What Is Your Brain Doing on Psychedelics?
10 days ago
- #psychedelics
- #neuroscience
- #consciousness
- The author describes a psychedelic experience in Joshua Tree National Park after defending their Ph.D. in neuroscience.
- Psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin are explored for their potential to change perception and consciousness.
- Neuroscientist Robin Carhart-Harris theorizes that psychedelics increase brain entropy, leading to novel connections and therapeutic effects.
- Critics question whether the entropy model fully explains psychedelic effects, citing inconsistent data and measurement challenges.
- Alternative theories suggest placebo effects or integration of profound experiences may drive therapeutic benefits.
- Studies show mixed results on entropy increases during psychedelic trips, with some metrics showing no change.
- The author reflects on lasting subtle perceptual changes post-trip, suggesting minor neural tweaks rather than a grand transformation.