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How psychedelics affect your brain | Podcast Clips
3 segments available
Dennis McKenna is the founder of the McKenna Academy and has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. Full Podcast: https://youtu.be/brOj7SINykM Important Links: - McKenna Academy: [https://mckenna.academy/] - ESPD 55 (Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs): [https://espd55.com/] - Twitter: [https://twitter.com/DennisMcKenna4] - ICEERS (International Center for Ethno-botanical Education, Research, and Service): [https://www.iceers.org/]
Segments Timeline
The Reality Hallucination
Dennis McKenna discusses Aldous Huxley's concept of the 'reducing valve' of consciousness, explaining how the brain filters information to create a model of reality. He introduces the idea of the default mode network, which limits our perception to maintain ordinary consciousness, leading to an impoverished understanding of reality. This segment sets the stage for understanding how psychedelics can disrupt these filtering mechanisms.
"you touched on a couple of points here that you know we should go on and on that are very very close to by you know kind of my rap if you will this idea of the the filtery effect aldous huxley first a..."
Psychedelics and the Default Mode Network
In this segment, McKenna elaborates on how psychedelics temporarily disable the default mode network, allowing a flood of information to enter consciousness. He likens this experience to rebooting a computer, where habitual thoughts and destructive feedback loops can be disrupted. This reset can lead to a smoother mental functioning and is crucial for therapeutic applications of psychedelics.
"something that the brain takes in information from the outside processes that with associations and memories and all sorts of things inside you know inside outside these terms are very tricky but for ..."
Therapeutic Utility of Psychedelics
McKenna explains the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, emphasizing their ability to help individuals step outside their personal reference frames. This perspective shift allows for a new understanding of issues like depression, PTSD, and addiction. By temporarily defusing these problems, psychedelics can facilitate a reconstruction of mental frameworks, akin to tuning up an engine, leading to improved mental health.
"loops that are destructive you know that really need to be blown away and that's what the psychedelics can do it's literally i think in very much ways it's it's literally like rebuilding rebooting you..."