Andrés Emilsson on RR of Perception, Entities, Geometric, Jhanas, Emotional Depths, & Self

The shared experience of DMT entities
Expansion of Model, Framework, and Theories Mentioned
Where is a coherent psychedelic experience located in the body?
The DMT Experience
Expansion of Model, Framework, and Theories
Where does the geometry of DMT come from?
The Geometric Aspect of DMT Experiences

The shared experience of DMT entities

People believe they experience the same entities on DMT, but it is very common for people to report this. We hold a regular phenomenology club where we gather people from various fields like physics, math, meditation, visual arts, and more to try to make sense of states of consciousness like those induced by DMT. DMT is quite fascinating.

One thing that is definitely the case, I think, is that if you're getting the complex geometry hallucinations, there's a shared minimal set of effects that allow that to happen. DMT makes your field of consciousness more liquidy, more flowy, more like an incompressible fluid, kind of mercurial. It also seems to make your blood vessels vibrate with a high frequency, similar to nicotine salts, which have a bit of that vibrating feeling as well if you try vaporizing them.

And also like a fluorescent light or something, the buzzing in electricity. Nicotine salts, the rush that you get from it is different and more addictive, and it touches on something that DMT definitely does, which is this buzzing effect in the blood vessels. With phenomenology, this is something you can experience through meditation too. It's kind of like, wherever you place your attention, blood tends to move towards that area. It seems like you need some kind of plumbing system to keep the parts of your brain and system oxygenated that need to be in order to pay attention.

If you place your attention in both of your hands, you will notice that there are vibrations that start to appear. It's something that I'm pretty sure is not just a hallucination, but it's something you can actually experience and confirm with others. I would love to visualize it with various cameras, in particular temperature-sensing cameras. I think that it might be visible, like asking a meditator to just focus on the left hand but not the right hand, you will see changes in how the blood moves around.

The buzzing thing is kind of really essential for some of the geometry experienced with DMT. You can actually get a strong version of the liquid-like sensations, but if you don't have that buzzing effect as well, the geometry is not going to appear. There's a chaotic aspect to it. The buzzing seems like some kind of self-organized criticality. Sometimes you may get this explosive experience where your entire body is in a state of coherent buzzing. Typically, it's going to be more like there are patches that are kind of competing.

One of the main reasons why DMT feels so otherworldly or like there's an ecosystem of entities is precisely because there's an ecosystem of different patches of vibration. That's one key difference between regular DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, aka the "god molecule." The vibrations in 5-MeO-DMT tend to be global and coherent. No matter what dose of NN-DMT you take, if you get the buzzing effect from 5-MeO-DMT, it's going to be this very coherent type of synchronization, whereas on regular NN-DMT typically, it's going to be an ecosystem of competing vibrations.

NN-DMT is found naturally occurring in the ayahuasca preparation, whereas 5-MeO-DMT is found in toad venom secretions. I consider them the top two most interesting substances when it comes to affecting consciousness. If asked to select three things worth studying or talking about, it would be DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and MDMA. MDMA is quite worth understanding scientifically because of all the promise it holds. DMT is called the "Spirit Molecule," and it feels like you're tuning into different levels of reality, whereas 5-MeO-DMT is called the "god molecule," and it feels like you're becoming one with the universe or one with God, which is a very common report.

Expansion of Model, Framework, and Theories Mentioned:

Shared Geometry Hallucinations and Effects of DMT

DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) induces complex geometric hallucinations and a sense of altered consciousness that many users report as encountering "entities" or experiencing otherworldly dimensions. Andres discusses a "minimal set of effects" that facilitate these experiences, including the transformation of the field of consciousness to become more "liquidy" or flowy, akin to the properties of mercury. This effect, along with the high-frequency vibrations in blood vessels, appears to be central to the DMT experience. The concept of "shared geometry" suggests a commonality in the phenomenological experience among DMT users, potentially pointing to a fundamental aspect of human consciousness and perception.

