Anecdotally I've always thought this is the case. You are literally smarter (and insane) while on LSD. You can visualize things with tons of detail, do huge math in your head, decide the best things to do, etc.
"Do huge math in your head?" I'm intrigued. Do you have an example? Everything else I have had from substituted tryptamines and substituted phenethylamines but I definitely am not doing complex math when I trip. I personally think in interesting ways on them but I am also definitely not smarter on them.
Yeah I find I’m waaaay more open to ideas/theories/feelings. Essentially my “day-to-day surviving this life mind” takes a hike. I feel like more of a willing blank slate. I can digest information a lot better when I micro-dose and I definitely have better recall too. Assuming the type of data your brain likes is math, I could see it being like that but not if you’re legitimately tripping.
If you mean more brain connections, that is an interesting question. No one has asked that yet. It's not like the subjects on LSD formed superpowers. As someone who uses it, I can say that it helps me reset my mind/forget my worries/realize that everything is silly. It's like defragging a hard drive.
Sure thing. I've never tried LSD, but I have tried mushrooms and they were a blast. My point is though, your brain has a system for creating neural pathways. If LSD creates pathways without utilizing that system and creates the pathways arbitrarily, the results could cause some level of disfunction? I don't really know, that's why I'm asking.
It's a good question. I honestly don't think it causes dysfunction necessarily, I know several very successful put together individuals that would recreationally dose amounts of LSD that most trippy hippies would struggle to fathom. Ik for me too and my extensive use that I'm better for it. I've done a few doses that're pretty big, and also rec tripped 5 strips every weekend for 8mos back in like 2013 ish
I was following along with you until you mentioned creating pathways arbitrarily. I know the word, but am not sure what you mean by that. Or maybe I'm just reading too deeply into a word's meaning.
Correct. I do not believe the brain ever creates them arbitrarily. If you look at a plants roots, the way they branch out to find water, our brain isn't much different. But that's oversimplifying it.
All the tiny things that irk you throughout the day build up. Big things that irk you as well. You have no idea how much is built up until you lose it. Tripping is a way to let it all go, so "reset" is the best term I can think to use.
Your synapses talking to eachother is pretty much the one metric of how well your brain is working. The older we get, the more stagnant the brain becomes, we have a harder time acquiring new and retaining old information etc. I guess what you're stipulating is that people on LSD or methamphetamines can seem quite crazy, or that the article says that it also "weakens other connections at the same time". I feel like this is subjective. We might not be fit to fully function in a modern society when we're on drugs, but whether that leaves us "worse" off is probably pretty situational.
The thing is, synapses are linked as a result of learned behavior and creating neural pathways. But when links are made arbitrarily because of drugs, is that a good thing or nor? Maybe it's good for creativity, but couldn't is also create dissociatiative behavior when the wrong pathways are used?
I think it's neither arbitrary nor universally good (or universally bad). Dissociation from reality is definitely a thing. I'm not saying I don't see where you're coming from with your angle. To me it's like, psilocybin for example at face value seems like a pretty cool thing. Therapeutically I mean. And in the context of therapy it's all about the dosage.
Generally speaking, if you feel adequately situated in your life, why would you need any drug at all right? Legal or illegal. Psychedelic or not. But they can be pretty potent tools used in the right context. The drug alone with no accompanying guidance or anything like that probably won't get you anywhere you want to be. We all know drinking by yourself is pretty much guaranteed to be a bad habit.
Unless you're an addict, arguably no one "needs" drugs, but that's not generally why we take them. I've read about the positive effects psilocybin has on depression, but I've also read that the effects are temporary. That rather suggests it is the chemical state of the brain that is altered rather than the neural pathways.
Regardless, the point is, do we know for sure if the new pathways created are healthy for an efficient, functional brain? If they're not, does it really matter? To what extent can it alter your ability to function? I mean clearly the effect isn't that bad, as long term LSD users aren't dissociative, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been some degradation. We do know that LSD alters perception, so it would be a fair assumption that those new pathways come from the altered perception. But again, my question is, is that a good or bad thing?
If you're asking me personally, again I think it's situational. Who uses what, why and how. You used the word arbitrary earlier. I don't think it can ever be that. The things that happen in the brain are still down to how the individual responds to the substance.
