What Psychedelics do to you

Psychedelic drugs, are a group of substances which are used to alter sensory perceptions. Also known as hallucinogenic drugs or simply hallucinogens, they have been used from times immemorial in religious ceremonies to facilitate self-discovery and spiritual feelings. Psychedelic drugs include chemicals, such as LSD, and plants, such as peyote. They were part of psychological research during the 1960s and have been used experimentally to mimic psychosis and to exert mind control. People started using them for recreational purposes in 1980s when the hippie culture was in peaks. This abuse continues till today where Psychedelics form a vital part of rave parties conducted especially by teenagers. 

History of craze for psychedelics

The craze for Psychedelics for recreational purposes is growing by the day due to the hallucinogenic effects, vivid imagery, intense audio effects and feelings of self-awareness that they create. The world’s four most popular psychedelic drugs Ayahuasca, DMT, MDMA and psilocybin mushrooms take you on a mind-bending ride creating a deeper connection for you with the spiritual world. Though extremely short lived, these effects have been observed to be powerful. Brain imaging studies indicated that Psychedelic drugs create profound effects on neural activity.

The networks in the brain will be better connected than usual which allows the user to achieve a higher state of consciousness and introspection. The brain function is less constrained while under the influence meaning the users exhibit a better expression of emotions. These psychological benefits have led researchers to suggest that psychedelics could be effective therapeutic treatments. But like every other chemical, these drugs also have side effects that may ruin the quality of life of the users if administered for longer periods of time or without prescription. 

Popular psychedelics are:

• Acid or LSD is a chemically synthesised hallucinogen, developed from ergot, a kind of mold that grows on the rye grain.
• Dimethyltryptamine or DMT is a naturally occurring plant-based psychedelic found in the bark and nuts of certain trees grown in Central and South America. The effects of a DMT trip are much shorter when compared to other psychedelics and are typically known as “businessman’s lunch” being used to describe a DMT trip. 
• Ololiuqui or Morning Glory Seeds is a naturally occurring psychedelic which is found in the seeds of the morning glory flower. Though the effects seem similar to those of LSD, the drug has been reported as having many unpleasant side effects including nausea, vomiting, headache, high blood pressure, and drowsiness.
• Psilocybin or Magic Mushrooms contain a naturally occurring type of hallucinogen, called psilocybin, which is found in certain fungi which can be found growing wild in many parts of the world. There is a risk of toxicity associated with Magic Mushrooms as they are most of the times mistaken with other toxic mushrooms.
• The hallucinogenic effects of Ecstasy, or MDMA are less pronounced, as the mood-enhancing and stimulant effects are more noticeable to the user than others. However, It is possible to have a bad trip on ecstasy because ecstasy can induce hallucinations and delusions. Ecstasy also may result in health problems arising from overheating, dehydration and water intoxication.
• Mescaline or Peyote is a naturally occurring psychedelic substance found in certain species of cactus, the most well-known being the peyote cactus.

How exactly do the psychedelics effect the brain of the users?

Psychedelics(serotonergic hallucinogens) are powerful mind- altering substances that alter affect multiple cognitive processes in the brain of the users. There is a common misconception about Psychedelics that they are physiologically safe to use because they do not cause addiction. The same belief is leading to the use of these drugs for religious purposes. But the science has studies that prove on the contrary. Use of hallucinogens in youth creates under development of brain and effects certain cognitive function that are crucial to carryout their everyday functions. Anti-war attitudes and refusal to live by the conventional social norms by adolescents and college students were often perceived by the mainstream society to be a consequence of drug use. Also, these substances were often believed to be the reason behind the perverted minds of the youth.

There is no doubt that psychedelics played a vital role in defining the youth culture of the 1960s and 1970s, with innumerable books and essays being written on this topic. Furthermore, according to a report, the outspoken Harvard University professor and firebrand Timothy Leary is believed to have encouraged young people to “turn on, tune in, and drop out,” essentially coaching them to take drugs, discover their true selves, and abandon convention. Such messages did not play well with the mainstream culture, all while the mass media fanned the flames of public hysteria with greatly exaggerated reports of drug-induced insanity, chromosomal damage, attempts to fly, and so forth.

Hence strict laws were made against unprescribed use of psychedelics and scientific experiments were carried out to analyse the actual effects of these hallucinogens. Hallucinogens have been observed to alter normal brain function by prematurely flooding the brain with serotonin (the neurotransmitter responsible for mood regulation, sensory perception, sleep cycles, hunger, body temperature, sex drive, and muscle control).  They disrupt the communication between chemical systems in the brain and spinal cord. Repeated use of hallucinogens/psychedelics can train the brain to become entirely dependent on a hallucinogen for a release of serotonin, instead of the brain producing normal amounts on its own.

Also prolonged use of psychedelics can produce a variety of long-term effects that may include but are not limited to:

• Speech problems and memory loss from repeated PCP use
• Bladder ulcers and kidney problems from Ketamine use
• Paranoia
• Visual disturbances
• Mental problems
• Flashbacks

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