I took LSD 6 or 7 times from the age of 16 - 19, and also experimented with other strong psychedelics - like dextromethorphan powder, which I took at least two or three times. The LSD I took was your basic blotter, liquid, etc. Really strong stuff every time, except the very first hit I ever took, which I split with a buddy because I was afraid of going it alone.
My second to last LSD trip, I took too strong hits and spiraled into a horrible cycle of thought that culminated with me convincing myself I was sober, that the cycle had passed, then driving home at 10 in the morning, only to have a devastating conversation with my parents. My mom fixed me a tuna sandwich and my dad jokingly asked if I was out doing something I shouldn't have been the night before. I soon retired to my bedroom and went fetal for several hours while I waited for the trip to fade, a Marilyn Manson song that I hated ran laps inside my brain for hours, slowly adding new, more intricate orchestrations and melodies to it's arrangement.
I took acid once more after that, just to prove to myself it wasn't all that bad and that I could hang. That last trip, I listened to Radiohead's Kid A, which had just been released the day before. I hated the album when I bought it, I was disappointed it wasn't a continuation of OK Computer. I didn't like how different it was, etc. After I listened to it on acid, my thoughts changed. I realized that the artist I was listening to was conceptually light years ahead of me. I was hanging on to a three years old album while they were wrecking that memory and forging ahead into unknown territory. Kid A is still one of my favorite albums.
The last time I took dextromethorphan powder, I mixed the powder with lemon juice and drank it. It made me vomit, and while I was vomiting I was convinced I had died. Just a dark tunnel of emptiness and spiraling ever downward. The rest of the night was this cycle of doom followed by overwhelming euphoria. I wouldn't recommend this experience to anyone.
Today I'm pretty suspicious of anyone who claims psychedelics have given them some greater insight into life or the universe. I've only ever felt that it served to alter my perceptions, while presenting often ridiculous and profound revelations that had little relevance once the drug had faded.
But I suspect my experiences have had a powerful impact on my personality, yet I couldn't tell you how exactly. Nor could I say it's a sure bet. I could only guess. But I often consider this question to myself. And I have no clear answers. But there was a slightly different sheen on my perception as a result of my experiences with psychedelics, and I suspect that sheen has lingered. It's so hard for me to say at this point. I am who I am, right now, and I have no idea what factors really contributed to this.
I'd love to hear someone else articulate their experiences, but for me, I do believe at the very least, it's led me to have a VERY open mind. I'm 34 years old now. I haven't taken any drugs in almost 15 years (with the exception of a brief stint of medical marijuana use to try and cure stress related insomnia. I gave that up after a week because I only got really, really stoned and still continued to stay up late watching Netflix). But I do find myself more willing to consider other points of view and this is a trait that has only grown the older I've gotten. And I sometimes wonder if it's attributable to my experimentation with psychedelics at a younger age.
I remain forever curious and I'd encourage anyone, whether your experimenting with drugs or not, to do the same. You have to be curious in life, or what's the point?