The Role of Blood Vessels and Vibrations

The discussion about blood vessels vibrating at a high frequency and the comparison to the effects of nicotine salts highlight a physiological component of the psychedelic experience. This vibration, Andres speculates, is not just a subjective hallucination but a measurable physical phenomenon that could be observed with the right tools, such as temperature-sensing cameras. This intersects with the practice of focused meditation, where directed attention can seemingly influence blood flow and induce physical sensations of vibration, suggesting a mind-body connection that could be both subjective and objectively measurable.

Self-Organized Criticality and Coherent Vibrations

Andres introduces the concept of "self-organized criticality," a theory from physics that describes how complex systems naturally evolve to a critical point at which they exhibit patterns of dynamic behavior. This theory could offer a framework for understanding the "buzzing effect" and the emergence of coherent geometric patterns in the DMT experience. The idea that certain conditions must align for an "explosive" state of coherence throughout the body suggests that DMT might influence the brain's and body's natural tendencies towards self-organization, resulting in the profound and often transformative experiences reported by users.

Where is a coherent psychedelic experience located in the body?

The experience is primarily located in the thalamus. The cortex edits and adds texture to the experience, but you can still be conscious with significant damage to the cortex, albeit with cognitive deficits. However, damage to the thalamus usually results in coma or death. The thalamus acts as a central switchboard for the brain, and consciousness in the cortex becomes activated through the thalamocortical loop, creating resonance between the thalamus and the cortex. This internal circuit feedback is crucial for consciousness. Dreaming is an example of being conscious with minimal external feedback, indicating that the loop between the cortex and the thalamus, not interaction with the environment, is essential for consciousness.

The DMT Experience

Regarding the DMT experience, it likely affects the level of the thalamus, altering its function and causing global effects. The overarching framework for understanding DMT phenomenology involves an algorithmic reduction to identify a simple set of basic effects that can reconstruct the complex diversity of the DMT space.

One model, the control interrupt model of psychedelic action by James L. Kent, suggests that the cortex inhibits predictable information, allowing consciousness to focus on deviations from predictions. Psychedelics disrupt this inhibitory process, leading to a crowded consciousness with sensations that have characteristic frequencies, often between 20 and 40 Hz. This is attributed to a failure to inhibit predictions, resulting in standing wave patterns of accumulated sensations.

Expansion of Model, Framework, and Theories:

Thalamocortical Loop:

The thalamocortical loop plays a pivotal role in the generation and maintenance of consciousness. This loop between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex is crucial for integrating sensory information and cognitive processes. The thalamus acts as a relay station, modulating information flow to the cortex, which in turn, processes this information and sends feedback to the thalamus. This dynamic interaction facilitates the emergence of conscious experience, suggesting that the coherence of psychedelic experiences can be attributed to alterations in this feedback loop.

Control Interrupt Model of Psychedelic Action:

Proposed by James L. Kent in his book "Psychedelic Information Theory," this model offers a unique perspective on how psychedelics affect consciousness. It suggests that the cortex constantly inhibits predictable sensory information to focus on novel stimuli. Psychedelics interfere with this inhibitory mechanism, allowing a flood of sensory information to reach consciousness. This failure to inhibit leads to a crowded sensory space, with sensations persisting longer than usual, often accompanied by characteristic vibratory frequencies. The model posits that this sensory overload and the resulting standing wave patterns in consciousness are key features of the psychedelic experience.

Algorithmic Reduction in Psychedelic Phenomenology:

Algorithmic reduction aims to identify simple underlying mechanisms that can explain the complex and diverse experiences induced by psychedelics. By breaking down the psychedelic experience into basic computational or algorithmic functions, researchers can construct models that predict and explain the wide range of effects these substances have on the mind. This approach seeks to bridge the gap between the biochemical actions of psychedelics on the brain and the qualitative experiences they produce, offering a framework for understanding how minor changes in brain function can lead to profound alterations in consciousness.