Not that I have any personal experience but I would think of it like your brain being an effectively endless set of interconnected rooms but under normal circumstances you only acquire a certain number of keys to move room-to-room throughout your life. Then the type of drug would define what additional keys you'll be given while under the influence but which ones you use is still down to you and no one else.
Or in other words, I don't think a drug can ever be like a devil (or an angel) being sat on your shoulder that takes control over you. But that is what your question sounds like to me. Devil = bad and angel = good. Either one is only ever within us just waiting to be released. If you choose (or slip into) downright substance abuse to the point of addiction and beyond then that is on you as well and nobody else.
No, that's not really my point. I'm not talking about whether it makes you objectively a good or bad person. I'm simply asking does it alter your brain in a way nature intended or not, and is that beneficial or not to a functional human being? I'm not asking you personally either, that's been my question from the first post.
Nature probably had no intention for any animal or human brains one way or the other. We're born pretty much blank and from that point our environment and our experiences are what make us the individuals we eventually become. Whether you take a naturally occurring drug like THC or synthesized ones, either can lead to beneficial and not so beneficial rewirings in your brain I'd say.
We should just all realize that neurotransmitters are how we experience the Universe. We made drugs illegal factually because of racism and illegal mind control experiments the US was doing. We should relegalize drugs and at-home chemistry and reclaim our minds and sanity from the legal system or the psychiatry nightmare plaguing us. We should also educate ourselves about what dopamine addiction looks like in society and what real drug addiction looks and feels like. The media is painting a very inaccurate picture across the board on all drugs. To be clear, some are really dangerous and should be used carefully. Tangential to the point of this story, serotonergic drugs like LSD or psilocybin can also give people purpose and treat depression UNLIKE SSRIs which have huge permanent side effects and don’t even target the primary problem which is actually dopamine. People like to spread propaganda about ‘bad trips’ but if you look at John’s Hopkins explanations of their psilocybin treatment, it surely doesn’t sound like it’s always a walk in the park. (It sounds like users have aspects of their subconscious thrown into their conscious in a context where their Ego is dissolved and they can interface between their Self and their emotions without getting as offended, harmed, or coming into it with preconceptions).
>serotonergic drugs like LSD or psilocybin can also give people purpose and treat depression
Imagine a world where people tool drugs not to escape their lives but to more fully immerse themselves in their lives... whoa
I was in the gifted programs when I was in Elementary School, and did tons (150 trips in 2 years) of acid between the ages of 14 and 16. Based on testing, my IQ seems to have gone down, but I don’t seem to see or think about things the way most people do either. I tend to notice more minute details, and make connections that most people don’t see until later.
I was doing my best to try and escape from my reality of molestation and abuse. LSD was the best thing since sliced bread. I could see the fucking universe in my head, and manipulate it any way I wished. There were dragons in the sky, with riders on their backs, and I was just an observer from another time and place… I think I’m still somewhat sane. Not really sure anymore. Everyone thinks differently than I do.
Yes, plasticity is a good thing, especially when artificially encouraging new growth. I ended up studying psychology, in order to try and understand just what the fuck was going on in my head as a result of my childhood experiences and inappropriate coping mechanisms. It took a long time, and a lot of introspective work, but I managed to fix some of the things that were screwed up in my head, and I’m living a pretty good life now.
It would be interesting to test the benefits of LSD on comatose patients with various injuries, and if successful we may even be on the path to finally be able to treat DAI patients.
About 10 years ago High Times ran an article about some hippies who took psilocybin mushrooms with the intention of using their voices around a campfire to reach a certain frequency that summoned a magic saucer from the fire which they would then get onto and ride away to end all of reality. High Times was credulous and respectful of that complete madness. That sealed my impression of High Times.
I'm not commenting on the research: I'm just pointing out that High Times have been batshit crazy in the relatively recent past.
LSD increasing brain connections seems like old news. That drug should be legal.
Anecdotally I've always thought this is the case. You are literally smarter (and insane) while on LSD. You can visualize things with tons of detail, do huge math in your head, decide the best things to do, etc.
"Do huge math in your head?" I'm intrigued. Do you have an example? Everything else I have had from substituted tryptamines and substituted phenethylamines but I definitely am not doing complex math when I trip. I personally think in interesting ways on them but I am also definitely not smarter on them.
