Psilocybin and Perception Psilocybin is the name of a psychedelic drug that can produce hallucinations and alters the way the brain works. The drug is produced by certain types of mushrooms. Some of these are Inocybe, Gymnopilus, Pholiotina, Panaeolus, and others. They are sometimes called "magic mushrooms." Hallucinations Hallucinations caused by psilocybin (also called magic mushrooms) are reported by people after ingesting the substance. In these cases, psilocybin induces unusual and often frightening hallucinations. The main characteristic of psilocybin hallucinations is the feeling of contact with a "Great Spirit." Psilocybin hallucinations are also known as visual flashbacks. They are traumatic recalls of a distressing experience. This type of hallucination can be caused by schizophrenia. People suffering from this disorder experience visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations. People have been experiencing hallucinations for centuries. Some of these experiences are disturbing and can have a negative impact on the user's life. Others are benign and can help initiate adolescents into adulthood. Hallucinogens, or psychomimetics, are drugs that cause altered perceptions and brain function. They work by increasing blood flow to the visual cortex and decreasing connectivity between brain regions. The effects of these drugs vary from person to person. One patient may have a positive experience while another might have a negative trip. A bad trip can include a variety of symptoms such as delirium, paranoia, and nausea. Changes in perception Psilocybin is a psychoactive drug. It has been used in the treatment of substance abuse and mood disorders. In previous studies, psilocybin has been associated with changes in perception and emotional responses. However, the extent of these effects is uncertain. The current study is a pilot study examining the effects of a high dose of psilocybin on perception. A sample of healthy, long-term meditation practitioners were administered a high dose of psilocybin in an experimental setting. Participants were then given psychological support and were asked to complete a series of emotion-processing tasks. These tasks were conducted using fMRI. Before taking psilocybin, participants completed the Big Five Inventory (BFI)50. They were also asked to complete a battery of self-report state and trait affect measures. These included the Profile of Mood States (POMS)46, the Dispositional Positive Emotion Scale (DPES)50, and the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)47. After psilocybin, participants were asked to rate their subjective experience of the effect. The average rating of the effect was significantly higher for psilocybin than for placebo. This may reflect the neuroplastic effects of psilocybin on brain network function. Alterations in brain function Psilocybin administration has been shown to affect large-scale brain networks, which may result in enduring effects on affect and personality. The current pilot study investigates the effect of a high dose of psilocybin on self-reported state and trait affect, and the neural correlates of emotional processing. A small sample of participants, however, may limit the study's power to detect relationships between brain measures and subjective reports. Psilocybin affects the claustrum and sensory-motor networks, including the amygdala, putamen, and insula. Moreover, psilocybin significantly alters the connectivity of the claustrum with other brain regions. These changes were reassessed after one week and 1 month after psilocybin. At both time points, significant increases in functional connectivity were found between the right claustrum and the left insula. In addition, psilocybin had a modest effect on the variance of the BOLD signal in the left claustrum. There were also moderate associations between psilocybin and subjective measures of mystical experience. Among the effects were reduced neural response to affective stimuli, which subsequently returned to baseline at the 1 month mark. https://www.shrooms-online.net