Most people I talk to have no idea how psychedelics work on the brain yet really want to work with medicines or are working with them extensively. This has me pondering why the knowledge gap seems so large for something that’s taking up so many conversations these days. This clear lack of understanding has led me to want to share more of my own knowledge on how psychedelics and the brain interact in a way that makes sense. AKA not me spewing a bunch of scientific information at you, crossing my fingers, and hoping you’ll digest it.
No, this approach is different. And if you’re new to my blog, I hope this article helps you not only understand how psychedelics and the brain interact, but be able to take something away that you can share with others.
Because these substances are so powerful, psychedelic education is wildly important, and my goal is to close the knowledge gap so psychedelics can have a positive ripple effect in continuing to raise consciousness, and do what they have been intended to do by all those who came before us and fought for them to be here: Heal the collective.
So before you go diving into your first psychedelic experience, let’s get into how psychedelics affect the brain.
What Are Psychedelics?
I’d be remiss to not start this conversation off with educating you (briefly) on what psychedelics even are at the most basic level. You can dive into the rabbit hole of arguments on your own about what is classified as a psychedelic is vs what isn’t.
The classical psychedelics are likely what you first think of when you think of psychedelic substances:
- Psilocybin, or magic mushrooms
- LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide)
- DMT (Dimethyltryptamine)
- Mescaline, or Peyote
- Ayahuasca, a brew containing DMT, traditionally used in South American shamanic practices
They are classified as ‘classical’ simply because they all primarily interact with serotonin receptors in the brain.
However, the coming of age of the ‘Psychedelic Revolution,’ includes other substances that are not considered the classical psychedelics aforementioned, yet still produce similar hallmark effects of psychedelic experiences. These include:
- Ketamine
- MDMA, ecstasy, or molly
Which is why when I’m starting this conversation I want to let you know straightaway that I consider all of these psychedelic substances.
All of these substances above produce variations of the hallmark effects of psychedelic experiences:
- Altered Perception: Changes in visual, auditory, and senses, often leading to vivid colors, patterns, and distortions in reality.
- Ego Dissolution: A sense of losing one’s individual identity, often described as merging with the universe or feeling a deep connection to all life.
- Emotional Amplification: Heightened or intensified emotions, ranging from euphoria to deep introspection.
- Mystical or Spiritual Experiences: Feelings of transcendence, unity, or encountering a higher power.
- Changes in Thought Patterns: Unconventional thinking, enhanced creativity, and new insights into personal and existential issues.
- Timelessness: Losing complete track of time, transcending the normal time-space continuum, or feeling outside of time as one may know it all together.
Whether these substances are binding to the serotonin 2A receptor as the classical psychedelics do, or creating a downstream of chemical processes on the brain as ketamine does, psychedelic substances alter perception, mood, and thought processes, which can lead to enhanced awareness and sensory changes, and can also lead to expanded awareness.
This is a key reason why they can be a catalyst for deep change and transformation.
How Psychedelics Interact with the Brain
Now for the part you came here for (I hope): How do psychedelic substances and the brain interact?
I hope at some point on your journey to wanting to explore with psychedelics you also seek to understand how they are impacting you on a neurobiological level. And if not, well, you’re here right?
Let me break it down easy peasy so you can understand not only how psychedelics work on the brain, but how to apply that to your own journey through transformation.
Hijacked Serotonin Receptors
In layman’s terms, psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD bind the the serotonin 2A receptors in the brain upon consumption. Serotonin receptors are responsible for regulating mood, cognition, and perception. When psychedelics bind to these receptors instead of what they’re used to binding to them (serotonin) a cascade of changes take place, altering the normal processes and changing things such as perception, thought patterns, and an expanded state of consciousness.
Reduced DMN Activity
The DMN, or the Default Mode Network, is a lot like what it sounds like. It’s your sense of self, where your ego lives. The ego is responsible for individualizing you from the rest of the world, by creating a sense of self that you operate from. The effect of psychedelics on the DMN is a slow down of activity. There’s suddenly a reduction in boundaries between you and the outside world. The ego gets more quiet, making you less individualized, which can contribute to the feeling of oneness and interconnectedness.