Significance of the Thalamus in Consciousness:

The thalamus role as a "switchboard" of the brain underscores its importance in consciousness. It not only relays sensory and motor signals to the cortex but also plays a crucial role in regulating states of sleep and wakefulness, which are essential for conscious experience. Damage to the thalamus can lead to severe disorders of consciousness, such as coma, highlighting its critical function in maintaining the conscious state. The thalamus's involvement in the thalamocortical loop and its susceptibility to psychedelic substances suggest that it may be a key site where psychedelics exert their consciousness-altering effects.

Recurrent Network Theory of Consciousness:

This theory suggests that consciousness arises from the continuous, recursive interactions between different regions of the brain, particularly the feedback loops between the cortex and the thalamus. It emphasizes the importance of these recurrent networks in creating the dynamic, self-referential processes thought to underlie conscious experience. The interaction between the cortex and the thalamus, especially in the context of psychedelic experiences, may alter these recursive processes, leading to the unique phenomenology of psychedelic states.

Where does the geometry of DMT come from?

The Geometric Aspect of DMT Experiences

Visual Tracer Lag vs. Complex Geometries

The geometric aspect of DMT experiences doesn't directly translate from the visual tracer lag of objects in the room to the complex, high-angular, hexagonal space that DMT induces.

This complexity suggests the involvement of the visual cortex basic functions, such as delineating lines for navigation, but this mechanism alone is insufficient to explain the intricate geometries reported during DMT experiences.

Regular DMT vs. 5-MeO-DMT

Regular DMT is significantly more geometric than 5-MeO-DMT, with the former displaying a vast array of high-dimensional, hyperbolic, and fractal complexities. On the other hand, 5-MeO-DMT tends to present broader, more outlined types of geometry, like consciousness fields transforming into tori or spirals, focusing more on large-scale outlines rather than the minute, intricate adjustments characteristic of DMT.

Hyperbolic Honeycombs and 3D Fractals

Hyperbolic honeycombs and 3D fractals serve as models for the types of complex geometry encountered on DMT.
These shapes demonstrate the projection of hyperbolic space into Euclidean space, resembling nested soap bubbles or foam, and exemplify the hyperbolic geometry experienced under the influence of DMT.

Nonlinear Resonance

This transition from normal visual processing to DMT's complex geometries involves nonlinear resonance.

Under normal conditions, the field of consciousness behaves linearly, with waves passing through each other without interaction.
However, at the high energy levels induced by DMT, these waves begin to interact nonlinearly, leading to new patterns where waves align to form symmetrical mandalas, reflecting synchronized attention.

Mood and Geometric Experience

Mood significantly influences the geometric experience.

Different "light bulbs" or holographic projections of affect and color can modify the experience.
A positive mood can result in a coherent experience across different levels of consciousness, while a pre-existing bad mood can intensify negative aspects.
DMT can overwhelm the system, leading to a reevaluation and rearrangement of these perceptual filters, offering awareness of and potentially relief from negative mood filters.

Entering a DMT experience in a good mood is ideal, as it can enhance the coherence and positivity of the geometric visualizations.

Hyperbolic Honeycomb

Okay, a couple of things. This here is called a hyperbolic honeycomb. It's actually a projection, like a wireframe, of hyperbolic space into 3D Euclidean space. It looks like a collection of soap bubbles nested inside each other – very foamy! Yeah, definitely. If you were to add more detail, it starts at the center and you just add more and more cells. Each of these lines actually continues infinitely. These planes are made of hexagons – usually hexagons form a flat plane, right? There's no bending. Here, you have all these surfaces that wrap around themselves. It's like an infinite number of infinities packed into this space. This is super classic hyperbolic geometry. On DMT, at a high enough dose, there's an area in your field of consciousness where, close up, you know it's flat...but further away it looks curved. There's just so much information, so much qualia packed into these surfaces. So that's one instance where the geometry of your 3D space becomes hyperbolic. This is kind of like a projection.

3D Fractal

So yeah, that's characteristic of regular DMT. Here's another object in the same space– a 3D fractal. Can you hold that still for a second? Yeah, basically it's like a Mandelbrot set but in three dimensions. Knobbly, like a little person or rotten broccoli!

