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| ===Enhancement of current mind state=== | | ===Enhancement of current mind state=== |
| ''Enhancement of current mind state'' is a component which alters mood, but unlike many recreational substances does not consistently induce positive and euphoric states regardless of a person's current state of mind and mental stability. Instead it works by amplifying and enhancing a person's current state of mind as it is already, causing the effects to be equally capable of going in both a positive and negative direction.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Enhancement of current mind state}} |
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| This is often the cause of why people seem to react to hallucinogenic experiences in completely different ways. The unprepared, the insecure and the mentally unstable who undergo a hallucinogenic experience are very likely to become overwhelmed with negative emotions, paranoia and confusion. This is caused by the person's current negative state becoming greatly amplified above normal levels. On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, positive, prepared and mentally stable people who take the same substance at an identical dosage are very likely to find themselves overwhelmed with states of ecstatic bliss and profound mental revelations.
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| The external release of pent-up or repressed stress through emotional outburst is also commonly triggered by this effect. This release can take both joyful forms like spontaneous dancing and singing or take distraught forms like crying, sobbing and emotional breakdowns. Once over, however, it leaves the tripper feeling as if an enormous weight has been lifted from their chest.
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| There is a very clear distinction between substance-induced happiness and genuine happiness. This component does not induce any emotion-- it merely deepens and enhances genuine emotions that are already felt separately from the drug.
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| ===Acceleration of thought=== | | ===Acceleration of thought=== |
| ''Acceleration of thought'' can be described as the mental process of thought being sped up significantly. When experiencing this effect, it literally feels as if one rapid fire thought after the other is being generated in incredibly quick succession. Not only is the speed of thought increased, but the sharpness of a person's mental clarity seems to increase alongside it, resulting in an abundance of new and insightful ideas.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Acceleration of thought}} |
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| ===Connectivity of thought=== | | ===Connectivity of thought=== |
| ''Connectivity of thought'' can be described as the sensation of a person's thought patterns becoming characterized by an abstract fluid association of ideas and powerful wandering thoughts which connect deeply into each other. This often feels like a series of tenuously connected daydreams that connect into each other through an abstract game of subconscious word association. It allows the mind to cover all areas of life including not just the big things, but the small things as well. It is a process which leads onto large amounts of [[Cognitive effects: Introspection|introspection]] and greatly enhanced levels of creative and artistic abilities as it essentially removes creative block by allowing the thoughts to flow free.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Connectivity of thought}} |
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| ===Feelings of fascination, importance and awe=== | | ===Feelings of fascination, importance and awe=== |
| ''Feelings of fascination, importance and awe'' attributed to the external environment and everything within it is one of the defining features of many hallucinogenic experiences and can often be very overwhelming. This can manifest itself in a number of ways, but can be described as a newfound child-like sense of wonder which gives the overwhelming impression that everything around you is profound and important-- be it nature, the universe or everyday household objects.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Feelings of fascination, importance and awe}} |
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| It’s this effect that directs people to acknowledge, consider and appreciate the things around them in a profound level of detail which remains unparalleled by experiences throughout normal sober living.
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| At its highest level, these sensations can become so intense and profound that people begin to feel as if their entire life has been building up to this instant and that nothing will ever be the same again. This is commonly described by people as feeling that “you have been waiting on a train your entire life and only now are you finally getting off of it.” It is a truly overwhelming perspective and is consistently induced during positive states of [[Visual_effects:_geometry_%28psychedelic%29#7A_-_Exposure_to_entirety_of_neurological_structure|Level 8A visual geometry]].
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| ===Time distortion=== | | ===Time distortion=== |
| ''Time distortion'' is an effect that makes the passage of time difficult to keep track of and wildly distorted. It can be felt in two different forms: time expansion and time compression.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Time distortion}} |
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| The most common of these is time expansion. Time expansion can be described as the feeling that time has completely slowed down. This generally seems to stem from the fact that during an intense hallucinogenic experience, abnormally large amounts of experience are felt in very short periods of time. This creates the illusion that more time has passed than really has. At the highest level of time expansion, it can feel as if the passage of time has stopped completely, which is known as a moment of eternity.
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| The second form, time compression, is rarer but entirely possible. It can be described as the experience of time speeding up and passing much quicker than it generally should.
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| ===Introspection=== | | ===Introspection=== |
| ''Introspection'' can be defined as the experience of a state of mind which consistently directs one's thoughts into a deep contemplation and analysis regarding one's own life, both as a whole and the as the things which comprise it. This gives the person a powerful ability to dissect and rationally analyse problems, allowing them to reach a state of logical resolution and/or personal acceptance regarding past events, the present situation, future possibilities and inner demons. The outcome of which consistently results in an abundance of insightful and often life changing ideas and conclusions pertaining to one's own personal existence and the various loved ones which they hold close to them.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Introspection}} |
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| It is important to note, however, that not everybody is willing to face, resolve and move on from their personal problems as some prefer to ignore and repress them. It is a person's willingness to face the truth of their own life that is a huge factor in determining whether or not a person is capable of enjoying the experiences which [[Hallucinogens|hallucinogens]] can offer. This is because introspective states bring our insecurities, past regrets and repressed traumas into the very forefront of our consciousness. Fighting these revelations through denial or repression is a very common trigger for negative experiences that could be otherwise avoided.
