What is really meant by a “psychedelic experience”?

The word “psychedelic” was coined in the 1950’s by Humphry Osmond in a letter to Aldous Huxley.

The word “psychedelic” was coined in the 1950’s by Humphry Osmond in a letter to Aldous Huxley. It is made from the two greek words “psyche” and “delic” and means “mind manifesting”. A psychedelic experience can be supported by substances such as Ketamine, Psilocybin (found in “magic mushrooms”), LSD, MDMA, DMT (found in Ayahuasca) and more. Currently, the only psychedelic substance that has been legally approved for use in psychotherapy is Ketamine.

However, substances are not required for psychedelic experiences to occur, and can be supported by music, meditation, nature experiences, creative experiences, breath work, and anything that encourages deep parts of the self and mind to “manifest” and be felt/experienced. The psychedelic experience involves a feeling of profound connection and presence between ones self and the world.

The psychedelic (mind-manifesting) state is similar to an altered state, however it is typically felt as rich with meaning and intelligence and can be a source for healing and self-knowledge that carries on long after the psychedelic experience has faded away.

The senses are a portal to naturally occurring psychedelic experience (without substances). The smell of flowers, the feeling of the sun on one’s face, a cool breeze, an incredible natural landscape or work of art. Perhaps the most powerful of all these is the hearing of sound and music in the right context. Certain tuning systems, especially those that create overtones, are especially powerful tools to change brainwaves (sound can induce Delta waves that occur in deep rest), create an altered state, and usher in a psychedelic experience.

One of the hallmarks of a psychedelic experience is that parts of the brain communicate with each other that usually do not. This is also a hallmark of creativity, intelligence, and emotional healing. Music and sound are processed by a different part of the brain than language and cognitive processes, yet people naturally experience the music they love as lighting up their emotions, mind, body and connection with others. For example, the “chill effect” (when people experience their hair raising on the skin or getting the “chills”) from music can be thought of as a psychedelic experience because different parts of the brain are coordinating as a response to sensory input and a person momentarily feeling many parts of themselves “manifesting” in connection with themselves and the world.