Non-linear Resonance

Okay, the question becomes how do you go from the flickering 'tracers' effect of DMT to that? That's where you need one or two insights. I think we can do it with one, the main one being non-linear resonance. Under normal energy levels, consciousness seems to work like a linear system. Two waves passing through just ignore each other – light in this direction, light in another direction, the rays don't interact. On water, it works similarly within certain energy levels. But with huge waves, they collide, form crests, do all this extra, strange stuff. It's the same with your consciousness. Normally, waves of attention move through each other with no issue. But if you jack up the energy to crazy DMT levels, the waves are so tall that they bounce off each other. These new attractors form where waves line up in a plane – like a beautiful symmetrical mandala! If you see a symmetrical mandala on DMT, it's always, always going to come with some tuning of attention. The symmetries reflect how your attention synchronizes with itself. That's non-linearity happening!

Mood and Attention

You said something interesting – if you can tune your focus and attention, you can sustain the geometric experience. So how does your mood affect that? Does a bad mood change the geometry? Okay, here's my latest model for how this works. Imagine your brain is, in a sense, a little theater. We're bringing back the Cartesian theater idea a bit, but there are some key differences. Imagine it has, let's say, seven different lights. Each light shines through a special holographic lightbulb. Every lightbulb comes with a particular affect...and color! You can put a sad filter on your experience, or a clownish filter… it picks out qualities like how sharp or soft things are. A really positive meditation or psychedelic experience is one where the holographic lightbulbs you put on top of each other fit well with your attention centers and align properly. It feels coherent across many levels. Here's my idea: you actually just have these, like, seven different holographic lightbulbs that work well together. If you're in a bad mood before taking DMT, some aspect of your experience has been run through that bad mood filter. DMT drastically increases the brightness of whatever goes through that lightbulb. You might get something shockingly sad, an extreme version of what you were feeling before. But when you overwhelm the system like that, it goes, "Okay, better find better lightbulbs so I can interact with this in a less unpleasant way." You might realize you've been holding a hot coal all your life, metaphorically! You drop it because you understand what it's been doing to your experience. Many of us carry perceptual filters that affect our mood without us realizing it. DMT can bring awareness to that, but ideally, you go into it in a very good mood – that's the best scenario.

On Hyperbolic Geometry and Visuals

"It's like an infinite number of infinities packed into this space."
"A lot of information, a lot of qualia packed into all of these surfaces."
"It basically looks like a Mandelbrot set but it's in three dimensions...kind of knobbly, like almost kind of looks like a little person or a really rotten broccoli, or something interesting."

On Non-Linear Resonance and DMT

"The field of consciousness...seems to function like a linear system...two waves going through each other, they're kind of invisible to each other."
"If you raise up the energy to DMT level...the waves are so tall that they actually start bouncing off each other."
"If you see a symmetrical mandala on DMT, it will always, always, always come with some kind of tuning of attention."

On Mood and Experience

"Imagine your brain...is a little theater...there are very special types of light bulbs that essentially shine holographic projections."
"You can put a sad filter on your experience, or you can put a clownish filter on your experience."
"A really positive...experience would be one where the light bulbs...are in a consonant relationship with each other...allows them to align with each other."
"It's quite likely almost like realizing that you've been holding a hot coal all your life...you just drop it because you realize this is what it's doing to your experience."

