A psychedelic experience transports people beyond the limitations of their physical or mental space along the road to a place of pure joy and insight that opens possibilities. In short, it’s an elevated state of consciousness that also could be spiritual. While these experiences are usually associated with taking substances, there are actually many ways to have them without having to ingest anything. One avenue is the ancient practice of meditation.
I’ve felt experiences in a transcendental meditative state that are almost similar to parts of my Ayahuasca journeys. For example, I actually experienced physical somatic-like clearings or detoxification in parts of my body. Another way to experience a psychedelic journey without medicine is a sensory deprivation tank, which was portrayed in the 1980 movie “Altered States” starring William Hurt. Aside from still being able to hear, you kind of lose all senses and it’s pretty powerful. Another piece involves deep breathing, alternate nostril breathing, which is called pranayama, as well as the breath-of-fire breathing exercise used in Kundalini yoga and microcosmic orbit breath.
All of these techniques are ways to activate your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Other psychedelic experiences that don’t involve substances include something called motion after effect illusion wherein video becomes 3D and eye gazing that can trigger hallucinatory images that allow the participants to see face dysmorphia. Finally, there’s music, which can be exhilarating whether it’s sound healing, tribal rhythms or even a simple concert. With any one of these practices or in combination, there are seemingly endless ways to get high on life without ever taking any drugs.
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