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| ===Outrospection=== | | ===Outrospection=== |
| ''Outrospection'' is a subjective effect component which can be considered as the opposite counterpart to [[Cognitive effects: Introspection|introspection]]. It can be described as the experience of a state of mind which consistently directs one's thoughts into a deep contemplation and analysis of the exterior world, both as a whole and as the things which comprise it. This results in an abundance of insightful ideas and conclusions with powerful themes pertaining to what is often described as "''the bigger picture''". These ideas generally involve (but are not limited to) insight into philosophy, spirituality, society, culture, universal progress, humanity and how all of these things fit together across its history, the present moment and all future possibilities.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Outrospection}} |
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| ===Rejuvenation=== | | ===Rejuvenation=== |
| ''Rejuvenation'' and feelings of extreme refreshment are an almost universal experience in the days or weeks after a positive experience. The hallucinogenic experience can be both mentally and physically invigorating. This rejuvenation can be described as a lasting feeling of mental clarity, increased motivation, calmness, and an appreciation for the very sensation of being.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Rejuvenation}} |
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| The effect feels as if the connections within the brain have been somehow restored with the biases of a person's perspective becoming reset to base level. It is as if the mind has been rebooted and reorganized in a way that fully grounds the revelations of the trip into a person's world view.
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| At its highest level, the feelings of rejuvenation can become so intense that they begin to manifest themselves as the profound sensation of being born again. This feeling can last anywhere from weeks to a lifetime after the experience itself.
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| ===Deja-Vu=== | | ===Deja-Vu=== |
| ''Deja-vu'' is a common phrase from the French language which translates literally into “already seen”. This is a well documented phenomenon that can commonly occur throughout both sober living and under the influence of [[hallucinogens]]. It can be described as having the strong sensation that the current event or situation has already been experienced at some point within the past when, in fact, it hasn't.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Deja-Vu}} |
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| Certain substances are commonly capable of inducing spontaneous and often prolonged states of mild to intense sensations of deja-vu. This provides trippers with an overwhelming sense that they have “been here before”.
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| The sensation is accompanied by a false feeling of familiarity with the effects of the substance itself, the current location or setting, the current physical actions being performed, and the situation as a whole.
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| Deja-Vu is triggered and felt by the tripper despite the fact that they are rationally aware that the circumstances of the “previous” experience (when, where, and how the earlier experience occurred) are uncertain or believed to be impossible. | |
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| ===Mindfulness=== | | ===Mindfulness=== |
| ''Mindfulness'' as a psychological concept is defined as the focusing of attention and awareness based on the concept of mindfulness in Buddhist [[meditation]]. The first component of mindfulness involves the self-regulation of attention so that its focus is completely directed towards immediate experience, thereby quietening one's internal narrative and allowing for increased recognition of mental events in the present moment. The second component involves adopting a particular orientation toward one’s experiences in the present moment, an orientation that is characterized by a lack of judgement, curiosity, openness, and acceptance.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Mindfulness}} |
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| Within meditation this mindstate is deliberately practised and maintained for extended periods of time through the conscious and manual focus of one's awareness towards a point of focus. In the context of [[hallucinogens]], however, this state is often forcibly induced for extended periods of time without any conscious effort or the need of internally stored knowledge regarding meditative techniques.
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| ===Multiple thought streams=== | | ===Multiple thought streams=== |
| ''Multiple thought streams'' can be defined as a state in which one has more than one internal narrative or stream of consciousness occurring within their mind. This can result in any number of conscious thought streams within one's mind each of which are often controllable in an identical level to that of one's everyday thought stream. This experience allows one to think about and analyse many different subjects and concepts simultaneously and can be a source of great insight.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Multiple thought streams}} |
| | | ===Suppression of personal bias=== |
| ===Removal of cultural filter=== | | {{:Cognitive effects: Suppression of personal bias}} |
| ''Removal of cultural filter'' can be described as the suppression of a geographically determined bias that human beings look through in their every day life. This bias affects our ability to evaluate the world around us in ways that are much more powerful than most people are willing to admit.
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| It seems that a human being's perspective on the world is built up out of a complex set of filters which are based upon pre-existing beliefs, past experiences, fears, prejudices, stereotypes, and cultural symbols. This gives us a powerfully consistent and unconscious tendency to notice and assign significance to observations that confirm existing cultural beliefs while filtering out and rationalizing observations that do not confirm existing cultural beliefs. The cultural filter forces us to look at the world, not as a human being, but as a false version of our true selves-- be it a conservative Christian mother, a Muslim housewife, an aboriginal tribesman, or a materialistic cynical white middle-class male with a European Christian heritage and atheistic beliefs.
