Castle or Rothsay Castle was a paddle steamer named after Bute’s famous landmark. She was later transferred to Liverpool where she was used for day trips along the coast into Northern Wales and it was here that she was shipwrecked in 1831. This cost the lives of 130 people.



If you enjoyed reading about this historic landmark, please visit the Bute Museum website, Visit Scotland and Castles of Scotland’s website to find out more.

Recommended further readings would also be ‘Bute: An Island History’ by Ian Maclagan and Anne Speirs, as well as ‘The Isle of Bute’ by Norman S. Newton.

Also, huge thank you to John Williams for allowing me to use his amazing pictures of the castle in its modern condition.

How the Earliest Settlers on Bute Lived

Long before the days of two Co-Operatives, drinking up the woods (although, this could be an age-long island tradition) and doing laps of the town in a car on a Friday night, Bute was loved for its natural qualities such as its fertile land, shielded waters and close proximity to mainland Scotland; qualities that proved popular with both settlers and – of course – invaders. With an island whose history of settlers stretches as far back as 10,000 years ago, we’re fortunate to have the evidence of how exactly the earliest settlers on Bute lived.


Mesolithic Settlers

Mesolithic Camp Site by Wessex Archaeology is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

The earliest settlers of Bute lived approximately between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago or what is also referred to as the Middle Stone Age. Ironically, these ‘settlers’ never really settled as their lifestyle required them to move from place to place for survival.

According to Bute: An Island History by Ian Maclagan and Anne Speirs, evidence suggests that the Mesolithic settlers would set up temporary camps in which they would return to seasonally in order to hunt and fish. However, no trace of their homes on the island – which would have consisted of animal skins and wood- has ever been discovered; their only remnants left in the form of middens and tools and the former of which was discovered at the North end of the island at Glecknabae, where deposited Oyster Shells were found.

The best settlement site from this age was found at Little Kilchattan Farm and provided all that one would require for a quality settlement of this time: beside a stream and close to the sea, where fishing was accessible. Furthermore, unlike today, Bute was far more abundant in natural, nutritional food sources such as deer and wild boar (which you couldn’t purchase out of McQueen’s or McIntyre’s Butchers).

However, this wandering way of life began to fizzle out as Bute entered its next period of history – a time where people truly ‘settled’ and when farming culture was brought to life about 5,000 years ago.


Neolithic Settlers

Neolithic Settlement Illustration

So far, the only glance into Neolithic life on Bute comes from a domestic site discovered in the early 1900s at Townhead, Rothesay , where Flexible Technology and the Joint Campus is currently located and this is the first evidence of the living of the Neolithic people rather than the dead. Pottery, tools and charred remains of food were amongst the many things discovered at this site that provided insight into their way of life.

The Neolithic people were innovators and pioneers of their time as pottery and stone axes became a fresh and advanced technology then. Not only this, but these people had determined how to acquire food via planting and harvesting grain along with domesticating cattle and sheep, when agriculture was brought to Bute from the Mediterranean – It’s a shame they never brought the weather.

People finally began to settle permanently on Bute as a routine of cultivation and sowing required them to and so communities began to form. These were the true founding mother and fathers of Bute’s Young Farmers.

Like previously mentioned, the Neolithic people were notorious for leaving evidence of their dead which were mainly found in the form of tombs and burial chambers – primarily in the North end of the island – such as Glenvoidean. The ‘Chambered Cairn’ here was excavated by Dorothy Marshall in the 1960s and within the burial site chambers, bowls with distinct patterns and a flint knife was found – and incredibly well preserved too.

It’s also important to note that flint was used in the Mesolithic period too but is not natural to Bute, thus indicating that it was brought from elsewhere to these sites.

This simple, seemingly peaceful way of life was short-lived before Bute’s primary focus became security, weaponry and defence in the following ages. With the introduction of metal to Scotland in the Bronze Age and the creation of forts and warfare in the Iron Age – Bute would never be the same again.

*If you’re interested in further reading of other settlements such as the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Early Christians, you can visit the Bute Museum website here: https://www.butemuseum.org.uk/

And I also recommend Bute: An Island History by Ian Maclagan and Anne Speirs which you can purchase via Amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bute-Island-History-Ian-Maclagan/dp/090581214X

LSD: The Gamble with Mental Health

*Disclaimer: This article in no way seeks to endorse or encourage drug use. It seeks to inform and discuss. Also, the experience described in this article is individual and NOT representative of all users.
*Trigger warnings: Discussion of drug use and suicidal thoughts.

“Turn on, tune in and drop out” was the message that American Psychologist, Timothy Leary, gave American students in the 1960s, thrusting the decade into a realm of experiment, mind-expansiveness and, notably, genius music – the birth of a new counterculture had begun. From the USA, LSD soon took residence in the United Kingdom where – though experiencing a decline in usage in the 80s – picked back up and became , yet again, popular with the generational youth for once whom it was intended for: but at what cost?

Artists, philosophers, writers and musicians have all been associated with the ‘magic’ drug that some claim aids them in both their writing and performances- even the much-loved Beatles talk of their LSD experience. If there is ever a performance that showcases the sheer creative power of LSD then watching Santana perform Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock is a must view and below he explains his experience.

However, as expansive and enlightening as people claim LSD to be ,there is of course, inevitable risks. Syd Barrett, the original lead guitarist and songwriter of Pink Floyd, truly showed society ‘the dark side of the moon’ as the same drug that fueled his creative energy was a catalyst for his mental decline.

