3 Psychedelics Mathematically Proven to ‘Elevate’ Consciousness
Christina Sarich, Guest
Waking Times
LSD, Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms), and Ketamine have been part of the counter-culture for decades, with evidence that they are used more commonly across a wide class of people than many would have imagined. Business tycoons, artists, professional athletes, and Silicon Valley powerhouses like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are all famous for experimenting with LSD, and new research proves, at least on a mathematical level, that these psychedelics undoubtedly elevate consciousness.
Psychedelic advocate Timothy Leary described an ego-generated perception of self and the world as a “reality tunnel.” Leary says his own “reality tunnel” was ripped apart with the use of LSD and psychedelics, at which time it was revealed to him that life is nothing as he understood it to be – arguably a version of higher awareness.
Timothy Leary, advocate of LSD and psychedelics since the early 1960s.
Picking up where Leary left off, a study recently published in the Journal, Scientific Reportsasked “What is the level of consciousness resulting from a psychedelic state?”
Consciousness is roughly defined in the study as “awareness that vanishes when we sleep,” but most of us with any experience in an altered state (drug induced or not) can attest that there is much more to consciousness than this.
Nonetheless, the study found a mathematical difference in the activity of certain brain regions in those who were on psychedelics, and those who were not. The study states,
“These drugs normally have profound and widespread effects on conscious experiences of self and world. More specifically, they appear to “broaden” the scope of conscious contents, vivifying imagination and positively modulating the flexibility of cognition. At the same time, the states they induce are not accompanied by a global loss of consciousness or the marked changes in physiological arousal as seen in sleep or anaesthesia. These observations raise the question of whether theoretically-grounded measures of conscious level would be changed in the psychedelic state.”
Moreover, Silicon Valley seems to have rediscovered LSD in the form of microdosing of late, to improve creativity and cognitive function. At the microdose level (usually about 10-20 micrograms), LSD is potent enough to boost alertness and change the brain’s function, without causing hallucinations. Psychedelics like LSD or psilocybin are also credited with reducing anxiety, and enhancing over-all well-being at low doses.
http://youtu.be/8tlWTk72WQg
These effects have a biologically proven foundation. Many hallucinogens, including LSD produce a potent mind-altering effect primarily by mimicking the effects of the brain chemical serotonin, which regulates our mood. Specifically, LSD activates 5-HT2A receptors in the pre-frontal cortex, which increases activity of the chemical, glutamate, in this region. Glutamate enables signals to be transmitted between nerve cells, and plays a role in learning and memory.
The question remains, and is rather glaring in examples such as Bill Gates, the globalist aligned with a New World Order agenda, compared to people like Timothy Leary, George Carlin, or the Beatles (all professed users of psychedelics) do LSD, psilocybin or other commonly used psychedelics affect everyone the same way?
Syd Barret, the singer/songwriter for Pink Floyd may have died due to an acid overdose. Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Amy Winehouse all died from supposed drug addictions, but they don’t provide a healthy scientific sample because they also reportedly abused alcohol, and not just psychedelics.
Jimi Hendrix at Monteray Pop Festival of 1967 where he famously set his guitar on fire, Image credit: thenational.ae
There are also anecdotes of advanced yogis taking LSD and being completely unaffected by it, with the suggestion that they had already altered their brain chemistry and physiology so profoundly with years of meditation, that the normal influence of such drugs are rendered mute.
Ram Dass tells stories of giving LSD to Neem Karoli Baba aka Maharaji twice, and both times the doses did nothing to him. As one commenter put it, “When you live in Detroit, you don’t need to take a bus to Detroit.”
Interesting then, that there are practices, even within the Eastern traditions of meditation, where yogis or monks take small doses of psychedelics right along with their meditative practice. They increase the dose over time but they are not interested in these drugs to conquer the world, only to stay awake long enough to eradicate their egos through longer sessions of meditation and contemplation. These drugs (sometimes even cobra venom) simply help to keep them alert – awake on the meditation cushion, instead of slumping into a deep sleep. It is still a subtle process, and those who abuse it often go mad or become suicidal.
Those who have been on an acid trip, may abruptly be forced to face whatever comes up from the depths of their subconscious. While this also happens in meditation, it usually happens slowly enough that our awakened level of consciousness can handle it.
Often, these shadows, revealed to someone too quickly, can cause extreme mental duress. On the other hand, many versions of the spiritual path can be quite brutal when asking us to address our inner demons. So LSD, psilocybin and other psychedelics may be no worse than a pushy guru. You don’t have to look far to find stories of a Zen master slapping a student in the face with his sandal, and the student suddenly having a major spiritual revelation. This is a compassionate act, at its root, but if the shock is administered at the wrong time, a far worse reaction might result – for instance, turning someone from their spiritual path completely.
Psychedelic ego death is likely not much different from ego death resulting from meditation or deep contemplation, but the truth is we don’t really know yet.
Do psychedelics improve mental health, ruin it, or have varying affects depending on our current state of enlightenment? Do psychedelics simply amplify one’s ability to carry out existent plans, such as in the movie, Limitless, where our acumen to handle a million things increases just by taking a mysterious pill, but we then pay the price by burning out our adrenals, or using up our life force?
Or do psychedelics provide a gateway to the spiritual realms, where we can meet spirits, get otherworldly advice, and see beyond the veils of earthly living? There has been increasing interest in psychedelic drugs, but their use must be approached with discernment. There are promising signs that they can be used to help us wake from our slumber, but just as one can have a premature kundalini awakening simply from “sitting” too long, all methods to achieve enlightenment must be utilized with wisdom and care.
Read more articles by Christina Sarich.
About the Author
Christina Sarich is a staff writer for Waking Times. She is a writer, musician, yogi, and humanitarian with an expansive repertoire. Her thousands of articles can be found all over the Internet, and her insights also appear in magazines as diverse as Weston A. Price, Nexus, Atlantis Rising, and the Cuyamungue Institute, among others. She was recently a featured author in the Journal, “Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and Healing Arts,” and her commentary on healing, ascension, and human potential inform a large body of the alternative news lexicon. She has been invited to appear on numerous radio shows, including Health Conspiracy Radio, Dr. Gregory Smith’s Show, and dozens more. The second edition of her book, Pharma Sutra, will be released soon.
This article (3 Psychedelics Mathematically Proven to ‘Elevate’ Consciousness) was originally created for The Mind Unleashed and is published here with permission. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution and author bio.