Expanding the Model

Non-linear Resonance: In linear systems, things behave predictably. If you double the input, you double the output. But in non-linear systems, small changes can create disproportionately large effects, often resulting in chaotic, seemingly unpredictable patterns. Andres proposes that at high doses, consciousness might operate as a non-linear resonant system. Waves of attention that would normally pass through each other begin interacting and generating new patterns as their intensity increases. Think of huge ocean waves colliding or the feedback loop you get when a microphone is too close to an amp.
Cartesian Theater (with modifications): This old philosophical model proposes that everything we experience is played out in an internal 'theater' of the mind. Andres uses a modified version with multiple 'lights' (attention centers) and holographic filters to explain how our brain might construct experiences and how those are then altered by substances like DMT.
Perceptual Filters & Qualia: Our brains actively filter the world to construct an internal representation. Qualia refers to the raw, subjective feeling of an experience – "what it's like" to see red or to feel pain, for example. Andres suggests that emotions and moods act as perceptual filters, shaping our qualia. We might unknowingly carry habitual filters that distort our experience in a negative way.
Hyperbolic Geometry: Unlike the familiar flat (Euclidean) geometry we learn in school, hyperbolic geometry involves curved surfaces where parallel lines actually diverge. Imagine you're inside a giant dome – drawing parallel lines on the floor, they'd appear to curve away from each other in your perspective. This type of geometry is difficult to fully visualize in our 3D world, hence the "projection" aspect Andres mentions. You can explore hyperbolic tessellations and visualizations online to get a better sense of this strange but mathematically consistent space.
Non-linear Resonance: This is a crucial concept from systems theory. In a linear system, the "output" is directly proportional to the "input." Things remain predictable. A non-linear system, however, can exhibit chaotic, unpredictable behavior where small changes in input lead to huge differences in output. Andres proposes that consciousness at normal levels seems linear, but when overwhelmed by something like DMT, the energy surge introduces non-linearity. This might account for emergent patterns like those mandalas and the 'self-tuning' phenomena mentioned.
Brain as a Theater (with Holographic Lightbulbs): This metaphor breaks away from the typical Cartesian theater idea by introducing this fascinating 'holographic filter' element. Our experiences aren't just raw perception; they're run through filters dictated by mood, past experiences, even unconscious beliefs. These holographic lightbulbs are how we shape reality on a fundamental level. Andres suggests that psychedelic experiences may allow us to consciously manipulate or choose these filters, altering how we perceive the world and even ourselves.

Psychedelic-induced realignment of mental states

Psychedelics, including DMT, may facilitate attentional shifts, leading to changes in mental states and potential benefits in treating depression.

Anecdotal reports: There is compelling (though informal) evidence that psychedelics can be an effective treatment for depression. It seems these substances promote some form of internal 'realignment'.
Electron orbital analogy: Consider attention as analogous to a laser. Highly focused attention, where we concentrate intensely on a single point, resembles a narrow laser beam. This state implies strong underlying attentional mechanisms. In a more basic (perhaps psychedelic-influenced) attentional state, the focus is much broader. This resembles how electron orbitals occupy broader energy shells within an atom's structure.
Harmonic selection: One's field of attention could be understood as selecting a 'base harmonic', meaning a fundamental pattern underlying perception. Choosing multiple of these at once can create areas of overlap– if that overlap crosses a given energy threshold, a new focus point is activated.

Example:

5-MeO-DMT effect: On certain psychedelics (e.g., 5-MeO-DMT), visual fields could seemingly split into quadrants, some sharing colors, others with contrasting colors. Shifting one's attention can 'flip' these color assignments as different areas of the visual field gain prominence. Andres describes this as a subtle alteration akin to adjusting a camera lens that alters one's perception.

Comparisons:

Magic Eye pictures: The process of finding hidden figures in seemingly chaotic images highlights how subtle adjustments in visual focus can change what is perceived.
Ambiguous figure illusions: The spinning dancer illusion, where viewers can consciously alternate their perception of the dancer's rotation, underscores how internal cognitive shifts influence what we see.

Conclusions:

Intentional focus: When deliberately concentrating to "flip" visual representations, one becomes aware of subtle 'fencing effects'. These seem to direct energy concentration within the perceptual field.
Enhanced introspection: Psychedelics, by amplifying subtle internal states, enhance awareness of previously concealed multi-layered attentional systems.
Simulation hypothesis: In typical consciousness, these attentional layers remain "out of phase," suggesting the brain creates an internal simulation that somewhat obscures this multi-layered state.