Increased BDNF
Increased BDNF, or Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor, is another result of the hijacked serotonin receptors. As simple as possible, this is like miracle grow for new neural pathways and connections. More BDNF gives the brain a greater opportunity to create more neuronal pathways during a psychedelic experience. Which basically just means more connection points, experiences, thoughts, and awareness.
Increased Neuroplasticity
And now for my favorite part of this whole series of events, as all this is going down in the brain, the 2A receptors bind with the psychedelic substances, the DMN turns down, BDNF turns up, the brain is in the prime position for newness. It’s as if fresh snowfall just landed on the slopes and now you get to ski down whatever way you want, unbound to the pathways that came before you.
The overall neural flexibility is high, and as you’re experiencing newness and novelty in the psychedelic realm, you’re also laying the roots to begin rewiring neural pathways even after the psychedelic experience has completed.
This increased neuroplasticity can last up to two weeks after a psychedelic experience, giving you the ultimate opportunity to change your mind, rewire your brain, and create lasting change. This part of the work is known as integration, where you take insights from your psychedelic experience and apply them into tangible actionable steps or takeways for your daily life.
Why You Should Care About Neuroplasticity and Psychedelics
The processes I describe above all contribute to the enhanced neuroplastic state your brain enters when engaging in psychedelic substances. This is the part you should care about. Whether you’re using psychedelics or not to achieve change, new neural pathways, or rewiring neural pathways is required to do so.
Think of neural pathways like a muscle and imagine that the neural pathways that are so strong, such as your belief that you’re not enough, have been worked over and over and over again. Imagine if you only ever worked out your right arm and now suddenly you want to pick up the same weight with your left arm. It wouldn’t happen, at least not immediately. This is nearly exactly how neural pathways work. When you want to create a new neural pathway, such as a new belief that you are enough, it’s going to take constant repetition to get to the point that you believe it.
One of my most profound journey moments was when I fully embodied the feeling of what feeling like enough was to me, a limiting belief I struggled to overcome for a long time. In that moment in my journey, I finally felt it, and it felt so real. I found the neural pathway and lit it up. My integration of this journey required me to keep flexing that muscle and I now knew how to since that experience was so real for me. Embodied belief became more than something I ought to know, but not without continuing to apply it to my life through integration.
This is how change is made, by recognizing neural pathways can be created and rewired to support more of who you want to be and less of who you don’t anymore.
Applying the Knowledge of Psychedelic Impact on the Brain
Understanding what’s happening to your brain when you take psychedelics not only is great for self-advocacy and safe practices, but it’s also a great way to catalyze change.
Visualizing your brain creating new neural pathways is similar to watching yourself in the mirror at the gym while you strengthen your proverbial left arm, the more you can see what’s happening, the more you can focus your energy and attention there. Gyms don’t give you a mirror just to check yourself out, it’s there for a reason. Consider understanding this entire process of how psychedelics and the brain interact your mirror.
For me, in the moments where I see myself at the crossroads of an old neural pathway and the new one I want to choose instead, the choice can feel far more empowered and conscious when I can visualize what’s happening (if I’m being really honest, it sometimes feels like a Magic Schoolbus episode). Understanding that choosing the new neural pathway is hard, the old one is MUCH EASIER, but the point is to change. Being able to see that new neural pathway in my mind’s eye is my way of growing, and helps many of my clients as well.
Do I think knowing neurobiology is cool? I mean yes but the real cool is knowing how you’re using psychedelics as tools to create a life you love. It’s empowered and much more badass than slurping down some Ayahuasca and hoping for a miracle.
Was This Post Helpful? Are You Thinking of Working With Psychedelics Now?
If yes but you’re not sure what would be best for you, or you’re totally ready to get started, go ahead and book a free call with me. I’ll help you understand the best path for you so you can truly get the most out of it! And for more psychedelic and emotional resiliency tips like this, subscribe to my weekly newsletter, Read my journal to get them delivered straight to your inbox, along with the gory deets about how I navigate this world as a highly sensitive girlie who uses psychedelics. 🎉🙆🏽♀️
