--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I experienced altered states of…" description: "\"When I experienced altered states of consciousness, my whole philosophical structure crumbled, and that terrified me. And what scared me the most was t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/susan-schneider-32301_altered_when-i-experienced-altered-states-of-con_1361424.jpg" --- # When I experienced altered states of consciousness, my… ![“When I experienced altered states of consciousness, my whole philosophical structure crumbled, and that terrified me. And what scared me the most was the realisation that death was not the end!” quote by Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/susan-schneider-32301_altered_when-i-experienced-altered-states-of-con_1361424.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/susan-schneider-32301_altered_when-i-experienced-altered-states-of-con_1361424.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bf/susan-schneider-32301_altered_when-i-experienced-altered-states-of-con_1361424.jpg) > “When I experienced altered states of consciousness, my whole philosophical structure crumbled, and that terrified me. And what scared me the most was the realisation that death was not the end!” [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encountering profound altered states can destabilize one's worldview, revealing mortality as a continuation rather than a conclusion. **In simple terms:** Deep experiences can shake beliefs about life and death. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and explore new perspectives. Themes philosophy consciousness mortality Mood introspective anxious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - therapy sessions - meditation retreats - near‑death experiences - philosophical debates Key Concepts existentialism psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile altered experiences with daily life? - What does “death not the end” mean for you? A Different Perspective Such revelations can cause distress and may be hard to integrate without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Altered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altered/) [Altered states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altered-states/) [Altered states of consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altered-states-of-consciousness/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Crumbled Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crumbled-terrified-4660862/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Realisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realisation/) [Realisation Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realisation-death-953536/) [Scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared/) [Scared Realisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared-realisation-4660861/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [States of consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states-of-consciousness/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [You don't meditate to experiment with altered states of consciousness or whatever else. 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You will unleash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-not-advisable-for-persons-who-are-in-the-early-stages-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It has always been the role of the shaman to go into an altered state of consciousness and track down where the soul fled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-ingerman/it-has-always-been-the-role-of-the-shaman-to-go-into-an-altered-state/) [Sandra Ingerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-ingerman/) > [ Though we \[Humanists\] take a strict position on what constitutes knowledge, we are not critical of the source of ideas. Often intuitive feelings, hunches,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-edwords/though-we-humanists-take-a-strict-position-on-what-constitutes/) [Fred Edwords](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-edwords/) > [The keys are, or were, the training methods used by the ancient mystery schools. We've got hints and tips, we've got little bits on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-ashcroft-nowicki/the-keys-are-or-were-the-training-methods-used-by-the-ancient-mystery/) [Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-ashcroft-nowicki/) > [Certain drugs provide brief excursions into altered states of consciousness. The problem is that the perceptions and understandings that come from these experiences don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/certain-drugs-provide-brief-excursions-into-altered-states-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Drugs took me to places; they were like portals. It's kind of a cliché, but they were like portals to altered states of consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/drugs-took-me-to-places-they-were-like-portals-it-s-kind-of-a-clich/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Obviously there is pain in childbirth. But giving birth is also a moment of awe and wonder, a moment when the true miracle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riane-eisler/obviously-there-is-pain-in-childbirth-but-giving-birth-is-also-a/) [Riane Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riane-eisler/) > [What I don't like in movies dealing with the illustration of altered states of consciousness is that usually you see the guy from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/what-i-don-t-like-in-movies-dealing-with-the-illustration-of-altered/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [The desire to live life to its fullest, to acquire more knowledge, to abandon the economic treadmill, are all typical reactions to these experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/the-desire-to-live-life-to-its-fullest-to-acquire-more-knowledge-to/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [What fascinates me about addiction and obsessive behavior is that people would choose an altered state of consciousness that's toxic and ostensibly destroys most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-fascinates-me-about-addiction-and-obsessive-behavior-is-that/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [As a longtime practitioner of yoga and a person who's been involved in physical fitness my whole life, I can tell you, yoga helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/as-a-longtime-practitioner-of-yoga-and-a-person-who-s-been-involved/) [Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/) > [The realisation of one's own death is the point at which one becomes adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-realisation-of-one-s-own-death-is-the-point-at-which-one-becomes/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) ## More by Susan Schneider > [“Mentally tease apart the threads that keep you connected to your mother. See that those threads, those feelings, that you experience with her are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/mentally-tease-apart-the-threads-that-keep-you-connected-to-your/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [I plan to write more songs of my own, especially on behalf of the animals we needlessly raise for food, at their great expense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/i-plan-to-write-more-songs-of-my-own-especially-on-behalf-of-the/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [I entered what I can only describe as an alternate universe, and experienced timelessness for myself, first-hand. 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I've never had to do that. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/i-realise-i-ll-have-to-acquire-the-ability-to-speak-to-my-audience-in/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [Even though I was chronologically 21, I was pretty immature and naive for my age, having grown up in a small, isolated ranching town,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/even-though-i-was-chronologically-21-i-was-pretty-immature-and-naive/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [“Nature is medicine for the soul, Miss Rolston.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/nature-is-medicine-for-the-soul-miss-rolston/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [As soon as I graduated from high school I was off to the biggest college my parents could afford, Colorado University at Boulder, having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/as-soon-as-i-graduated-from-high-school-i-was-off-to-the-biggest/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [I always meant to convey a message of peace and harmony, and thought I was choosing my songs accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/i-always-meant-to-convey-a-message-of-peace-and-harmony-and-thought-i/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [“Anything she says will be ok with him -- this she feels instinctively. She looks up and meets his eyes: eagle against the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/anything-she-says-will-be-ok-with-him-this-she-feels-instinctively/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [“The mother needs mothering too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/the-mother-needs-mothering-too/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [I experienced direct telepathy with other people, and during one such incident, I I received a channelling of cosmic information from some being in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/i-experienced-direct-telepathy-with-other-people-and-during-one-such/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) > [My altered perception of reality while on psychedelic drugs came as a total shock to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-schneider/my-altered-perception-of-reality-while-on-psychedelic-drugs-came-as-a/) [Susan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) [Explore all 15 Susan Schneider quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-schneider/) ## More Altered quotes > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. 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A needlessly confusing system of courts should be altered to produce an arrangement that would be simple,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edison/a-new-constitution-should-be-more-amendable-a-needlessly-confusing/) [Charles Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edison/) > [“I want to know how it feels to be altered by life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/i-want-to-know-how-it-feels-to-be-altered-by-life/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [Thus all things altered. Nothing dies. And here and there the unbodied spirit flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/thus-all-things-altered-nothing-dies-and-here-and-there-the-unbodied/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [The patterns of activity of neurons in sensory areas can be altered by patterns of attention. 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