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| It’s said that we don’t look at things as they are, but instead look at things as we are. The experience of this component, however, seems to completely obliterate this geographically determined bias and shows people that culture is merely a subjective and often delusional perspective-- not an objective reality. This experience can create profound changes in perspective that can last a lifetime by making people become who they really are and not what they were raised to be.
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| ===Feelings of predeterminism=== | | ===Feelings of predeterminism=== |
| ''Feelings of predeterminism'' can be defined as the sudden perspective or feeling that all events, including human actions, are established or decided in advance.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Feelings of predeterminism}} |
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| This is a perspective that can become spontaneously triggered and felt through an undeniable change in thought processes and an intense set of physical sensations. In terms of how it feels experimentally, the perspective can be described as the sensation of the ego or internal narrative (as an independent decision-making agent) being lifted from your perception of the world and revealed to be illusory. This creates the undeniable sensation that your personal choices, physical actions, current situational perspective, and the very subject matter of your thought stream have always been completely predetermined and out of your control. At this point it becomes clear that these things are not reached through a conscious decision making process or planning of the ego and genuinely never were at any point. Instead they are revealed to have always been a vast and complex set of internally stored, instantly decided, pre-programmed, and completely autonomous electro-chemical responses to received sensory stimuli which one does not have any conscious control over.
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| Alongside of this, there is also a powerful physical sensation that makes the precise arrangement of the external environment and the objects within it become felt to be the true deciding force in regards to the way in which you physically interact with it. This is done by instantly triggering your responses and decisions towards them through the simple perception of them. This can lead you to feel that, for example, you are not deciding to reach out and grab a relevant object, but the object is triggering you to reach out and grab it because you need to (regardless of whether or not you have put any thought into it).
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| This experience as a whole is consistently interpreted by anybody who undergoes it as a profound revelation or insight into the illusory nature of free will.
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| ===Conceptual thinking=== | | ===Conceptual thinking=== |
| ''Conceptual thinking'' can be described as a forced change in perspective which frees the conscious thought stream from remaining strictly limited to linguistic content such as words and labels. This allows the tripper to think not just in verbal descriptions, but directly in the internally stored concepts that lay behind them.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Conceptual thinking}} |
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| In terms of how this feels, it can be described as the concepts behind the words and labels of our thought stream undergoing the sensation of becoming cognitively felt at every point across themselves at the same time as the thought of the label or word which we attribute to it. Alongside of this, these concepts also become perceived simultaneously through a partially to fully animated internal visual manifestation.
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| This experience results in the perceived ability of being able to clearly feel the precise consequences, limitations, and position within this universe of any singular concept. These feelings are consistently interpreted as a “higher level of understanding” and seems to stem from the way in which this perspective reveals human language as intrinsically self-limited through the way in which it demonstrates that words can only act as mere shortcuts to the concepts which they exist to describe.
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| At lower levels, these states of conceptual thinking can be described as thought stream specific. This means that the concepts which are being felt, seen and "understood" are exclusively relevant to the words which you are currently thinking. These will feel identical in stylistic behaviour whether the concept is arrived at by a simple wandering of thoughts or triggered through the experience of a concept or object perceived within the external environment.
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| Perhaps the most common example of this which many could relate to would be the experience of looking at a plant of any sort and internally feeling (as well as visually perceiving) everything that you happen to know about plants, photosynthesis, and the evolution of vegetation (no matter how vague or abstract this knowledge might be).
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| At higher levels, these states of conceptual thinking stop being specific to the words contained within your current thought stream and start becoming all-encompassing towards every last internally stored piece of knowledge the tripper has ever known.
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| This leads onto feelings which are consistently interpreted as a new-found level of “total and complete understanding” as the consequences, limitations, and position within this universe of every single concept which the tripper previously only knew in terms of its description, becomes felt through a very real, emotionally intuitive, and undeniable perspective.
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| Perhaps the most common examples of this which those within the psychonaut community can relate to would be the experience of a total and profound understanding regarding (but not limited to) the themes and archetypes listed below:
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| *General scientific principles
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| *Taking care of your personal health
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| *Your position within nature and higher systems of order
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| *The consequences of your actions and your responsibility towards them
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| *Human civilization as the literal cutting edge of physical complexity
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| *Living in balance with nature to the best of your abilities
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| *The inevitability of death
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| *The sheer unlikeliness of personal existence
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| It’s through the direct experience of the concepts behind our linguistic knowledge that new life changing perspectives are suddenly felt in an obvious way. These new found viewpoints are rarely considered by the tripper to be the creation of a single new idea or creative insight. Instead, they are nothing more than the integration of previously held knowledge which was already understood intellectually into a system which directly feels them in a newly found physically felt, clearly understandable, and emotionally felt format.
