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Thread: First Evidence for Higher State of Consciousness Found

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    Senior Member Aragorn's Avatar
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    Lightbulb First Evidence for Higher State of Consciousness Found

    Now don't you all start taking LSD, folks. The psychedelic drugs used in this experiment made it possible to ascertain a higher degree of neural activity in the brain than normal, but you have to keep in mind that all drugs are chemicals and that the effect is neither natural nor without side-effects.

    Hallucinations are not a higher state of consciousness. They are a side-effect of an upset chemical balance in the brain.







    Source: Neuroscience News


    Scientific evidence of a ‘higher’ state of consciousness has been found in a study led by the University of Sussex.

    Neuroscientists observed a sustained increase in neural signal diversity – a measure of the complexity of brain activity – of people under the influence of psychedelic drugs, compared with when they were in a normal waking state.

    The diversity of brain signals provides a mathematical index of the level of consciousness. For example, people who are awake have been shown to have more diverse neural activity using this scale than those who are asleep.

    This, however, is the first study to show brain-signal diversity that is higher than baseline, that is higher than in someone who is simply ‘awake and aware’. Previous studies have tended to focus on lowered states of consciousness, such as sleep, anaesthesia, or the so-called ‘vegetative’ state.

    The team say that more research is needed using more sophisticated and varied models to confirm the results but they are cautiously excited.

    Professor Anil Seth, Co-Director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex, said: “This finding shows that the brain-on-psychedelics behaves very differently from normal.

    “During the psychedelic state, the electrical activity of the brain is less predictable and less ‘integrated’ than during normal conscious wakefulness – as measured by ‘global signal diversity’.

    “Since this measure has already shown its value as a measure of ‘conscious level’, we can say that the psychedelic state appears as a higher ‘level’ of consciousness than normal – but only with respect to this specific mathematical measure.”

    For the study, Michael Schartner, Dr Adam Barrett and Professor Seth of the Sackler Centre reanalysed data that had previously been collected by Imperial College London and the University of Cardiff in which healthy volunteers were given one of three drugs known to induce a psychedelic state: psilocybin, ketamine and LSD.

    Using brain imaging technology, they measured the tiny magnetic fields produced in the brain and found that, across all three drugs, this measure of conscious level – the neural signal diversity – was reliably higher.

    This does not mean that the psychedelic state is a ‘better’ or more desirable state of consciousness, the researchers stress; instead, it shows that the psychedelic brain state is distinctive and can be related to other global changes in conscious level (e.g. sleep, anaesthesia) by application of a simple mathematical measure of signal diversity. Dr Muthukumaraswamy who was involved in all three initial studies commented: “That similar changes in signal diversity were found for all three drugs, despite their quite different pharmacology, is both very striking and also reassuring that the results are robust and repeatable.”

    The findings could help inform discussions gathering momentum about the carefully-controlled medical use of such drugs, for example in treating severe depression.

    Dr Robin Cahart-Harris of Imperial College London said: “Rigorous research into psychedelics is gaining increasing attention, not least because of the therapeutic potential that these drugs may have when used sensibly and under medical supervision.

    “The present study’s findings help us understand what happens in people’s brains when they experience an expansion of their consciousness under psychedelics. People often say they experience insight under these drugs – and when this occurs in a therapeutic context, it can predict positive outcomes. The present findings may help us understand how this can happen.”

    As well as helping to inform possible medical applications, the study adds to a growing scientific understanding of how conscious level (how conscious one is) and conscious content (what one is conscious of) are related to each other.

    Professor Seth said: “We found correlations between the intensity of the psychedelic experience, as reported by volunteers, and changes in signal diversity. This suggests that our measure has close links not only to global brain changes induced by the drugs, but to those aspects of brain dynamics that underlie specific aspects of conscious experience.”

    The research team are now working hard to identify how specific changes in information flow in the brain underlie specific aspects of psychedelic experience, like hallucinations.


    Source: Neuroscience News
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    Senior Member United States Dreamtimer's Avatar
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    I personally don't have much of a tendency to hallucinate, even on certain drugs. (It's been since college). Things that were already there changed appearance and there was much more color and dimension to things but I never saw anything that wasn't there. Even with what's called a 'heroic dose'.

