Theme: Agency

–“CURT: Q: How is ego death caused by hallucinogens?”–

1) Primarily, by overriding one of the serotonin receptors widely used in the brain, and particularly in perception, cognition, and mood, causing overstimulation of the networks overcoming existing pathways in both inhibitory and excitatory neurons.

2) As a result, a disruption of the Default Mode Network (your ‘frames of reference’ when you’re at rest) – thinking, daydreaming, and the sense of self that results from the patterns in that default (dominant) network.

3) Next, given that the brain is composed of neurons that both individually and collectively produce a prediction engine, where down in the hippocampal region, episodic memory continuously formed, and auto-associates all current stimuli in time and space to past episodes and their components and features, the result of network disruption is a decrease in ability for, and reliance on, prediction – and an increased dependence upon and emphasis of sensory stimuli.

4) As a result, without the previous ‘frictions’ (think adding more voltage or current) we experience increased brain activity (‘Well, with all this traffic let’s take the back roads and explore!’) breaking down the isolation of habitual networks, making possible novel thoughts, and even leading to the comingling of senses (synesthesia). So the brain makes different associations whether past, present, or anticipated future, allowing for different valuations and relations between networks that form the elaborate set of relations between memories.

5) Resulting in a feeling of disassociation from the prior ‘self’ (that set of default networks, memories, and valuations, past present and future) whether within the self or between the self and the outside world.

6) As a result, these hallucinogens also affect the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters – changing synaptic plasticity (adaptability), amplifying or inhibiting signals as a consequence and this further degrades the ability for the brain to form the complex networks necessary to preserve the default modes and default networks that create the sense of ‘stability’ of self (measurements) over time, and increasing disassociation.

7) The result of that disassociation is the possibility of forming different associations between sense, perception, valuation, experience, and memory, as a result – meaning there are fewer roadblocks – particularly valuative and emotional, thereby ‘resetting’ your default network’s system of ‘measurement’ – into a new state of ‘homeostasis’ (resting state) usually a more ‘calm’ state. And this process can be employed multiple times if necessary.

8) Why? Because in this calm state of disassociation, all new associations favor concurrency with this state. This is the reason why the environment and people you share ‘disassociation with’ has such an influence on your hallucinogenic experience: whatever state you disassociate into will form the emotional and valuative ‘system of measurement’ that new network associations seek to agree upon “commensurability, coherence, consensus, cognitive-emotional homeostasis”. (Terms I use often.)

9) Keep In Mind:
So I want to restate the obvious for those who understand the extraordinary value of medical use of hallucinogens: It’s the relationship between your environment, the people in it, and your current emotional state that the hallucinogens allow you to adapt to. Hence the success of clinics in creating rooms that are oddly reminiscent versions of 1970’s positive sensory stimulation and reprogramming rooms so to speak. Or, for those more dependent on social regulation, positive feelings of people around you sharing the same experience.

10) Ego death is the result of breaking down default networks and systems of measurement that you percieve as ‘yourself’ and causes you to rely on present sensory stimuli, and in doing so cause your brain to attempt to create new stable networks (homeostasis) under the new conditions, that will persist after the hallucinogens have worn off. As this process is incremental it may require multiple sessions in the right conditions to migrate these neworks. And that migration can only occur if one reaches the state of disassociation.

Neurologically it’s not that complicated. The brain is organized to sense the current state and seek bodily homeostasis by predicting the changes in the mind and body necessary to restore homeostasis. The hard part is providing a means for it to do so quickly and easily. And it turns out, well, we found one. 😉

I’m sure someone has written this same operational description before though I haven’t encountered it. And the academic literature often misses the point – the audience wants to understand the operational (mechanical) means by which these processes work, not the biochemical which they cannot sense and perceive.

So I hope you found this useful. It’s not magical. In fact it’s rather ordinary – at least, once you understand it.

Cheers All
CD

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