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| ===Direct communication with the subconscious=== | | ===Direct communication with the subconscious=== |
| ''Direct communication with the subconscious'' can be generally defined as that of engaging in articulate and meaningful linguistic conversations with a disembodied and separate voice of unknown origin residing within one's own head.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Direct communication with the subconscious}} |
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| In a general level of detail, the overall conversational style of that which is discussed between both the voice and its host can be described as essentially identical in terms of its coherency and linguistic intelligibility as that of any other everyday interaction between the self and another human being with which one might engage in conversation with.
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| There are however some subtle but identifiable differences between this experience and that of normal every day conversations. Each of which stem from the important factor that one's specific set of knowledge, memories and experiences are identical to that of the voice which is being communicated with. This key factor results in a conversation in which both participants share a noticeably identical personal vocabulary down to the very use of their colloquial slang and subtle mannerisms. Alongside of this it’s important to note that unlike every day conversation, no matter how in depth and detailed the discussion becomes, no entirely new information is ever exchanged between the two conversers. Instead, the discussion focuses primarily on building upon old ideas to an amazing extreme and exchanging profoundly insightful new opinions or perspectives regarding the previously established content of one's life. These opinions consistently take an approach to any situation which remains devoid of the emotional attachments, biases and irrationality that plague the cognitive decision-making processes of our every day consciousness.
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| All of this results in a separate consciousness from one's self which consistently takes on the role of what is perceived to be a spiritual teacher, healer or guide. To aid itself in this goal the voice is often capable of directly manipulating various aspects and intensities of the trip and will either clearly explain the logic behind its decisions or choose to keep it a mystery.
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| As a whole, the effect itself can be broken down into 4 distinct levels of progressive intensity, each of which are listed below.
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| #'''A sensed presence of the other''' - This level can be defined as the distinctive feeling that another form of consciousness is internally present alongside that of one's usual sense of self.
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| #'''Mutually generated internal responses''' - This level can be defined as internal linguistic responses to one's own thoughts and feelings which feel as if they are partially generated by one's own thought stream and in equal measure by that of a separate thought stream.
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| #'''Separately generated internal responses''' - This level can be defined as internal linguistic responses to one's own thoughts and feelings which feel as if they are generated by an entirely separate thought stream from one's own.
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| #'''Separately generated audible internal responses''' - This level can be defined as internal linguistic responses to one's own thoughts and feelings which are perceived as a clearly defined and audible voice within one's head. These can take on a variety of voices, accents and dialects but usually sound identical to one's own spoken voice.
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| The speaker behind this voice is innately interpreted by those who experience communication with it to be that of one's subconscious, the substance itself or even supernatural concepts such as god, spirits, souls and ancestors.
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| [[Cognitive effects: Direct communication with the subconscious|Click here for full article...]]
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| ===Ego suppression, loss and death=== | | ===Ego suppression, loss and death=== |
| ''Ego suppression, loss and death'' is an extremely profound and all-encompassing component. The ego is defined as a human being’s concept or sense of identity, self or “I” as a separate agent from the external environment. It is essentially a person’s consciousness or capacity to be self-aware, as enabled by their ability to recall and maintain a general understanding of their internally stored concept of what is considered to be one's own self.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Ego suppression, loss and death}} |
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| With any hallucinogen, one's ability to retain, recall, feel and understand concepts such as a personal sense of self and other fundamental notions pertaining to the basics of human existence are partially to completely diminished depending on dosage. This is the result of a progressively all-encompassing state of memory suppression. It is a process which is capable of being broken down into 3 basic levels:
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| #'''Ego suppression''' - This is a partial failure of a person's short term memory. It can be described as a general increase in distractibility, loss of focus and a general sense of difficulty when it comes to processing anything outside of the present moment.
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| #'''Ego loss''' - This is the complete failure of a person's short term memory. It can be described as a person becoming being completely incapable of remembering any specific details regarding the present situation for more than a second or two. This often results in disorientation, thought loops, loss of control and confusion for the inexperienced. Long term memory however remains almost entirely intact as people are still perfectly capable of recollecting their name, date of birth, childhood school, etc.
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| #'''Ego death''' - This is a complete failure of a person's long term memory. Ego death can be described as a total loss of control in which the person becomes completely incapable of remembering even the most basic fundamental human concept stored within the long term memory. This includes your name, who you are, your home town, the fact that you are on drugs, what drugs even are, what human beings are, what life is, what existence is or what anything is. Ego death gives the profound experience that there is no longer an “I” experiencing the intensity of the trip anymore, there is just the trip as it is and by itself.