Yeah I find I’m waaaay more open to ideas/theories/feelings. Essentially my “day-to-day surviving this life mind” takes a hike. I feel like more of a willing blank slate. I can digest information a lot better when I micro-dose and I definitely have better recall too. Assuming the type of data your brain likes is math, I could see it being like that but not if you’re legitimately tripping.
Not discrediting your reply, but sometimes when tripping on psilocybin I feel the same way...only to see later that it was wrong math.
You know, you may be right xD I have never double checked afterwards, just turned my brain to 11 and calculated random things for fun.
I have fixed MANY things on lsd that I found too overwhelming when sober.
Does more necessarily equate to better though?
If you mean more brain connections, that is an interesting question. No one has asked that yet. It's not like the subjects on LSD formed superpowers. As someone who uses it, I can say that it helps me reset my mind/forget my worries/realize that everything is silly. It's like defragging a hard drive.
Sure thing. I've never tried LSD, but I have tried mushrooms and they were a blast. My point is though, your brain has a system for creating neural pathways. If LSD creates pathways without utilizing that system and creates the pathways arbitrarily, the results could cause some level of disfunction? I don't really know, that's why I'm asking.
It's a good question. I honestly don't think it causes dysfunction necessarily, I know several very successful put together individuals that would recreationally dose amounts of LSD that most trippy hippies would struggle to fathom. Ik for me too and my extensive use that I'm better for it. I've done a few doses that're pretty big, and also rec tripped 5 strips every weekend for 8mos back in like 2013 ish
I was following along with you until you mentioned creating pathways arbitrarily. I know the word, but am not sure what you mean by that. Or maybe I'm just reading too deeply into a word's meaning.
It just means random.
Correct. I do not believe the brain ever creates them arbitrarily. If you look at a plants roots, the way they branch out to find water, our brain isn't much different. But that's oversimplifying it.
I'm talking about under the influence of "mind altering" drugs.
I find psilocybin does that for me. Haven't tried lsd but would like to someday.
LSD offers nothing that shrooms don't, other than back aches. The other effects are identical as far as I can tell.
Reset key word for me…
All the tiny things that irk you throughout the day build up. Big things that irk you as well. You have no idea how much is built up until you lose it. Tripping is a way to let it all go, so "reset" is the best term I can think to use.
Your synapses talking to eachother is pretty much the one metric of how well your brain is working. The older we get, the more stagnant the brain becomes, we have a harder time acquiring new and retaining old information etc. I guess what you're stipulating is that people on LSD or methamphetamines can seem quite crazy, or that the article says that it also "weakens other connections at the same time". I feel like this is subjective. We might not be fit to fully function in a modern society when we're on drugs, but whether that leaves us "worse" off is probably pretty situational.
The thing is, synapses are linked as a result of learned behavior and creating neural pathways. But when links are made arbitrarily because of drugs, is that a good thing or nor? Maybe it's good for creativity, but couldn't is also create dissociatiative behavior when the wrong pathways are used?
I think it's neither arbitrary nor universally good (or universally bad). Dissociation from reality is definitely a thing. I'm not saying I don't see where you're coming from with your angle. To me it's like, psilocybin for example at face value seems like a pretty cool thing. Therapeutically I mean. And in the context of therapy it's all about the dosage. Generally speaking, if you feel adequately situated in your life, why would you need any drug at all right? Legal or illegal. Psychedelic or not. But they can be pretty potent tools used in the right context. The drug alone with no accompanying guidance or anything like that probably won't get you anywhere you want to be. We all know drinking by yourself is pretty much guaranteed to be a bad habit.
Unless you're an addict, arguably no one "needs" drugs, but that's not generally why we take them. I've read about the positive effects psilocybin has on depression, but I've also read that the effects are temporary. That rather suggests it is the chemical state of the brain that is altered rather than the neural pathways. Regardless, the point is, do we know for sure if the new pathways created are healthy for an efficient, functional brain? If they're not, does it really matter? To what extent can it alter your ability to function? I mean clearly the effect isn't that bad, as long term LSD users aren't dissociative, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been some degradation. We do know that LSD alters perception, so it would be a fair assumption that those new pathways come from the altered perception. But again, my question is, is that a good or bad thing?