Notes:

Psychedelics (not just DMT) seem to have a realignment effect that helps treat depression. The anecdotal evidence supports this.
This realignment is fascinating. Let me illustrate: We might think of psychedelic-induced visualizations as akin to electron orbitals.
Attention works like a laser, focusing intently on a point. But on a more basic level, attention involves choosing different "base harmonics" of your perceptive field. These harmonics can overlap, like different colors creating new ones, and 'activate' when their combined energy hits a threshold.
On something like 5-MeO-DMT, you might perceive your visual field with opposing diagonals colored black and white. An attentional move here means 'flipping' which colors are dominant—shifting your visual lens on a subtle level.

Q: You were describing jhanas earlier. Could you give a full description and tell us a bit about what they are?

Andres: Sure. Jhanas, these states of concentration, have been discovered and rediscovered by people throughout history. The way I think of them is they are attractors of the following three systems at once— it's like where the following three systems reinforce each other in a simple state:

The nervous system
The cardiovascular system
The electromagnetic field

The jhanas are like stable attractors that combine a very simple state of each of those. I mean, typically the first jhana is defined as complete absorption into bodily well-being.

So those pleasant sensations you get when you take a hot shower or do breathwork...kind of this warm fuzzy sensation in the body...it's like you make that your object of concentration.

Then phenomenologically, something like you're glowing red as if all extremely pleasant all throughout your body, just a very pleasant warm buzz. If your attention is fully there, that would be called a hard jhana—where your attention is imperturbable and fully spread out.

But typically you're going to be experiencing most of your attention there and a bit of your attention in other places such as the feeling of a bright white light is very common. It feels like oh there's the sun over there or there's a star in there heating up my body. And those two things are reinforcing each other.

So the hallucination and the bodily sense...that would be called a nimitta which is usually an object of attention that reinforces the jhana.

So the idea is to bootstrap yourself into a position where 100% of your attention is focused on well-being in the body by essentially slowly shifting your attention to more and more refined objects that keep it within a tight circuit that continues to circle through the body.

Q: Can you describe the other Jhanas?

Andres: Okay, so briefly:

Second Jhana: Happiness arising from bodily well-being. It's intense and refined... think of the joy of your eighth birthday!
Third Jhana: A profound sense of peace and tranquility.
Fourth Jhana: Equanimity. Not apathy, but more like accepting the world; you aren't distracted by thoughts about if there's something else you should be doing.

These form a base for deeper meditation and give rise to the four formless Jhanas, where you absorb into qualities of consciousness that don't have an obvious geometric shape...well, they have shape, but it's more complex:

Fifth Jhana: Absorption into space
Sixth Jhana: Infinite consciousness
Seventh Jhana: Nothingness
Eighth Jhana: Neither nothing nor something.

Q: You said the first four Jhanas have "geometric shapes." What do you mean?

Andres: They're called 'Rupa Jhanas' ('Rupa' meaning body) because you ground your attention into body sensations in these first four states. You might be a bit dissociated from the wider world, BUT incredibly present in the 'here and now.' This focus often extends a bit beyond your physical body into what's called the 'energy body', so there's still a feeling of location and extension. The formless Jhanas transcend this – you can't say "I'm more absorbed here than there" – that sense of being located vanishes as part of the experience.

Q: The first four Jhanas sound very embodied, then the next four like you depart from the body. Does this comparison feel accurate?

Andres: Yeah, that's a good way to put it. It's why some make fun of us by saying we should rename this show Mystifying Science! I don't claim to have experienced Jhanas in full meditation, but going deep into nature sometimes gives a taste of it – losing your association with yourself and the world after being somewhere peacefully immersed for a long time. Maybe that's like the seventh Jhana – feeling nothingness where even awareness or space disappears. That's quite unsettling for me; when I approach that feeling, it's like my brain almost panics - there needs to be something in the void!

Q: Can you expand on the concepts of jhanas, bliss, and perception without thought? How do these practices lead to altered states of consciousness?