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| ===Personality regression=== | | ===Personality regression=== |
| ''Personality regression'' is an uncommon and spontaneously occurring mental state which often accompanies [[Cognitive effects: Ego suppression, loss and death|ego death]]. It can be described as a mental state in which one suddenly adopts an identical personality, the mannerisms and behaviour of their past selves from a period of their life which has already occurred. This is often capable of making one believe that they are a child again and act appropriately to this belief.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Personality regression}} |
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| ===Thought loops=== | | ===Thought loops=== |
| ''Thought loops'' can be described as the experience of becoming trapped within a chain of thoughts, actions and emotions which repeat themselves over and over again in a cyclic loop. They are most likely to occur during states of [[Cognitive effects: Ego suppression, loss and death|ego loss]] and the failure of one's short term memory. This suggests that thought loops are the result of cognitive processes becoming unable to sustain themselves for appropriate lengths of time due to a lapse in short term memory, resulting in the thought process attempting to restart from the beginning only to fall short once again in a perpetual cycle.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Personality regression}} |
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| This component can be extremely disorientating and often triggers states of progressive [[Cognitive effects: Anxiety|anxiety]] within the person experiencing them if they are unfamiliar with the experience. The most effective way to end a cycle of thought loops is to simply sit down and try to let go.
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| ===Feelings of interdependent opposites=== | | ===Feelings of interdependent opposites=== |
| ''Feelings of interdependent opposites'' is a state of mind that often accompanies [[Cognitive effects: Ego suppression, loss and death|ego death]]. It can be described as a powerful sensation in which one sees, understands and physically feels that reality is based on a system in which the existence or identity of all concepts and situations depend on the co-existence of at least two conditions which are opposite to each other, yet dependent on one another by presupposing each other as logically necessary equivalents. This experience is usually felt to provide deep insight into the fundamental nature of reality and results in feelings that concepts such as ''life and death, up and down, light and dark, good and bad, matter and antimatter, pleasure and suffering, yes and no, being and non-being'' each exist as states of harmonious and necessary contrast to their opposite force.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Feelings of interdependent opposites}} |
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| ===Delusions=== | | ===Delusions=== |
| ''Delusions'' are the experience of spontaneous beliefs held with strong conviction. In the context of hallucinogenic drugs they are temporary perspectives which one may slip into during high dosage experiences. They are most likely to occur during states of [[Cognitive effects: Ego suppression, loss and death|ego loss or ego death]] and not by any means permanent as with schizophrenic delusions but do share many common themes and elements within them. These delusions can be broken out of when appropriate evidence is provided to the contrary or the person has sobered up enough to logically analyse the situation.
| | {{:Cognitive effects: Delusions}} |
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| ===Types===
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| Delusions are categorized into four different groups:
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| * '''Bizarre delusion:''' This is a delusion that is very strange and completely implausible. An example of a bizarre delusion would be that aliens have removed the reporting person's brain.
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| * '''Non-bizarre delusion:''' This is a delusion that, though false, is at least possible such as the affected person mistakenly believing that he is under constant police surveillance.
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| * '''Mood-congruent delusion:''' This is any delusion with content consistent with either a [[Cognitive effects: Temporary depression|depressive]] or [[Cognitive effects: Anxiety|anxious]] state. For example, a depressed person may believe that news anchors on television highly disapprove of him or a person in a manic state might believe she is a powerful deity.
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| * '''Mood-neutral delusion:''' This is a delusion that does not relate to the sufferer's emotional state. For example, a belief that an extra limb is growing out of the back of one's head is neutral to either depression or mania.<ref>"minddisorders.com | http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Delusions.html</ref>
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| ====Themes====
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| In addition to these categories, delusions often manifest according to a consistent theme. Although delusions can have any theme, certain themes are more common. Some of the more common delusion themes are:
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| * '''Delusion of control''': This is a false belief that another person, group of people, or external force controls one's general thoughts, feelings, impulses, or behavior.
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| * '''Delusion of death''': This is a false belief that one is about to die, is currently dying, does not exist or has already died.
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| * '''Delusion of guilt or sin (or delusion of self-accusation)''': This is an ungrounded feeling of remorse or guilt of delusional intensity in which one believes that they have committed some sort of unethical act.
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| * '''Delusion of mind being read''': This is the false belief that other people can know one's thoughts.
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| * '''Delusion of thought insertion''': This is the belief that another thinks through the mind of the person. This results in the person becoming unable to distinguish between their own thoughts and those inserted into their minds.
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| * '''Delusion of reference''': The person falsely believes that insignificant remarks, events, or objects in one's environment have personal meaning or significance. For example, one may feel that people on television or radio are talking about or talking directly to them.
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| * '''Grandiose religious delusion''': This is the belief that the affected person is a god or chosen to act as a god. An individual can become convinced he has special powers, talents, or abilities. Sometimes, the individual may actually believe they are a famous person or character such as Jesus Christ. Alternatively this can occur as a philosophical insight through high level states of [[Cognitive effects: States of unity and interconnectedness|unity and interconnectedness]] in which it is not necessarily a delusion but a debatable metaphysical perspective.
