How Do Shrooms Affect The Thought Process?

I've scoured through hundreds of trip reports on Erowid and read a ton on a bunch of psychedelics (none of which I've had experience with), but what I've seen has been mostly reports of people's visuals and the emotional and sensory experiences they've had. But what I'm most curious about is how mushrooms (and other psychedelics) affect how you process information, understand the world, and THINK. I hope that makes sense.

Any personal experiences or references to outside sources would be great! Thank you!!!

 

anything anyone could possibly tell you will pale in comparison to the actual experience.
Psychedelic experiences are for the most part ineffable and the trip reports you read are usually an attempt to explain color to a blind person.


here are a couple of threads some wanker made here that may shed a little light on the subject;

http://www.hipforums.com/forum/topic/382338-psychedelics-as-medicine-and-teacher-for-the-soul/

http://www.hipforums.com/forum/topic/384567-how-to-be-a-true-psychonaut/

 

It depends on the individual.

"fight the ocean and you will drown, brother"

If you try to use psychedelics in an escapist way, or to not face a bad trip if it happens, you could end up in a very bad place, mentally - at the least, it will cement your problems in place, instead of fixing them. This doesn't seem to be a great problem overall, but it's something that I see in ignorant users or people who approach psychedelics the wrong way - those are the people who become head cases, in the negative sense.

Just be honest with yourself, and you will be okay.

 

Sums it up great in one sentance.

 

I'm not entirely sure the actual processing of information changes all that much, but the information you are dealing with is completely unexpected and alien. So the internal machinations of meaning and syntax remain, but the content of the play is what is novel. When you add the phenomenon of ego death this complicates the picture, because then there is no longer an "I" processing the information, there is just processing, in a very basal way, like bacterium, and no drooling ape to ponder over it, only a mammalian body wracked in ecstasy of every kind.

Some people believe firmly in delusional ideas during the experience ("I'm going to die" or "I am jesus christ" etc) but delusional thoughts are common in sober mentality, so this is not unique to the psychedelic experience, only more internally believable.

 

I feel like this means I'm probably "doing it wrong", but I've found that even when I smoke pot, I get really frustrated if my visuals aren't really sublime or apparently meaningful. I would say that my only real interest in any substance is for philosophical/spiritual purposes, so it bothers me when I'm just visualizing random things like teddy bears instead of God and the cosmos and alternate dimensions and the like (stupid, I know). I feel like I have no control over which way the visuals go, so that if I'm listening to, say Beethoven when I'm high, and visualizing trivial or random things, it seems to ruin the music. It gets to the point where I don't want to close my eyes at risk of diminishing the experience and distracting myself (I'm much more interested in the thoughts I have, and only want visuals if they mean something I can figure out). I usually try to find some kind of subconscious symbolism to make sense of it, but it doesn't always work.

This has just been my experience with pot (which I still enjoy, overall), but I really want to try other psychedelics someday, which obviously have much more visual emphasis than marijuana. Are visuals on other substances more apparently meaningful (I'm under that impression)?

I think that I'm clearly doing SOMETHING wrong, and I could use some advice before I try anything else so that I can get the most out of it that I can...

Thanks!

 

But Mr. Writer psychedelics DO effect the processing of information, that is what accounts for synesthesia, the processing of information through pathways not normally utilized for that particular sensory input.
We do know that LSD has a relaxing effect on the RAS with the result of literally more information being processed, and it also causes the locus coeruleus (I think thats it) to fire considerably more than normal and that portion of the brain is alerted to new or novel elements in the environment. so when it is overstimulated by LSD, then EVERYTHING appears new and revelatory to the person under the influence of LSD.
That is an experience all who have taken LSD can easily relate to.

 

your trying too hard and failing to realize that ALL of the source material for your visuals and such during a psychedelic experience come completely from within you.
There is no Cosmic Mind out there trying to communicate the secrets of the universe to you.


The meaning and value of any experience lies within the experiencer, does it not?
When you learn to recognize the beauty and value in the boring and mundane then you will be on your way.
read the threads I linked previously, some good ideas in there that may help clarify some things for you.

 

I know that, most likely, psychedelics don't open these Terence McKenna-esque channels to alternate dimensions and the like (I'm reserving the possibility since I haven't tried any yet and it's always possible) but even if it's all from myself, which I've thought of many many times, I still have trouble finding personal meaning within apparently arbitrary or random data. I'd like to think that all of these are meaningful symbols from my subconscious coming to the surface (a la Jung) or something like that, but it all seems so arbitrary most of the time that it really messes with me. Now there HAVE been times when I've been able to find really interesting meaning in visuals, but it's so inconsistent that it makes me question whether they really mean anything or are just randomly generated pictures in my head.

