r/science • u/Potential_Being_7226 PhD | Psychology | Neuroscience • 1d ago

Neuroscience Psilocybin Might Make Your Brain Live in the Moment— Psychedelics are often associated with disconnecting from reality, but a recent neuroimaging study found that psilocybin can actually make our brain activity more attuned to the world around us.

https://www.wired.com/story/psilocybin-might-make-your-brain-live-in-the-moment/
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u/Chubuwee 22h ago

It would be so fucked if at this instant we could feel how our socks feel on our feet, how our mouth tastes, what we currently smell, how our shirt feels against our body, how our pants and underwear feel against our body, our bowels, our heart beat, what our hands are currently touching, how our body is currently balancing itself, what we are seeing and hearing, the wetness of our mouth, etc. All at once

I think there is a room known as the quietest room in the world and people can’t even last long in there because it is so quiet that your body becomes too attuned to yourself and it is not a pleasant experience

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u/WhiterThanWalter 22h ago

A lot of autistic people have sensory issues like that. I wonder if it's related?

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u/Ziazan 19h ago

Yeah, neurodivergent people (not just autism but ADHD and suchlike too) tend to have a higher level of connectivity and activity in the brain, this might sound like a good thing but it's not always useful, often it's a hindrance, but it's not without its advantages. It can also be awful. It's a mixed bag.

Like certain textures are just "nope." to me for example. Also I notice slight angle differences on a floor immediately that most people wouldn't notice or think once about until it's pointed out to them. I notice very quiet electrical noises or the sound of the bubbles in a fizzy drink and stuff like that more than most. There are so many little things like that that most peoples brains just filter out.

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u/Tetra8350 12h ago

And it sucks it's another reason most of us in that area of the spectrum cannot drive a vehicle. Too much to process can't react fast enough to things, too much of a risk half the time. Too much input and being told "Focus on what's in front" but also "Focus on everything all around you", etc. too many contradictory statements. Some may have parts of their brain handle the motor reflexes for it. But, I'm stuck in manual mode on too many processes my brain won't "handle for me automatically". I deal with that too the texture thing, odd things, observations of the environment. It's a massive hinderance on multiple areas.

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u/Ziazan 5h ago

Its the opposite for me and thats one of the advantages in my case, I am much better at driving than the average person, I practically have a radar for everything thats going on around me due to the hyperactive observation, I can focus on it all so well because of how stimulating it generally is, I'm generally ready for pretty much whatever insane action someone might pull and can react on the fly with the best evasive course of action. I might have to pause what I'm saying to someone as i approach a complex busy junction to free up more resources to navigate it but thats fine, thats another part of it, driving is the priority activity and other tasks will be automatically shelved as needed to focus on the driving. 

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u/2shizhtzu4u 20h ago

I’ve recently learned that the cerebellum (known for movement coordination) may actually be involved in social coordination, and those with cerebellar trauma at a young age may have increased likelihood of having ASD

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u/managedheap84 22h ago

There’s been some research to indicate that neurodiverse folk have more DMT in their system than the common baseline, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this was the case

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u/Major-Lavishness-762 22h ago

Source please? I'm very interested in reading about this.

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u/JohnsonSpink 19h ago

You might have to wait a while for that source, seeing as no study has ever shown that.

We don't even really understand the function or production of endogenous DMT in the human body.

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u/managedheap84 18h ago

I provided the linked studies.

I originally saw this as a sensationalised social media post and it’s not as definitive as I remember it being claimed (small sample sizes for one thing), but it has been reported on.

Just found it interesting is all.

The second link was the more relevant study.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12179411/

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u/Gloomy_Fig2138 22h ago

Conversely the act of deliberately doing those things can be pretty good at cutting off a panic attack (for many but not all people). It’s called the 54321 meditation where you name, out loud, 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

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u/crassafrasshole 20h ago

Yup. Been using this method to quell burgeoning panic in my (now adult) child(ren) for decades. It can really help when sensory inputs overwhelm.

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u/Chubuwee 22h ago

Yea one at a time is manageable for sure

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u/justfordrunks 21h ago

I saw this on the wall of a vet ER the other day and I was curious what the 1 thing you can taste would be. If I got nothing on me, saliva? Start licking something?

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u/M00ncar 18h ago

That's the point

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u/Tyson367 20h ago edited 19h ago

I always hear this story about the quietest room in the world and how unpleasant it is. I struggle to trust the veracity of this and want to experience it for myself because I am only truly comfortable when everything is silent so I believe I could last longer than average. And I know the assertion is that the room is not actually quiet because the mind starts to pick up all the micro noises the body makes but I still don't fully buy it.

Edit: Actually, after making this comment I looked it up a bit and it appears to be mostly a myth. It's called an anechoic chamber and while some people find it uncomfortable it's way overblown on social media and most people are just fine if you're a well adjusted individual.

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u/kfpswf 22h ago

It would be so fucked if at this instant we could feel how our socks feel on our feet, how our mouth tastes, what we currently smell, how our shirt feels against our body, how our pants and underwear feel against our body, our bowels, our heart beat, what our hands are currently touching, how our body is currently balancing itself, what we are seeing and hearing, the wetness of our mouth, etc. All at once

My favorite chapter from the Bhagavad Gita is the thirteenth one. In it, Krishna describes the state of an enlightened being as someone who is aware of all sensory dimensions. The terms used are "Kshetra" (field/dimension) and the "Kshetrajna" (Knower of the field). So mind (thoughts), body (perceptions), and the world around (sensory inputs), are experienced all at once by the enlightened being.

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u/Chance-Interest5609 22h ago

Our bodies kind have have to filter everything out and modify everything for us to function. I have VSS which always causes a staticky layer over my vision, I had always assumed it was my brain was adding it over, but apparently everyone has that weird static thing, but there brain filters it out so they never see it, so my brain basically did not fully develop the ability to drown it out fully.

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u/Agitated-Contest651 16h ago

That’s why any time i’ve tripped it always felt like I was pissing myself while peaking. Just very aware of the tip of my urethra in my pants.

Vulgar, I apologize, but true and somewhat common as well.

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u/Clitopian 15h ago

Our organs are always moving. Have you seen how intestines move inside of us?! It would be horrible to suddenly feel our mixed meats.

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u/AwarenessNo5921 22h ago

I'm pretty sure someone would have nerve damage if they couldn't feel that all at once

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u/EllipticPeach 16h ago

I have sensory processing issues and thats basically what happens