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| ===States of unity and interconnectedness=== | | ===States of unity and interconnectedness=== |
| [[File:Tumblr_inline_mmi698051Y1qz4rgp.gif|thumb|right|upright|238px| This symbol depicts the universe as a "self-excited" circuit. It was originally created by the late theoretical physicist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Archibald_Wheeler John Archibald Wheeler] in his 1983 paper [http://what-buddha-said.net/library/pdfs/wheeler_law_without_law.pdf law withoutlaw].]]
| | {{:Cognitive effects: States of unity and interconnectedness}} |
| | | ===See also=== |
| ''States of unity and interconnectedness'' start with a change in perspective which is consistently interpreted as the removal of a deeply embedded and all-encompassing illusion. The destruction of this apparent illusion leads onto feelings that the tripper frequently interprets as some sort of profound “awakening” or “enlightenment”.
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| Once removed, the illusion feels as though it has always been in place, forcing a person’s perspective of the world into feeling as if their concept of “self”, “I” or “me” with which they identify themselves as is assumed to intrinsically follow two fundamental rules. The first of these rules is that the self is inherently separate from the external environment and could not possibly extend into it. The second is that the self is specifically limited to not even the physical body as a whole, but exclusively a person’s internal narrative and the image of their own personality as built up through social interactions with other people.
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| The absence of this apparent illusion leads people into feelings which are commonly described as a state of total unity, oneness or interconnectivity between their sense of self and external concepts or systems which were previously perceived as inherently separate from one's being and identity.
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| Depending on the degree to which this illusion has been lifted, it can lead onto five possible levels of cognitive intensities of progressively more complex effects. Each of which are perfectly capable of spontaneously sustaining their perspective for weeks, months or even years after the experience itself. These levels can be defined as:
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| ====Unity between specific external systems==== | |
| The lowest and least complex level can be referred to as a state of “''unity between specific external systems''”. This is the only level of intensity in which the subjective experience of unity does not involve a state of interconnectedness between the self and the external. Instead, it can be described as a perceived sense of unity between two or more systems within the external environment which in every day life, are usually perceived as separate from both the self and each other.
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| This effect can manifest itself in an endless number of forms but common examples of the experience often include:
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| *A sense of unity between specific living things such as animals or plants and their surrounding ecosystems
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| *A sense of unity between specific human beings and the objects they are currently interacting with
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| *A sense of unity between any number of currently perceivable inanimate objects
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| *A sense of unity between humanity and nature
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| *A sense of unity between literally any combination of perceivable external systems and concepts
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| ====Unity between the self and specific external systems====
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| The second of these two levels can be referred to as a state of “''unity between the self and specific external systems''”. It can be defined as the experience of a loss of perceived boundaries between a person’s sense of self and the specific physical systems or concepts within the perceivable external environment which are currently comprising the central point of cognitive focus.
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| This effect can manifest itself in an endless number of forms but common examples of the experience often include:
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| *Becoming one with a specific object which you are interacting with
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| *Becoming one with a specific person which you interacting with. (particularly common if engaging in sexual or romantic activities)
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| *Becoming one with the entirety of your physical body
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| *Becoming one with large crowds of people. (particularly common at raves and music festivals)
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| *Becoming one with the external environment but not the people within it
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| This creates a sensation which is often described by people as the experience of becoming inextricably connected to, one with, the same as, or unified with whatever the perceived external system happens to be.
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| ====Unity between the self and all perceivable external systems====
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| The third of these five differing levels of intensity can be referred to as "''a state of unity between the self and all perceivable external systems''". It is defined as the experience of a loss of perceived boundaries between a person’s sense of self and the entirety of the currently perceivable external environment. The experience as a whole is generally described by people as “becoming one with my surroundings”.
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| This is felt to be the result of a person’s central sense of self becoming attributed to not just the internal narrative of the ego, but in equal measure, to the body itself and everything around it with which it is physically connected to through the senses. Once this sensation is in place, it creates the undeniable perspective that you are the external environment experiencing itself through the specific point within it that this body’s physical sensory awareness and conscious thought happens to currently reside in.
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| It's at this level that a key component of the unity experience becomes an extremely noticeable factor. Once a person's sense of self has become attributed to the entirety of their surroundings, this new perspective completely changes how it feels to physically interact with what was previously felt to be an external environment. For example, when physically interacting with an object in everyday life it feels very simply that you are a central agent organizing the world around itself. However, whilst undergoing a state of unity with the currently perceivable environment, interacting with an external object consistently feel as if the system as a whole is autonomously organizing itself and that you are no longer a central agent operating the process of interaction. Instead the process suddenly feels completely decentralized and mutual across itself as the environment begins to autonomously, mechanically and harmoniously respond to itself to perform the predetermined function of the particular interaction.
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| ====Unity between the self and all external systems====
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| The fourth of these five differing levels of intensity can be referred to as a "''state of unity between the self and all external systems''". It is defined as the experience of a loss of perceived boundaries between a person's sense of self, the perceivable external environment, and all which they know to exist outside of this through their internally stored model of reality. This feels as if your sense of self has become attributed to not just the external environment but all of humanity, nature, and the universe as it presently stands in its complete entirety. The experience of this is generally described by people as “''becoming one with the universe''”.
