Silk Road forums
Discussion => Drug safety => Topic started by: ianfleming on February 06, 2012, 07:00 pm
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Ok, so i had my first run in with psychedelics on Saturday.
Had a level 2 experience (I believe).
But, I have one big question.
Between myself and the 2 other people I was with, I noticed that everyone always saw spirals visually.
Why is this.
I've done some research and found that often time psychedelic visuals are spiral patterns.
There must be a reason that most EVERYONE sees spirals specifically.
Does anyone know the reason?
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http://plus.maths.org/content/uncoiling-spiral-maths-and-hallucinations
Summary: Its largely to do with the edge receptors in the V1 visual cortext of your brain. Spirals are one of many similar patters caused by hallucinogens. The article above demonstrates some of the math used to explain the phenonema.
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haha ... I was thinking about this too. Here is what I suspect.
Seems to me that one effect of LSD is some disruption in the cognitive processing of the raw optical data. What you see as spirals, is the raw optical data persisting, as the eyeball moves around. Under normal circumstances, the brain retains only the latest optical samples. But with LSD, the samples seem to persist. Another thing you will notice is how the data gets replicated in a circular way. Maybe this how the cognitive machinery operates normally, but we are just not aware of it because the brain constructs a true image. Or it is possible that this replication is an effect of the LSD. One argument for it being natural and native is the fascination with symmetric patterns in all cultures, which may stem from this underlying mechanism.
And the interesting thing is that LSD is likely doing this to all our senses raw data. The visual data is just so obvious to us. You wonder how we experience the cognitive distortion of other sense data.
But, be what it may, it's one hell of a ride :)
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Great read LexusMiles! Thanks!
Also, some non-spirals from meditation, etc: (clearnet) hXXp://religiousvisionsoflight.com/
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Cheers gharyeee ;D happens to be a special interest topic to me 8)
What you see as spirals, is the raw optical data persisting, as the eyeball moves around
I think at best, that would merely explain an effect known as 'ghosting' where an image remains in conscious awareness after looking away.
The spirals themselves are theorized to be caused by over/under stimulation of the 'edge receptors' in the V1 visual cortex of the brain (1st point of processing, after the eyeballs).
The edge receptors help your brain recognize edges in the data which has been received from the eyes. Some receptors only see this edge '/', some see '\', some see '--' and others see '|'.
Now with this in mind, if you lay the brain's V1 cortex out like a flat sheet of paper (do not try this at home :/ ), then its possible to find the circular pattern of edge receptors on the V1 topography. When they are over/under stimulated, the circle patters begin to manifest in conscious awareness.
Its all very biological/physiological, hence the same experience reported by most people.
Crazy huh? Thank you to these psychedelic scientists ~ Viva revolution~
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Great read!
http://plus.maths.org/content/uncoiling-spiral-maths-and-hallucinations
Summary: Its largely to do with the edge receptors in the V1 visual cortext of your brain. Spirals are one of many similar patters caused by hallucinogens. The article above demonstrates some of the math used to explain the phenonema.
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Great read!
Cheers :) in light of the interest, here's another http://www.tripzine.com/pit/html/multi-state-theory.htm
^ the pics in this one are somewhat superior, especially the one about 1/3rd down scroll.
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To those interested in additional reading- check out psychedelic information theory.
http://psychedelic-information-theory.com/ebook/index.htm
"The goal of PIT is to unify all existing psychedelic research into a formal model which accurately describes the complex dynamics generated when a psychedelic drug is introduced into human neural and social networks. PIT is a general model which links psychedelic pharmacology directly to the nonlinear dynamics of expanded consciousness, neuroplasticity, shamanic technique, and tribal organization."
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All this theory makes ya want a hit of the good stuff don't it ;)
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I'm an experienced person with mushrooms, growing them and taking them. Highest dose was 60g wet straight off the substrate. I've only done acid once. Last night was my first experience with DMT. I too have watched The Spirit Molecule, researched the drug, its effects on the mind, and finally decided to try it. I will have to say that my experience was both like and unlike those talked about in The Spirit Molecule. The visions were there, but as soon as you "come to" they are both gone, yet there at the same time. I knew that I had experienced something, but I could only grasp tiny slivers of it. I personally did not get the extreme time slowing effects of Psilocybin and LSD. In fact, the experience was over so quickly I found myself longing to go back and try to capture more of it and to really try and bring some of it back.
Advice: get a vape. I did it out of both a wood vapor genie and off of foil. Off of foil it is absolutely putrid and stings the lungs something terrible. Through a vape there is none of that. No taste, no burning, just quickly blasting off. There is also, at least for me, no after effects. Within 15-20 minutes I was back at baseline able to go across town. No headache, no mind fuck, nothing. It was a great experience but overall not my favorite psychedelic because of how quickly it is gone. The visions are not like psilocybin and LSD where you see the walls breathing, fractals on blank objects like a wall (there are these types of experiences, but only before breakthrough and on the extremely fast come down) but they envelope your entire scope of sight, whether that is through your eyes or your mind entirely, I'm not sure. It's like a completely different world, dimension, however you want to say it, breaking through on DMT definitely takes you from there here and now. My next experiment will be with fumarate, which when taken with an MAOI will lead to longer effects. I'm excited to go back to the space of DMT and be able to explore it a bit more.