Psychedelic experiences are defined as a state of expanded or altered consciousness. They are most often obtained through the use of psychoactive substances or OBE techniques, meditation or sensory deprivation. What exactly are they based on?

Contents:

  1. The Psychedelic Experiences - What Are They?
  2. Psychedelic experiences - bad trip and body load
  3. The experiences of psychedelics in treatment
  4. Harmfulness of psychedelics
  5. Dangers of psychedelic experiences

Psychedelic experience( state of expanded awareness , altered consciousness state , in Englishtrip- trip) is a state of altered consciousness most commonly achieved with agents such as LSD, THC, psilocybin and mescaline.

It is worth remembering, however, that these measures are illegal, and their action may be different for each person who uses them.

Psychoactive substances are the fastest way to get such experiences, but they are also possible through, inter alia, meditation practice or holotropic breathing.

Interestingly, sleep is also a psychedelic experience.

There are also studies on the introduction of psychedelic substances to the treatment of certain diseases (e.g. depression), but evidence-based medicine (EBM) is skeptical about them.

The Psychedelic Experiences - What Are They?

Psychedelic experiences are changes in consciousness, during which there are visual effects, synesthesia (a state in which experiencing one sense also activates others, i.e. you feel that a specific sound has a color or a color - smell), perceptual changes , mystical experiences, and sometimes also severe disturbances of consciousness (so-called psychoses).

Psychedelic experiences can have 5 levels, where:

I - achieved with low doses of LSD or psilocybin and a medium dose of THC causes only slight changes, II - achieved with a low dose of LSD or psilocybin and a high dose of THC causes, among others visual effects, loss of thoughts, concentration and time disorders, III - achieved with a medium dose of LSD, psilocybin, mescaline and 2C-B causes distortion of images, anxiety, deep spiritual elation and coordination disordersmovement, IV - achieved with a high dose of DXM, LSD and psilocybin causes strong visual effects and mood swings, V - achieved with very high doses of psychedelics causes loss of eye contact with the world, and people who have experienced this level say that they lost their ego then , compare the state to enlightenment, etc.

It is also important that psychedelic experiences are not associated with the achievement of unpleasant states, so advocates of psychedelics pay attention to taking them with the right mental attitude and environment. The mood and expectations are also important. All of these conditions are known as "set & setting".

Psychedelic experiences - bad trip and body load

Psychedelic experiences can be of different kinds. Among them, there may be, for example, a bad trip, which after taking psychedelics, consists in obtaining difficult and even terrifying states.

People who experienced it most often indicated that they had

  • hallucinations
  • anxiety attacks
  • panic attacks
  • delusions etc.

Supporters of the use of psychoactive substances emphasize, however, that it may result from the inexperience of people who use them, the occurrence of negative emotions or an incorrect attitude, circumstances or environment ( set & setting ) .

Another, also perceived as negative, state after taking psychedelics isbody load . It is characterized by unpleasant physical sensations that the participants are unable to pinpoint clearly, but is always associated with annoying sensory effects.

The experiences of psychedelics in treatment

As early as the 20th century, psychedelic experiences were studied for their therapeutic abilities in diagnosed disease states.

The group of researchers who have de alt with this includes, inter alia, Albert Hofmann, Stanisław Grof and Howard Lotsof.

Currently, some also claim that psychedelic experiences could help patients fight various diseases, including:

  • depression
  • schizophrenia
  • psychological trauma
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

In their context, research is ongoing to assess whether there are chances of introducing psychedelic therapies into treatment. However, this is not obvious and generally supported as these substances are now illegally abused in a non-scientific context.

One of the centers that research psychedelics in the context of treating depression is Imperial College London. They take part in the experimentparticipants suffering from the so-called drug-resistant depression and receive treatment sessions in which they are sometimes given psilocybin.

It is worth noting, however, that although a lot of this type of research is carried out in various research centers, skeptics emphasize that these substances are not fully understood, and that they are also a shortcut.

Curing trauma, depression or other diseases is possible thanks to the recommendations of evidence-based medicine (EBM) specialists, and the measures used in them are widely accepted, known, researched, and effective.

Harmfulness of psychedelics

It should also be emphasized that psychedelics are especially dangerous when used by people with a history of mental disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) or when someone in their family has experienced them.

In addition, people suffering from liver, kidney and heart diseases as well as those who are suicidal and pregnant are also a threat.

Dangers of psychedelic experiences

It should be emphasized above all that all psychedelics are illegal, therefore their use may result in imprisonment.

In addition, you should also remember that the purchase of drugs on the black market is associated with a high risk of purchasing preparations of questionable quality, which may translate into high toxicity and unexpected reactions of the body, including, for example, hyponatremia and hyperthermia.

Category:

Psychology