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Communicating with people on psychedelics

qualiacomputing.com

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Re: Communicating with people on psychedelics

#81

Post by rudolf0 »

reb wrote: post #37
rudolf0 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's so odd how there's a near-universal reporting of small elf- or dwarf-like creatures from that drug. Is there any proposed mechanism of action for how it works?

Priming seems likely. Most experience reports I've read describe the "entities" as ineffable, so I have to think the language used by McKenna is more a cultural staple/fallback than a consistent hallucination unique to DMT.

I'm sure that contributes to a lot of it, as well as experiences others have with harder drugs. But from my research, many people reported this experience without ever being aware that others have experienced it. I think there must be some factor unique to DMT that can create experiences like this.

Re: Communicating with people on psychedelics

#82

Post by cnp »

notthegov wrote: post #10
empath75 wrote: post #3

I don't know how they'll get their message past the machine elves from dimension 9 that also communicate with people on LSD.

DMT is much different than LSD. I have never heard anyone talk about machine elves and LSD. DMT is a legitimate mystery of science and is not a drug in the traditional sense.

I spent a good amount of time a few years ago exploring the DMT realm, and its totally, completely and inexplicably mysterious. Either consciousness is a non-local phenomena and when you smoke it you end up in some kind of parallel dimension or for whatever crazy reason evolution decided it was important to incorporate these alien beings into our subconscious mind. Those with a rigid reductionist perspective would do well to explore it a bit. IMO there's nothing more mind expanding and question inducing than DMT, and it just begs out to science: "STUDY ME!"

Re: Communicating with people on psychedelics

#83

Post by ThrustVectoring »

zardo wrote: post #77
ThrustVectoring wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Seeing" is the process of constructing meaning from the raw activation of the light receptors in your eyes. That's why optical illusions work. After all, it's simply patterns of ink on a page - why should you see things that seem impossible? It's because the image is designed to get your brain to construct a particular meaning out of the image.

LSD's effect isn't limited to visual perception. One of the most common reported phenomenon is a sort of understanding of the connectedness of things. That may be a result of the reality that all things really are connected when they are stored as concepts in a network of neurons.

I'm well aware of that. What I'm getting at is that the same process that produces changes in how visual sense data gets interpreted also produces changes in how all your other sense data gets interpreted. This includes the sense data that introspection and narrative construction generates.

Re: Communicating with people on psychedelics

#84

Post by rudolf0 »

fapjacks wrote: post #73
rudolf0 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's so odd how there's a near-universal reporting of small elf- or dwarf-like creatures from that drug. Is there any proposed mechanism of action for how it works?

My running theory is that the machine elves from Dimension 9 are actually a heavily modified perception of one's self. This is purely just based only on research done in my basement with DMT, so nothing approaching academic research, but I think those little people are actually our "mind's eye" perception of ourselves, just twisted by the DMT. Like when you imagine yourself walking through a hallway to go to lunch, a…

That makes sense, but were you already aware of the "DMT elf" mythology before taking the drug? If so, that could've influenced a lot of your experience.

Otherwise, I think that could be a plausible explanation. Though I've read about people actually talking to the elves, or hearing things from them, which would be weird if the elves were themselves.

Re: Communicating with people on psychedelics

#85

Post by zardo »

cnp wrote: post #80
8d7a8 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought elves were limited to the DMT experience. At least I hoped that was the case. I found this interesting at the end of the article, regarding the Control Interrupt model: This inhibitory control mechanism occurs a discrete number of times per second. Therefore “control interruption” caused by psychedelics, in this model, is conceived as a periodical failure of inhibitory control that allows aspects of one’s e…

One lesser known psychedelic, Salvia Divinorum, when taken responsibly and with a measured dose derived from incremental experimentation , tends to bring a person into the weird world too. Lots of beings, lots of entities.

Salvia takes you to a pretty weird place if you irresponsibly take an oversized dose too. According to my friend.

Re: Communicating with people on psychedelics

#86

Post by zardo »

ScottBurson wrote: post #57
tyho wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Low frequancy PWM is annoying, it's not just you: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?104151-Ir...

Yeah, I really think the NHTSA should mandate a much higher minimum frequency.

They should limit the brightness as well, pulling up behind one at a stop light at night is blinding.

Re: Communicating with people on psychedelics

#87

Post by purplerabbit »

ThrustVectoring wrote: post #83
zardo wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LSD's effect isn't limited to visual perception. One of the most common reported phenomenon is a sort of understanding of the connectedness of things. That may be a result of the reality that all things really are connected when they are stored as concepts in a network of neurons.

I'm well aware of that. What I'm getting at is that the same process that produces changes in how visual sense data gets interpreted also produces changes in how all your other sense data gets interpreted. This includes the sense data that introspection and narrative construction generates.

This in no way follows from your initial equation, which by itself doesn't make any sense.

Visuals contain meaning, but they are not meaning.

Re: Communicating with people on psychedelics

#88

Post by choosername »

choosername wrote: post #64
GuiA wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This idea of reality being "passed through" multiple filters, and these filters being reduced or disabled on psychedelics, is developed (somewhat unscientifically) by Huxley in "The Doors of Perception"- it's a fairly good read. If I remember correctly, the main criticism against this is that if it were the case brain activity should be reduced, at least in some regions, when on psychedelics. However, observing peopl…

Brain activity is not a precise meassure, not in terms of fMRI, which just shows an increased blood flow. The hypothesis is obvious on the other hand. However, individuals that would submit to a test on psychedelics is likely the type that gets easily exited just for the sake of it and doesn't. Or brain activity doesn't corralate with actually functioning correctly. I' expect a failing subsystem would respond with in…

did the easily exited type bit strike a feeling or why the downvote? I mean, it can't be given to an unsuspecting control group. That would probably feel moderately icky and the desire to rest.

Re: Communicating with people on psychedelics

#90

Post by daodedickinson »

cnp wrote: post #82
notthegov wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DMT is much different than LSD. I have never heard anyone talk about machine elves and LSD. DMT is a legitimate mystery of science and is not a drug in the traditional sense.

I spent a good amount of time a few years ago exploring the DMT realm, and its totally, completely and inexplicably mysterious. Either consciousness is a non-local phenomena and when you smoke it you end up in some kind of parallel dimension or for whatever crazy reason evolution decided it was important to incorporate these alien beings into our subconscious mind. Those with a rigid reductionist perspective would do…

"Evolution" has "decided" to "incorporate" plenty of unimportant things, or else everything is equally important, and thus nothing is important.
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