How Psychedelics Transform Your Mind: Science Explained

someone in the comments of one of our videos asked about psychedelics and there were a lot of interesting discussions around it so here we are ready to dive in and explore the topic it isn't a secret that drugs have a mixed reputation we aren't here to lecture you on anything but rather to see what new research says about how psychedelics affect your brain and how those effects can be used for healing there are strongly held beliefs about the benefits and concerns surrounding psychedelics and our goal is to comprehensively relate both sides of it to you this video is meant to be informative as we look at subtle and extreme examples of what psychedelics do to your brain brain chemistry different psychedelics do different things but they all have one feature in common they affect your perception of reality for some people this change in perspective can provide a sense of epiphany or Spiritual Awakening psychedelics may offer insights about oneself and relationships psychedelics can make you see things and hear things which is why they are also called hallucinogens for some there is more to those hallucinations instead of showing you things that aren't really there you could believe that psychedelics open your mind to something that is always there just beyond normal perception but the concern that comes with this is that no matter what you believe they do affect the chemicals in your brain like serotonin and glutamate both of which are responsible for different aspects of perception interestingly psychedelics aren't as addictive as other drugs because you can't build up a tolerance for most of them new research has been conducted into how psychedelics might be able to be used in treatment for addiction but the research is still very new aside from hallucinations you might also experience blurred vision dizziness and lack of coordination when the high ends some of its effects may still linger you've opened a new door in a 1982 research article on the relationship between psychedelics and psychology five people were questioned on how psychedelics affected their psychology after their experience with it all five experienced a new way of perceiving the world and feelings of Enlightenment which they believed facilitated psychological growth it sounds interesting right but we have to remember that just because the participants felt like their perception and comprehension of the world around them was growing and improving it doesn't necessarily make it true Insight gained while using psychedelics may have powerful meaning but that Insight is subjective just because things feel different doesn't always mean they've improved but sometimes belief is just as good as the real thing the meaning and insight people achieve through psychedelic use can be helpful especially when you need a change in perspective treatments have started to make use of this effect like iasa Retreats that aim to help people through depression and they have been found to be effective inviting mental illness it's important to remember that the nature of psychedelics is to alter your brain's chemistry your brain is a finely tuned machine altering its chemistry will almost certainly affect how it runs drugs like LSD can leave users with a condition called hallucinogen persisting perception disorder where you continue to have perception issues long after taking it although this disorder is common psychedelic stimulants like MDMA can leave users with paranoid psychosis Recent research has explored the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics like psilocybin MDMA and iasa for mental health conditions such as PTSD depression and anxiety it's crucial to note that these studies are conducted under controlled settings with medical professionals to ensure safety and appropriate care somewhat ironically there is new evidence that certain psychedelics can be used to treat SK phrenia because of how they interact with serotonin and glutamine as pointed out in this 2022 study published in Pharmaceuticals that's great news for people already dealing with schizophrenia but that doesn't automatically make these psychedelics healthy for the rest of us there's also some very promising research on psychedelics being used to treat anxiety as according to Dr Leah filner and colleagues they help by reducing anxiety symptoms increasing self-perception and increasing social functions in patients with generalized anxiety disorder social anxiety disorder or anxiety attributable to another medical condition but it's important to let researchers find the parameters of what is helpful and harmful when it comes to psychedelics before we all start self-medicating but for now that is a hopeful note to end on if your weekend involves using psychedelics try to be cautious and kind to your brain many people might insist that there's no harm in taking natural psychedelics like magic mushrooms or peyote as opposed to synthetic psychedelics but there doesn't seem to be any evidence that there any more or less harmful than other psychedelics did you find this video interesting or helpful let us know by leaving a like if you view psychedelics do you think it has affected your brain at all let's keep the conversation going in the comments before you go remember to subscribe to PS too for more videos like this thanks for being here and we'll see you next time