Five Levels of Psychedelic Experience
For millennia people have used psychedelics for their ability to impact one’s state of consciousness. The distinctive characteristics of psychedelics include inducing a change in perception, emotion, and cognition for the individual who consumes it. Different cultures have adopted a variety of plants and fungi containing psychoactive compounds in their practices, often with the goal to achieve a spiritual state.
In recent years scientific studies have thrown light on the underlying effect of psychedelics on the mind. Many animal and human studies show that these psychotropic substances are partial agonists to serotonin receptors that can influence neurological processes, including anxiety, depression, learning, cognition, memory, and mood. The most common psychedelics include LSD, DMT and mescaline. But at present, there is one drug, psilocybin that is gaining popularity among others.
Psilocybin is a naturally-occurring psychedelic drug present in magic mushrooms. Research shows that using a single dose of this compound can produce immediate and sustained mental health improvement. Apart from mitigating anxiety and depression, it can uplift cancer patients' mood and quality of life. People who use shroom capsules can open up to new experiences and opportunities evading the pessimistic viewpoint. It can dissolve the ego temporarily and increase creativity. Besides, micro-dosing can help treat addictions and substance-use disorders.
But what if you want to dive into the world of psychedelics? You might wonder how exactly you feel during tripping. Here is the guide to help you understand the various tripping levels and how they influence your mind and body.
Level 1
The effects at this level are similar to that of taking weed in high doses. The sensory perceptions will intermingle, and there can be a sense of extreme relaxation. There is an enhancement of the subjective experience of color. People who have gone through the first level of the trip often experience after-images that contain more color. The mind’s capacity for determining distinct tones and hues becomes vivid and notably intensified. There can be minute sound distortions, but users feel the music in a better way. The mind can start losing some control resulting in more friendly behavior towards strangers. The level 1 trip may be a goal for people attending a party, festivals, or other social gatherings.
Level 2
When it comes to being creative and having an insight, this trip level is the best. Individuals at this level state having novel insights into conceptual problems. Studies reveal psilocybin can enhance creativity and generate new cognitive strategies leaving behind the old thought pattern. The user will experience visual effects that are generally geometric patterns with closed eyes. One can feel the hallucinating effect as the mind becomes light and a wide array of unrestrained thoughts start appearing. The doses at this level may generate intense trips, but taking the correct amount of psychedelic substance can break the rigid pattern of repetitive and negative thoughts.
Level 3
If you’re comfortable with the previous doses, you may want to try the third level of tripping. Here the mind can feel a sense of ecstasy, and intense visual hallucinations start occurring. Infinite complicated patterns, also known as fractals, may start appearing. The visual perception seems more vibrant and attractive, and it feels more real than imaginary. At this stage, there is a noticeable intermingling of senses that results in dissociative behavior. There can also be a distorted experience of time making the subjects feel the time has slowed. To sum up, the users are in a complete trance at this stage.
Level 4
Prior experience with psychedelics is highly advisable before entering this level. Here the tipping is associated with extreme and random visual patterns and vision of celestial spheres. The individual can experience the out-of-body feeling followed by spiritual visions. The boundaries between self and surroundings overlap, and time seems to stop forever.
Level 5
A considerable high dose of psilocybin is required to achieve a level five trip. In this phase, everything unifies into one. As synesthesia is prevalent during tripping, there is an absolute interconnection between sensory perceptions. Many users say that they can see music and noise influencing their vision. They observe intense hallucination, and general boundaries between self and others often get distorted. There is ego-dissolution, and users often perceive it as a reality rather than an illusion. The past, present, and the future seems to merge into one. From cosmic experience to nirvana, the feeling associated with this level is individualistic and unique. However, many users feel that this stage is great for introspection and helps achieve the ultimate sense of enlightenment.
Conclusion
The use of psychedelics is subjective. A novice can begin with levels 1 and 2, but the rest of the trip-levels are best reserved for psychedelic psychonauts. As the substances can cause severe hallucinations, you should prepare beforehand for any unexpected situation. Besides, the legal status of psychedelics varies from place to place. Therefore, trying it out requires proper knowledge to avoid any legalities. Remember, it's always better to be safe and then enjoy the different manifestations while trying psychedelics.
References:
https://www.magic-mushrooms-shop.com/en/blog/magic-mushrooms-trip-levels
https://academic.oup.com/nc/article/2018/1/niy008/5103991
https://ultratribe.com/blogs/news/5-levels-of-psychedelic-experience
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2018.00054/full
https://ecohustler.com/nature/the-top-4-health-benefits-of-magic-mushrooms/