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| When experienced, this perspective creates the sudden and undeniable sensation that you are quite literally the entire universe experiencing itself, exploring itself, and performing actions onto itself through the very specific point of space and time which your ego and conscious perception happens to currently reside in. When experienced, this feeling is immediately and universally understood to be an innate and undeniable truth by anybody who undergoes it.
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| ====Unity between the self and the creation of all external systems====
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| The fifth and most profound of these five differing levels of intensity can be referred to as a "''state of unity between the self and the creation of all external systems''". It is defined as the experience of a loss of perceived boundaries between a person's sense of self and all external systems of behaviour. This includes not just the systems as they currently stand within the present moment but at each known point of their existence throughout all time lines past, present, and future as dictated by the person's internally stored model of reality.
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| When experienced, this feels as if your sense of self has become attributed to all of space and time including every single past and future event such as the initial creation and eventual destruction of existence. It is a perspective which consistently leads onto the innate revelation and sensation that the 'you' in terms of your true self (everything) are personally and consciously responsible for the deliberate design and creation of the universe itself.
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| It's at this point where some consistently reported interlocking sub-perspectives and innately extrapolated conclusions of a religious and metaphysical nature begin to come into play. These generally include but are not limited to:
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| *The sudden and total acceptance of death as a fundamental component of one's life. This is because death is no longer felt to be the destruction of the self but simply the end of this specific point of conscious awareness, The vast majority of which has always existed and will continue to exist and live on through everything else in which it resides.
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| *A perspective which feels personally responsible for the design, planning, and implementation of every single specific detail and plot element of one's personal life, the history of humanity, and the universe as a whole. This naturally includes personal culpability for humanity's sufferings and its flaws, but also includes acts of love and our achievements.
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| *The religious or spiritual realization that the person's preconceived notions behind their concept of “god” or “god-hood” can now be felt through a forced change in perspective as identical to the nature of one's true self. This realization is generally reached through the subconscious conclusion that the usually differing concepts of god-hood and self are both now identically defined as that which is the all-knowing, all-encompassing, all-powerful creator, and sustainer of this existence.
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| '''[[Cognitive_effects:_States_of_unity_and_interconnectedness#Examples_of_unity_throughout_history_and_culture|Click here for full article...]]'''
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| ==See also==
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| *[[Psychedelics]] | | *[[Psychedelics]] |
| *[[Visual effects - Psychedelics]]''' | | *[[Visual effects - Psychedelics]]''' |
This article attempts to break down the cognitive and behavioural effects contained within the psychedelic experience into simple, easy to understand titles, descriptions and levelling systems. This will be done without depending on metaphors, analogies, or personal trip reports. The article starts off with descriptions of the simpler effects and works its way up towards more complex experiences as it progresses.
Enhancement of current mind state
Cognitive effects: Enhancement of current mind state
Acceleration of thought
Cognitive effects: Acceleration of thought
Connectivity of thought
Cognitive effects: Connectivity of thought
Feelings of fascination, importance and awe
Cognitive effects: Feelings of fascination, importance and awe
Time distortion
Time distortion is defined as an effect that makes the passage of time feel difficult to keep track of and wildly distorted.[1] It is usually felt in two different forms, time dilation and time compression.[2] These two forms are described and documented below:
Time dilation
Time dilation is defined as the feeling that time has slowed down.[3] This commonly occurs during intense hallucinogenic experiences and seems to stem from the fact that during an intense trip, abnormally large amounts of experience are felt in very short periods of time.[4][5] This can create the illusion that more time has passed than actually has. For example, at the end of certain experiences, one may feel that they have subjectively undergone days, weeks, months, years, or even infinite periods of time.
Time dilation is often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as spirituality intensification,[6] thought loops, novelty enhancement, and internal hallucinations in a manner which may lead one into perceiving a disproportionately large number of events considering the amount of time that has actually passed in the real world. It is most commonly induced under the influence of heavy dosages of hallucinogenic compounds, such as psychedelics,[7][8] dissociatives, entactogens,[9][10] and cannabinoids.
Time compression
Time compression is defined as the experience of time speeding up and passing much quicker than it usually would while sober. For example, during this state a person may realize that an entire evening has passed them by in what feels like only a couple of hours.
This commonly occurs under the influence of certain stimulating compounds and seems to at least partially stem from the fact that during intense levels of stimulation, people typically become hyper-focused on activities and tasks in a manner which can allow time to pass them by without realizing it. However, the same experience can also occur on depressant compounds which induce amnesia. This occurs due to the way in which a person can literally forget everything that has happened while still experiencing the effects of the substance, thus giving the impression that they have suddenly jumped forward in time.
Time compression is often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as memory suppression, focus intensification, stimulation, and amnesia in a manner which may lead one into perceiving a disproportionately small number of events considering the amount of time that has actually passed in the real world. It is most commonly induced under the influence of heavy dosages of stimulating and/or amnesic compounds,[11] such as dissociatives,[12] entactogens, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines.
