Hi! I recently found this article and wondered if any of you guys know anything about it. I am willing to try anything at this point in my life since I cannot tell what learning strategies I should try anymore… Please excuse me if this is not the right place to post this discussion; I am a new member.
“Ayahuasca turned on my mind’s eye”: Enhanced visual imagery after ayahuasca intake in a man with “blind imagination” (aphantasia) in: Journal of Psychedelic Studies Volume 2 Issue 2 (2018) (akjournals.com)
Welcome Mihnea! You’ve come to the right place to explore your curiosities. This is a very interesting finding. It seems likely based on some of the current research underways that in the case of acquired aphantasia, or someone who loses the ability to visualize suddenly, that imagery experience might return with some kind of intervention like a hallucinogen. What I found most interesting is that the individual studied “self-diagnosed with long-lasting aphantasia” yet also “attributed it to a traumatic separation from his father when he was young.” Which might suggest a case acquired aphantasia? Would love to see more research done into acquired vs congenital cases when it comes to these types of interventions. Dr. David Luke, from the UK, is currently investigating research into psychedelics and aphantasia. Will be curious to see what future studies discover in this regard and whether these findings are replicable in congenital cases, or not.
That’s wild! Thanks for sharing. If you’re really considering trying it out, just remember to do a lot of research on ayahuasca. I’ve heard it’s a harrowing experience both mentally and physically, so no small undertaking.
Ayahuasca is in essence is just DMT, the ONLY results I know of with any long term success involve DMT, or 5-MeO-DMT, however it’s still rare for it to actually work and produce any longstanding results, and requires dedicated effort to maintain and grow.
The biggest indicating factor if your likely to have success is going to be dependent on your own sleep patterns, if you are able to dream frequently despite not being able to voluntarily visualize and still get normal functions, its more likely you could be one of the lucky few.
Which, even if you are, isn’t going to suddenly boost you to hyperphasia territory where you can imagine your own fantasy land and de/reconstruct mechanical designs in your head like einstein and tesla.
IF you are even in that lucky 10% it will still take years of development to cultivate that ability to visualize. At first, once the DMT wears off you would be lucky to change the ambient color of your minds eye and it will take as much effort as physical rehabilitative therapy on a mental level to get you to the point of average people where say you’re able to have a mental space and then imagine a specific object in it like say an apple.
Obviously, its always preferential if psychoactive stimulant’s can be acquired as part of a proper clinical study, or done by those with the resources to document their results. But, trials and access are few and far between so i don’t blame those that strongly consider self medication and experimentation.
My only regret is that when someone like you or I does take that brave step forward, even if they get lucky and they’re one of the few that produce results there’s no EEG scans or other data to provide insight into what / why it works when it DOES, or by what function visualization is being restored.
Everyone who drives several hours to go on a spirit journey and take that ayahuasca is one less person whose reaction to it even has the opportunity to be scientifically studied or understood, and we’re not left with many options for it TO be.
Guess the TL;DR is
“It’s a long shot, but, probably one of the best you’ve got.”
Hi Patrick – I took a heroic dose of 5-MeO-DMT and saw absolutely nothing. I blipped out for about 15 minutes and remember nothing upon “waking”. My guide was baffled. A few months later I learned about aphantasia.
Hello Mihnea,
I wonder if the effect is a result of lowered glutamate levels after intake.
High glutamate levels can be a cause of dementia, but I sometimes wonder if slightly higher levels of glutamate in the brain could lead to aphantasia related disorders as well.
https://www.beckleyfoundation.org/ayahuasca-and-glutamate/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5791143/
Could be something that causes some synesthesia?
Doesn’t LSD do that?
Are there any actual scientific studies available to participate in?
With LSD Don’t Work
Don’t. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal. And being mind-blind isn’t that bad, honestly. Like it’s kinda dope.
This question took me down a rabbit hole! Locally available at seemingly an affordable fee.
I could not find a link to the article you reference. Might tell me more that Google?
However! I do know about self-induced psychosis without taking drugs. Cheaper & safer?
Back in the day when extended lack of sleep + stress + walking would induce a manic episode I discovered my visual imagination through hallucination at several levels. First an overall hallucination that I was living in another universe which seemed normal for a tribal human being sharing group mind set; next an occasional image as picture of place yet to be arrived at. So hallucinations had a precognitive element which led me through life day by day through some extraordinary and extrasensory perceptions.
I so loved being in that space the coming back to reality was my Judas betraying my Christ (as it were) in order to live an ordinary life. Since then I had an occasion to seek hypnotherapy which was refused on the basis that I may not wish to return to this everyday consciousness.
Of the replies below I find Patrick Lothrop’s response very interesting.
So, Mihnea you can choose to travel one of three paths – drug induced, self induced or just take each day as it comes and be glad of it.
https://doi.org/10.1556/2054.2018.008
>> First an overall hallucination that I was living in another universe which seemed normal for a tribal human being sharing group mind set; next an occasional image as picture of place yet to be arrived at. So hallucinations had a precognitive element which led me through life day by day through some extraordinary and extrasensory perceptions.
>>
I am aphantasic and also had a series of manic, mixed-manic and depressive episodes during a period of extreme stress and sleep deprivation. During these episodes I had visual hallucinations, too.
1. I experienced light and dark auras around people, which I interpreted as indications of their holiness and dangerousness. I also had epiphanies associated with the dark aura people, which seemed to be insights about their motivatoins.
2. During mixed episodes, people often appeared emotionless, cold and zombie-like. This resonated with a song written by Daniel Johnston called “Devil Town”. Daniel is a bipolar song writer. I was easily “triggered” into hypervigilance and fear, while in this state.
3. I experienced a general deepening of my perception, that I considered a state of grace. In this state I had much more awareness of others emotions, and my emotions were easily entrained.
Like you, as I healed, my access to these altered states faded.
I never experienced any opening of my mind’s eye, though.
