“Reality” - the experience we all participate in - is really just a gimmick.
Scientists have now shown that there is a way to hack into the human brain to experience the feeling of "high" without using drugs. The brain is a super complex organ, but using a few tricks, you can experience an incredible feeling of euphoria, relying only on the power of the mind, writes shtfplan.com
And our brains execute it for us, carefully filtering the sensory information the world presents to us to create an effective perspective on things. Thus, scientists have come to the conclusion that the parameters of our consciousness can be changed by destabilizing these finely tuned filters. And one way to do this is by altering their electrical signals, or brain waves, to give them the “high” feeling that drugs also cause.
Depending on how you want to feel, you need to carefully choose from a menu of different brain waves and their associated effects. For example, theta waves have a frequency of 4 to 8 Hz and are associated with intuition, but also - when they are too large in amplitude - can lead to unusual dreams.
Heather Hargraves is studying therapeutic applications of altered states of consciousness at the University of Western Ontario and tells IFLScience that "when shamans enter theta states, they move into the realm of dreams that are intuitive, open, but inwardly focused." Because of this, it was previously thought that theta waves were the key to psychedelic experiences. But that all changed when scientists began conducting electroencephalography (EEG) studies in people under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs, writes IFLScience.
The results of these studies showed what Hargraves calls "broadband squelching," in which all brain waves in the 0 to 20 Hz range are "shut off" in specific areas of the brain before "bouncing." This effect was especially noticeable in the brain's network called the “default network,” which regulates consciousness and is largely responsible for maintaining self-esteem. This technique can be roughly described as meditation with a mirror. Hargreaves says neurofeedback allows people to learn to control their own brain waves and as a therapist, she uses the technique to help trauma patients regulate their alpha and beta waves, which tend to cause anxiety and depression when they are overactive.
For those who don't have access to fancy gadgets, there are some more rudimentary mind-changing techniques. In the 1970s, when many psychedelic drugs were illegal, a Czech psychiatrist named Stanislav Grof set out to find a way to legally induce altered states of consciousness in his patients. The technique he developed, called holotropic breathing, includes a combination of rapid breathing, body work, and listening to music. The technique has remained a key element of Grof's psychotherapy protocol over the past four decades.
This method is believed to increase the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, making it more alkaline and leading to vasoconstriction. This alters the flow of blood to the prefrontal cortex, which is part of the brain, and affects the subjective conscious experience, thereby creating a psychedelic-like drug-like effect.
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In a recent study of 11,000 patients who were treated with Holotropic Breathwork, 82 percent said the technique caused a "transpersonal" experience characterized by a loss of self and feelings of total oneness. And while some may associate this as a conversation that hippies had while using drugs, it is worth noting that many forms of psychotherapy are aimed at cultivating these very ideas for improving mental health, writes IFLScience.
The brain is a very powerful organ. And, when used correctly, scientists now say, the “high” feeling caused by drugs can be achieved by simply altering the brain waves. You can change them using obfuscation.