Time reversal
Time reversal is defined as the perception that the events, hallucinations, and experiences that occurred around one's self within the previous several minutes to several hours are spontaneously playing backwards in a manner which is somewhat similar to that of a rewinding VHS tape. During this reversal, the person's cognition and train of thought will typically continue to play forward in a coherent and linear manner while they watch the external environment around them and their body's physical actions play in reverse order. This can either occur in real time, with 5 minutes of time reversal taking approximately 5 minutes to fully rewind, or it can occur in a manner which is sped up, with 5 minutes of time reversal only taking less than a minute. It can reasonably be speculated that the experience of time reversal may potentially occur through a combination of internal hallucinations and errors in memory encoding.
Time reversal is often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as internal hallucinations, thought loops, and deja vu. It is most commonly induced under the influence of extremely heavy dosages of hallucinogenic compounds, such as psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants.
Introspection
Cognitive effects: Introspection
Outrospection
Cognitive effects: Outrospection
Rejuvenation
Cognitive effects: Rejuvenation
Deja-Vu
Cognitive effects: Deja-Vu
Mindfulness
Cognitive effects: Mindfulness
Multiple thought streams
Cognitive effects: Multiple thought streams
Suppression of personal bias
Cognitive effects: Suppression of personal bias
Feelings of predeterminism
Cognitive effects: Feelings of predeterminism
Conceptual thinking
Cognitive effects: Conceptual thinking
Direct communication with the subconscious
Cognitive effects: Direct communication with the subconscious
Ego suppression, loss and death
Cognitive effects: Ego suppression, loss and death
Personality regression
Cognitive effects: Personality regression
Thought loops
Cognitive effects: Personality regression
Feelings of interdependent opposites
Cognitive effects: Feelings of interdependent opposites
Delusions
Cognitive effects: Delusions
States of unity and interconnectedness
Cognitive effects: States of unity and interconnectedness
See also
References
- ↑ N. Stanciu, C., M. Penders, T. (1 June 2016). "Hallucinogen Persistent Perception Disorder Induced by New Psychoactive Substituted Phenethylamines; A Review with Illustrative Case". Current Psychiatry Reviews. 12 (2): 221–223.
- ↑ Nichols, D. E. (2016). "Psychedelics". Pharmacological Reviews. 68 (2): 264–355. doi:10.1124/pr.115.011478. ISSN 1521-0081.
- ↑ Pink-Hashkes, S., Rooij, I. J. E. I. van, Kwisthout, J. H. P. (2017). "Perception is in the details: A predictive coding account of the psychedelic phenomenon". London, UK : Cognitive Science Society.
- ↑ Hill, R. M.; Fischer, R.; Warshay, Diana (1969). "Effects of excitatory and tranquilizing drugs on visual perception. spatial distortion thresholds". Experientia. 25 (2): 171–172. doi:10.1007/BF01899105. ISSN 0014-4754.
- ↑ Fischer, R. (1971). "A Cartography of the Ecstatic and Meditative States". Science. 174 (4012): 897–904. doi:10.1126/science.174.4012.897. ISSN 0036-8075.
- ↑ Buckley, P. (1981). "Mystical Experience and Schizophrenia". Schizophrenia Bulletin. 7 (3): 516–521. doi:10.1093/schbul/7.3.516. ISSN 0586-7614.
- ↑ Schroll, M. A. (2013). "From ecopsychology to transpersonal ecosophy: Shamanism, psychedelics and transpersonal psychology" (PDF). European Journal of Ecopsychology. 4: 116–144.
- ↑ Riley, Sarah C.E.; Blackman, Graham (2009). "Between Prohibitions: Patterns and Meanings of Magic Mushroom Use in the UK". Substance Use & Misuse. 43 (1): 55–71. doi:10.1080/10826080701772363. ISSN 1082-6084.
- ↑ Nikolova, I.; Danchev, N. (2014). "Piperazine Based Substances of Abuse: A new Party Pills on Bulgarian Drug Market". Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment. 22 (2): 652–655. doi:10.1080/13102818.2008.10817529. ISSN 1310-2818.
- ↑ Yeap, C. W., Bian, C. K., Abdullah, A. F. L. (2010). "A Review on Benzylpiperazine and Trifluoromethylphenypiperazine: Origins, Effects, Prevalence and Legal Status". Health and the Environment Journal. 1 (2): 38–50.
- ↑ Griffith, John D.; Nutt, John G.; Jasinski, Donald R. (1975). "A comparison of fenfluramine and amphetamine in man". Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 18 (5part1): 563–570. doi:10.1002/cpt1975185part1563. ISSN 0009-9236.
- ↑ Corazza, Ornella; Assi, Sulaf; Schifano, Fabrizio (2013). "From "Special K" to "Special M": The Evolution of the Recreational Use of Ketamine and Methoxetamine". CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. 19 (6): 454–460. doi:10.1111/cns.12063. ISSN 1755-5930.
