Visual effects - Psychedelics
This article attempts to break down the visual effects contained within the psychedelic experience into simple, easy to understand titles, descriptions and levelling systems. This will be done without depending on metaphors, analogy's 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, using image examples wherever possible.
Enhancements
An overall enhancement of vision is consistently reported at the lowest levels of psychedelic experience and extremely common on certain stimulants and entactogens. It can be generally defined as an overall increase in the level of visual input attributed to the external environment that a person experiences. It is manifested through 3 separate subcomponents.
Increased visual acuity
{{#ev:gfycat|https://giant.gfycat.com/IndolentDeliriousGiantschnauzer.webm%7C400x225%7Cright%7CVisual acuity enhancement by StingrayZ - This animation serves as a replication of visual acuity enhancement, which is a common psychedelic effect. It demonstrates the general differences between normal vision and acuity enhancement by shifting between the two states. There is also a subtle amount of visual drifting within this replication.|frame}} Visual acuity enhancement is defined as a heightening of the clearness and clarity of vision. This results in the visual details of the external environment becoming sharpened to the point where the edges of objects become perceived as extremely focused, clear, and defined. The experience of this acuity enhancement can be likened to bringing a camera or projector lens that was slightly blurry into focus. At its highest level, a person may experience the ability to observe and comprehend their entire visual field simultaneously, including their peripheral vision. This is in contrast to the default sober state where a person is only able to perceive the small area of central vision in detail.[1]
While under the influence of this effect, it is common for people to suddenly notice patterns and details in the environment they may have never previously noticed or appreciated. For example, the complexity and perceived beauty of the visual input often become apparent when looking at sceneries, nature, and everyday textures.
Visual acuity enhancement is often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as color enhancement and pattern recognition enhancement.[2][3] It is most commonly induced under the influence of mild dosages of psychedelic compounds, such as LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline. However, it can also occur to a lesser extent under the influence of certain stimulants and dissociatives such as MDMA or 3-MeO-PCP.
Image examples
Enhancement of colour
Enhanced pattern recognition
Distortions
An extremely common category of visual effects found within the hallucinogenic experience is known as a distortion or a visual alteration. These can be generally described as changes in perception attributed to the external environment that are always obviously grounded in reality. These effects are manifested through 6 separate subcomponents.
Visual drifting
Colour shifting
Depth Perception Distortions
Tracers
Symmetrical texture repetition
Scenery Slicing
Geometry
Hallucinatory states
Hallucinatory states are perhaps the most profound subjective visual effect that the hallucinogenic experience has to offer.
Transformations
Internal hallucinations
See also
- Psychedelics
- Auditory effects - Psychedelics
- Physical effects - Psychedelics
- Cognitive effects - Psychedelics
- Multi-Sensory effects - Psychedelics
- Dissociatives
- Deliriants
- Hallucinogens
- ↑ Sardegna, J., Shelly, S. (2002). The Encyclopedia of Blindness and Vision Impairment. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 9780816066230.
- ↑ Papoutsis, Ioannis; Nikolaou, Panagiota; Stefanidou, Maria; Spiliopoulou, Chara; Athanaselis, Sotiris (2014). "25B-NBOMe and its precursor 2C-B: modern trends and hidden dangers". Forensic Toxicology. 33 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1007/s11419-014-0242-9. ISSN 1860-8965.
- ↑ Bersani, Francesco Saverio; Corazza, Ornella; Albano, Gabriella; Valeriani, Giuseppe; Santacroce, Rita; Bolzan Mariotti Posocco, Flaminia; Cinosi, Eduardo; Simonato, Pierluigi; Martinotti, Giovanni; Bersani, Giuseppe; Schifano, Fabrizio (2014). "25C-NBOMe: Preliminary Data on Pharmacology, Psychoactive Effects, and Toxicity of a New Potent and Dangerous Hallucinogenic Drug". BioMed Research International. 2014: 1–6. doi:10.1155/2014/734749. ISSN 2314-6133.