Andres: Yes, absolutely. Jhanas refer to meditative states where the activity of thought reduces significantly. This can occur during sober meditative practices (such as flow states) or in altered states, potentially induced by psychedelics like DMT. When thoughts quiet down, there's more cognitive capacity for direct experience.

Q: It seems the ability to manage attention is important for navigating such states. Could you elaborate on the mechanisms at play?

Andres: I agree. Traditional metaphors for attention may not capture the full range of how attention functions in altered states. We don't have direct "water-like" control, per se. Rather, we can adjust the frequency and phase of resonant modes - certain combinations result in coherent focus while others, equally valid, don't. Blissful states generally correspond to higher degrees of internal coherence or focus.

Q: You mentioned coherence between attentional centers seems crucial for positive experiences. Does this relate to how our cortex seeks predictability?

Andres: Potentially. Life, and therefore consciousness, seems to seek predictable patterns. There's that study with neurons playing Pong... chaotic signals for failures, predictable patterns for success. Similar dynamics might apply to states of consciousness.

Q: There's a perspective called the Symmetry Theory of Valence – could you explain how that informs our understanding of these states?

Andres: The Symmetry Theory of Valence suggests that positive experiences – what feels good – stems from the geometric smoothness of an experiential field. Think of jhanas or other meditative states as revealing what the experiential field 'desires', unconstrained by typical biological needs. These are hyper-consonant, fractal states. We might naturally move towards that configuration with practice, but external factors (from weather to social threats) disrupt that internal harmony.

Q: You mentioned Jhanas, bliss, and perception without thought. Can you elaborate?

Andres: Yeah, absolutely. Perception without thought is bizarre, considering we spend all of our time thinking. It occasionally happens while in flow states – those times when you're intensely focused on a familiar task. Without a plan, you just...operate. But you can push beyond that even further...sometimes while in the woods, meditating, playing music. This creates an interesting sense of cognitive space beyond what thought usually fills.

Q: It seems like the 'Magic Eye' effect you experience on intermediate doses of 5-MeO-DMT may resonate with that feeling? Like you're suddenly capable of tuning into different realities at will?

Andres: Totally! There's even a slight fear attached, like maybe if you tune into one, you'll lose the key to others... like losing the ability to get back to this reality if you don't "cross your soul eyes" just right, haha!

But to tie this back, why did we start talking about Jhanas? Well, I mentioned them when discussing how to explore these alternative states of consciousness that come up sometimes on DMT. The ability to control and direct your attention becomes super important then.

Q: It sounds like your experience with psychedelics has challenged your preconceived notions of attention?

Andres: Definitely! A good model for attention is vital with powerful psychedelics, exactly because so much of how we navigate reality usually depends on assumptions about how attention operates. People use metaphors like arrows focusing on an object, or water flowing... But out there, way beyond normal states, those models break down. You lose direct control, you can't move energy like water. Instead, it becomes more about shifting frequencies of harmonic states. Some are coherent and that's when attention 'flows', but a ton of those frequencies don't match any typical sense of focus. They're still states of consciousness, though.

Q: It's interesting that you say the most blissful states usually go hand in hand with concentration!

Andres: Yeah, there's generally a trend in that direction. It might not be universal, but highly coherent states have been my experience with profound bliss.

Q: So even when those different attention centers don't produce traditional focus, do you think at least they have to partially agree for it to be pleasant?

Andres: That's my hunch! That there's this minimal threshold of those centers being in agreement for there to be a 'good time'. This might tie into a sense of predictability for your cortex too. Like remember Brett Kagan? Remember we interviewed him once, he had those neurons playing Pong? They'd get chaotic signals when they missed, predictable ones when they hit. Life, and possibly consciousness, may fundamentally prefer regularity like that.

Q: Could the smoothness or consistency of these states relate to some fundamental nature of consciousness itself?

Andres: It fits pretty well with the ideas in that Symmetry Theory of Valence from Qualia Research Institute. There's a sense that when biology isn't a limit for a moment, the underlying 'field' prefers those smooth, hyper-harmonic, almost fractal states. Of course, it's usually stuck monitoring messy internal biological signals that break that ideal pattern.