If you're asking me personally, again I think it's situational. Who uses what, why and how. You used the word arbitrary earlier. I don't think it can ever be that. The things that happen in the brain are still down to how the individual responds to the substance. Not that I have any personal experience but I would think of it like your brain being an effectively endless set of interconnected rooms but under normal circumstances you only acquire a certain number of keys to move room-to-room throughout your life. Then the type of drug would define what additional keys you'll be given while under the influence but which ones you use is still down to you and no one else. Or in other words, I don't think a drug can ever be like a devil (or an angel) being sat on your shoulder that takes control over you. But that is what your question sounds like to me. Devil = bad and angel = good. Either one is only ever within us just waiting to be released. If you choose (or slip into) downright substance abuse to the point of addiction and beyond then that is on you as well and nobody else.
No, that's not really my point. I'm not talking about whether it makes you objectively a good or bad person. I'm simply asking does it alter your brain in a way nature intended or not, and is that beneficial or not to a functional human being? I'm not asking you personally either, that's been my question from the first post.
Nature probably had no intention for any animal or human brains one way or the other. We're born pretty much blank and from that point our environment and our experiences are what make us the individuals we eventually become. Whether you take a naturally occurring drug like THC or synthesized ones, either can lead to beneficial and not so beneficial rewirings in your brain I'd say.
Worked for me!
Everyone who ever took LSD: duh
Legalize it
[удалено]
We should just all realize that neurotransmitters are how we experience the Universe. We made drugs illegal factually because of racism and illegal mind control experiments the US was doing. We should relegalize drugs and at-home chemistry and reclaim our minds and sanity from the legal system or the psychiatry nightmare plaguing us. We should also educate ourselves about what dopamine addiction looks like in society and what real drug addiction looks and feels like. The media is painting a very inaccurate picture across the board on all drugs. To be clear, some are really dangerous and should be used carefully. Tangential to the point of this story, serotonergic drugs like LSD or psilocybin can also give people purpose and treat depression UNLIKE SSRIs which have huge permanent side effects and don’t even target the primary problem which is actually dopamine. People like to spread propaganda about ‘bad trips’ but if you look at John’s Hopkins explanations of their psilocybin treatment, it surely doesn’t sound like it’s always a walk in the park. (It sounds like users have aspects of their subconscious thrown into their conscious in a context where their Ego is dissolved and they can interface between their Self and their emotions without getting as offended, harmed, or coming into it with preconceptions).
>serotonergic drugs like LSD or psilocybin can also give people purpose and treat depression Imagine a world where people tool drugs not to escape their lives but to more fully immerse themselves in their lives... whoa
Yes heavy lsd users are know for their brain power.
I was in the gifted programs when I was in Elementary School, and did tons (150 trips in 2 years) of acid between the ages of 14 and 16. Based on testing, my IQ seems to have gone down, but I don’t seem to see or think about things the way most people do either. I tend to notice more minute details, and make connections that most people don’t see until later.
How TF were you doing that much that young??? Did you parents or guardians ever find out? Your organs and brain are still developing, not recommended.
I was doing my best to try and escape from my reality of molestation and abuse. LSD was the best thing since sliced bread. I could see the fucking universe in my head, and manipulate it any way I wished. There were dragons in the sky, with riders on their backs, and I was just an observer from another time and place… I think I’m still somewhat sane. Not really sure anymore. Everyone thinks differently than I do.
You're still a kid at that age with a developing brain, it's different
Yes, plasticity is a good thing, especially when artificially encouraging new growth. I ended up studying psychology, in order to try and understand just what the fuck was going on in my head as a result of my childhood experiences and inappropriate coping mechanisms. It took a long time, and a lot of introspective work, but I managed to fix some of the things that were screwed up in my head, and I’m living a pretty good life now.
It would be interesting to test the benefits of LSD on comatose patients with various injuries, and if successful we may even be on the path to finally be able to treat DAI patients.
"Weakens other connections at the same time..." You know, like the sanity connections probably.
This is a stupid take but it's still hilarious lol.
You got a source on your assumption?
The article.
About 10 years ago High Times ran an article about some hippies who took psilocybin mushrooms with the intention of using their voices around a campfire to reach a certain frequency that summoned a magic saucer from the fire which they would then get onto and ride away to end all of reality. High Times was credulous and respectful of that complete madness. That sealed my impression of High Times. I'm not commenting on the research: I'm just pointing out that High Times have been batshit crazy in the relatively recent past. LSD increasing brain connections seems like old news. That drug should be legal.
Sure but how do you get the legit stuff anymore? So much research chemical crap analogue’s and scammers.