There are internet rumours and speculation that Syd Barrett is the first famous -and rare -case of what is now known as HPPD ( Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder ), where one essentially experiences flashbacks of visual hallucinations experienced from a previous ‘trip’.

I spoke with Finn O’Hagan, a 21 year-old, Stirling local and avid hiker who claims to suffer from both HPPD and PTSD, after an acid trip went wrong:

“The first time I took acid was in June 2020, just as lockdown started to ease. I took it with my trip setter and she was completely sober. It was f*cking amazing.”

“It was 14 hours of sheer bliss.”

“I’d always heard that it was a good experience and that it really opens your mind. It’s nice to see what our brains are capable of given a different chemical balance. “

He also mentioned that he wasn’t big on any other drugs:

“I’ve smoked weed and I’ve done LSD and that’s about it. They were always relatively safe drugs compared to anything else.”

He then goes onto explain a second acid trip he experienced on Tentsmuir Beach, Fife, that same Summer:

” It was a bit overwhelming with the sun, wind, sand and the waves. Probably too overwhelming for an acid trip.”

“And I stupidly didn’t realise how much I was taking, so instead of taking 200 μ , my paper had gotten wet and I had taken two. So close to 400 μ.”

Finn explains what happened in the hours that followed:

“It was a f**cking horrendous trip. I ended up tripping out, freaking out and I had to call [my trip setter], followed by a 4 hour long panic attack while she had to come and get me and meditate me out of it.”

Finn O’Hagan, Photo Credit: Jake Field

“It was like time stopped existing, everything was out to get me and the world was swallowing me up.”

Finn -who has never suffered from any previous mental health problems- described feeling intense panic and anxiety that he had never experienced before during this trip, though in the aftermath, these began to wear off: “The trip got better and the next day I was fine.”

It wasn’t until 3 months later that what Finn describes as HPPD and PTSD started to set in, after smoking cannabis daily during the months that followed his last trip:

“I just smoked a joint that was way too strong and I started to trip again and it wasn’t a good trip – it was the bad trip and I had a 2 week long panic attack.”

“My eyes were going funny; I had visuals and I couldn’t look at bright lights and I was seeing lights on walls …and I had no idea what it was. “

The first ever recorded case of HPPD may have been in 1898, where an English writer, Havelock Ellis, reported intense sensitivity to light and colour for a long time after taking the psychedelic drug, Mescaline – similar to Finn’s experience.

After phoning his doctor thinking that he could have perhaps came down with a bug, Finn was prescribed Sertraline (an antidepressant), which was also used in another case of suspected HPPD of a 15 -year-old British male who reported similar symptoms after consistent cannabis use, that he claimed could have been laced with LSD.

Finn describes the toll that HPPD has taken on his mental well-being:

“…side effects of anxiety, depersonalisation and derealisation. You don’t feel like yourself ; you have existential dread and with derealisation- you just feel like nothing’s real.”

American Journalist, Andrew Callaghan, revealed to Vice News earlier this year that he had a diagnosis of HPPD in which he suffered similar side effects as Finn- describing experiences of depersonalisation and derealisation disorder for a few years and claiming that he feels like he is “living in a simulation” and “trapped” behind his eyes, after taking the drug psilocybin ( or more commonly known as ‘magic mushrooms’).

Finn reflects on the things that he claims went wrong during his second acid trip:

“We weren’t in a place that was familiar to me. We were out camping on a beach on an extremely windy and extremely sunny day surrounded by other people that we don’t know.”

“The acid is overall responsible for the HPPD and PTSD that I’ve got now but the weed is what pulled the trigger. And if I’d have known more about this, I definitely would not have done it or would have been a lot more careful. ”

“It opens your mind and once your mind gets opened, it’s very hard to close.”

When asked if he regrets the experience Finn states:

“I both regret and don’t regret it: the first part of the HPPD when life felt like it was ending and I wanted to kill myself – I definitely very much regretted touching acid, thinking that I’d never feel normal again.”

He also goes onto say that being 10 weeks down the line since first discovering that he potentially has these disorders, that his feelings are much more under control and he can reflect clearly on his experience.

“I don’t so much regret touching it now because it’s like I’ve almost got this new experience with bad mental health that I’ve never had before. Having this experience will allow me to empathise a lot with other people.”

Finn also talks about giving up any stimulant triggers of his HPPD and PTSD and has claimed to be sober from alcohol for 5 months now while also quitting caffeine and cannabis 10 weeks ago, and nicotine 3 weeks ago.

“I’m about 70% recovered. I’m on 50mg of Sertraline, I’m still very happy…It was just, the anxiety was causing me a lot of pain and my mental health nurse wants me to stay on that for at least a year while my brain balances.”

Finn O’Hagan, Photo Credit: Elliot Harris

When asked what message he would give to anyone else who wants to experiment with psychedelics, Finn says:

“…definitely be very careful on your dosage. Test your acid and be a 100% safe. I’m not saying don’t do it but be extremely careful with it because you can become completely non-functioning for a couple of months and it’s very, very scary.” 

Though there is still much to uncover of HPPD, there is definitely a dark side to what people claim to be an enlightening drug and although there have never been any proven deaths or overdoses attributed to LSD (except one case in an elephant), the detriment to mental health can be incredibly frightening. No matter if -physically- you’re well, there’s a reason why people coined the term ‘ego-death’.