    I'm OK with that, btw.

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    Senior Member United States Dreamtimer's Avatar
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    We have a friend who makes a tea for his father. It's a mushroom tea. He doesn't give his father much. He calls it a 'reset' of the metabolism. His Dad started doing much better after getting the tea. Our friend said he told his Dad what it was.

    This video is related though it may not seem so at first. It touches on the potential healing and empowering effects of psychedelics.


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    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
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    He didn't mention Electric kool-aid, not the alt-right's kool-aid and that's for sure ...

    It's true, it can be very much like a rebirth.

    Perhaps why sexual orgasm is called a mini-death
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

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    Senior Member Norway Elen's Avatar
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    This is very good Dreamtimer! Very Good!
    Whatever is true. Whatever is noble. Whatever is right. Whatever is lovely. Whatever is admirable. Anything of excellence and worthy of praise. Dwell on these things. Jesus Christ (I agree)

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    Senior Member Wind's Avatar
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    The shamanic state feels like a dream state with visions, but it's more than that too. I suppose the effects vary with each different plant and their potency and the dose, I have never tried LSD but from what I've heard it doesn't feel so "natural" because it's not a plant. I still would be interested to try mushrooms, but I am both hesitant and curious about them.


    Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywGqltO_Wos

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    You might try a micro dose. That way you won't trip, you'll just get the heightened awareness.

    I haven't tried that. I only ever tripped when I was college age.

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    Almost everybody seems to be doing microdosing in places like Silicon Valley. It does something to creativity apparently.

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    Timothy Leary is experiencing ecstasy. That was always the case with LSD as it was 'chemical' and not 'natural'. One of the really popular natural psychoactive at one time was wood rose. Not as intense as 'chemicals' but still active. It was more annoying than anything. Not to mention it required processing to remove toxic ingredients. Psilocybin was a sexual rush, I got into a really messy mess with that one. I've related that story here once upon a time. Highly enhanced senses, yeah, I suppose the very Earthy types would call that spiritual.

    Is ayahuasca a mushroom ... the trip I had sounded more like that than the one described as psilocybin?
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

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    Senior Member Wind's Avatar
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    I've gone through an ego death and it felt like physically dying yet I have not actually died in this life. Then my ego was brough back online... I can't possibly describe that feeling. We all have our ego's on this plane for a reason, but we are not them. It's just an ID.

    Quote Originally posted by NotAPretender View Post
    Is ayahuasca a mushroom ... the trip I had sounded more like that than the one described as psilocybin?
    No, it's a vine which is usually made into a brew which tastes extremely bitter. Once taken it will make you empty your bowels and cleanses you inside out. Definitely not a "party drug", it's a healing medicine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayahuasca
    Last edited by Wind, 28th February 2021 at 14:36.

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    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
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    ah, ok ...
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

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    Senior Member Wind's Avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by NotAPretender View Post
    ah, ok ...
    Two fellow Finnish dudes tried it, this was a really popular travel show here.


    Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9_NHLm33Uc

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    The psychoactive ingredient in ayahuasca is DMT. You can take DMT without doing ayahuasca. It's a much shorter trip, 10 or 15 minutes. And you don't have the gastrointestinal experience.

    It may be that other elements in the brew interact with the DMT to enhance the experience, I don't know.

    I'm not interested in the vine brew, I could possibly see myself trying DMT.

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    The 15 min DMT trips are literally mindblowing as you are taken somewhere else, it also shows that time literally is relative. DMT is spirit molecule and perhaps the most potent psychedelic out there, that's why I find it both fascinating and scary. It's not to be taken lightly.

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    Quote Originally posted by Wind View Post
    The 15 min DMT trips are literally mindblowing as you are taken somewhere else, it also shows that time literally is relative. DMT is spirit molecule and perhaps the most potent psychedelic out there, that's why I find it both fascinating and scary. It's not to be taken lightly.
    I don't do drugs or ayahuasca. If I want a psychedelic experience, I'll just listen to some good old Pink Floyd.
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