(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists continue to study how psychedelic drugs alter our perception of reality, and a new study suggests that one of the long-term effects of psychedelics is a strange perceptual distortion.
People who take psychedelic drugs tend to see manifestations of consciousness in inanimate objects.
Based on the responses given by 1,606 volunteers in an online test, the researchers assessed how people who had “at least one experience with mind-altering drugs” view the world around them.
On average, researchers noted that after experiencing a psychedelic experience, survey participants experienced a sharp increase in their belief that non-living and inanimate objects were conscious.
Moreover, it was not about some sublime matters: the volunteers reported that literally everything has consciousness, from stones to chairs.
Why is this happening? So far, researchers are not ready to answer this question. “…It could be due to the natural effect of the drugs, cultural factors, or psychedelics could somehow bring out the innate cognitive biases that attribute mentality to the world.”
How psychedelics change the way we perceive the world
Study participants rated their feelings based on the psychedelic experience that “led to the greatest belief change” of their lives.
The experience was the result of what the researchers called classic psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, and ayahuasca.
For those who experienced the episode that changed their beliefs, the attribution of consciousness to inanimate natural objects increased from an average of 8 to 26 percent, and to inanimate objects created by human hands from 3 to 15 percent.
People have also reported increases in the ability to see consciousness in plants (from 26 percent to 61 percent), fungi (from 21 percent to 56 percent), and insects (from 33 percent to 57 percent). The changes seem to be widespread and can last long after the experience.
One way such research could be useful is through the use of psychedelic drugs to treat disorders such as depression and addiction, as well as mental health problems where the brain needs to be rewired in some way. Doctors also note that the controlled use of psychedelics can improve our physical health.
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