 

read the link above on "How to be a Psychonaut", they are some tips/ideas in there that may explain/help.

 

Noxious, had this thread been about LSD, I would have had a lot more to say on the topic

but good old tryptamines . . . don't quite do it the same way. I would say in fact that's the biggest difference between mushrooms and LSD, the synesthesia. Not saying there isn't any on mushrooms (I'm actually not sure however) but it's quite a main attraction with lucy.

What is "god?" You say visualizing "random things like teddy bears instead of god". What does "visualizing god" look like? Hopefully something pretty abstract, not a bearded cloud daddy, otherwise you've got bigger problems upstairs . Isn't god everything? In everything? works through everything? is a teddy bear not another glinting scintilla of god, just as you are, just as a tiger is, just as the ocean is? God is in the rain, but a teddy bear? pffffttt, powerquest ain't got no time for no teddy bear? maybe you are dismissing your "random visuals" too quickly. And maybe you are also making them too important in your mind; a lot of what's seen in the minds' eye on psychedelics is, to put it one way, mental detritus. Like in dreams, sometimes so random, meaningless, almost perverse in how senseless they are, a Dali painting of metaphors and desires and memories. Maybe while you are sitting there, irritated at the teddy bear, god is sitting irritated at the teddy bear. Maybe that's not what's important in that moment If you want a good visual show, buy some fireworks, or travel to the rocky mountains, or explore the art of Monet.

I feel a channeling coming on . . . I am channeling an ancient zen master . . .

Beethoven playing
why is there a teddy bear?
doesn't even rhyme

*bows*

 

You're right. But when i was talking about "god" i just meant "cosmic philosophical stuff" since i'm more of an agnostic anyway. I guess i just can't get away from the idea that stars and oceans and the like are more meaningful than manmade objects. It's more the fact that i want a certain "mood" and that some things seem to spoil or detract from it for me because i just can't let go. I kind of wish that being high was just "more awesome sober" (so being happier, more thoughtful, and with more awesome music, minus the short attention span, body effects, etc.) while not wanting to embrace the other parts of it that involve letting go. But i know that's not how it is.

On another note, i HAVE heard that mescaline is very grounded and lucid (not that a comparison to pot is really valid, but it's still interesting). Huxley said "The ability to remember and to "think straight" is little if at all reduced. (Listening to the recordings of my conversation under the influence of the drug, I cannot discover that I was then any stupider than I am at ordinary times." which sounds perfect to me.

But anyway, I digress.

Thanks for the answers!

 

true, I did kinda mix the apples with the oranges... lol



don't knock the channeling thing, you could make millions of suckers with a good act.

 

Honestly I only ale shrooms to "find" myself. Your thought process is totally different well at least it is for me. My mind set has changed completely . It's a nice thing to do when you just want to figure out who you are. I believe I think more clearly on shrooms. The things that you think don't matter , does matter while your trippin . Then once your sober again it just goes to the back of your brain and you don't really think about it. It's not bad, it opens my eyes to everything

 

I just did 5+ grams of some very purplsh shrooms about 3 months ago. The spores came from a '60s Taos lineage; I suspect cyanescens from the tiny heads.

I haven't tripped in 20 years but I am quite experienced. Never has any substance annililated my reality so completely. These shrooms were an utter onslaught to reason and logic. It took more than 2 weeks for me to become 'solid' again.

Revelations:

There is a reality 'projector' near the belly button, when that projector is shutdown by magic mushrooms, it can be quite frightening. When the veil is lifted, it's all up to you and knowledge and power surround you. The universe and all it's mysteries are to behold.

Once you can conquer the fear (and nausea) you are a god, formless. During this trip I could 'almost' stop time and will it night or day. I noticed when I moved my hand, energy flew from my fingers, sort of like fire.

I still have 20 grams left. My wife did a gram with me during this trip and she said never again. At first, I even was thinking of calling 911 from the nausea. I think 3 grams would have been a better dose, but I wouldn't trade a second of this experience for anything.

 

Mushroom trips can't logically be explained. Trying to tell someone what you experienced comes across like a day in a row boat.
I can't even explain and I've gone through maybe 300 trips. I might be exaggerating I don't know but the wildest most meaning full boomer trips was the ones i will never forget cause I let it take me... It was so simple on the other side but my side I wanted it


+edit
when I think about it 300 is easy it was more than. from then to now