In exploring the diverse reactions individuals have to various techniques, it's pivotal to experiment with different methods due to the distinct responses elicited from person to person.

One specific technique is noted for inducing experiences akin to DMT-induced hallucinations, particularly after engaging in the practice daily for eight hours, around the seventh day. This suggests that the technique may enhance the visual field's energy, leading to non-linear wave patterns as a byproduct. This phenomenon hints at an anticipatory element, especially within religious contexts, where expectations of encountering specific entities or deities are cultivated. However, DMT experiences often involve encounters with entities without prior suggestion, highlighting a unique aspect of its effect.

The internal representation of self, inherently embodied, becomes notably altered under psychedelics, enhancing cross-frequency coherence. This allows for the interlocking of patterns of varying sizes, akin to observing fractals in nature. Psychedelics enhance the perception of fractal structures, aiding in recognizing patterns not readily apparent to the normal state of consciousness. This effect underscores the significance of cross-frequency coupling, wherein different sized shapes resonate together, contributing to the profound and often spiritual nature of these experiences.

Such experiences can significantly alter the perception of self and the environment, imbuing them with a cosmic significance. This altered state facilitates a connection with a larger, hallucinated sense of self, often interpreted through a mythological lens to make sense of the profound interaction. The discussion raises the question of whether these experiences are mere hallucinations or if they enable a deeper connection to an existing reality, suggesting a fundamental self-similarity among all beings, regardless of the state of consciousness.

It's my job to get through the day, you know? I find that it's easy to see yourself in things all the time, but to really feel it and to embody it, to feel really compelled by it in this way where you're just like, "Holy crap, this is all just me, essentially." Is that a hallucination, or is it a realization? Well, okay, let me add the following.

So, yeah, two key things to advance this conversation forward. I mean, one is, we start out, at least usually how I think of it, with a model of our consciousness through the lens of indirect realism. So, everything that you experience is, at least at first approximation or like your first surface area, really an internal world simulation that your body and nervous system is creating for you to navigate the world.

Like, for example, what I was describing, of experiencing this resonance between your sense of your body and a giant, like a body SVA that's going to get reincarnated in a thousand years, or some one of these weird hallucinations you may have on psychedelics. To see that this is just a hallucination is to say, "Hey, it doesn't matter that you 'feel' that outside of you; really, all that you're going off of is correlations in the vibrations between different parts of your experience." And at no point is any part of your experience outside of you, anyway, right? Like, all of your experience is just part of your experience. There is a sense in which really what you are is a moment of experience.

So, on a psychedelic, what for sure does happen is that which patterns within the experience can interlock with each other changes. It just so happens that some of those patterns are used to represent very large things external to you, and some of those patterns are used to represent like a bodily sensation. So when those interlock, it's interpreted as, "Oh, I got connected to something outside of me."

But I can also make the steel man argument that, no, you are connecting to something outside of you, and it would be very specific based on a specific observation, which is that when you do interlock with some of these entities, especially some of the DMT entities, they do things that are very unexpected and strange if you just assume that they're part of just your world simulation, that you're just hallucinating them.

In particular, two things that they do is that they tease you, and they kind of make fun of the fact that you think they're hallucinations. They can do that, almost kind of like a sibling or something. It's like, "Come on, do you really think it's a dream? Really? Can't you feel me? I'm poking you." So, there's a kind of playfulness like that, where they say, "Of course, of course, you would think this is a hallucination. You're just a human; you don't know anything." There's a sense like that sometimes happens.

But then, the other thing is, especially if you're a meditator, you've kind of gotten used to noticing your resonant modes, like, okay, in what ways there are vibrations in my body, in what ways things flicker. Yes, a lot of what happens on DMT is kind of like, oh, you're energizing your system, so you're getting the higher frequency versions of many of these vibrations. But sometimes, when you get in contact with an entity, it feels like they're vibrating in a way that would be impossible for you, sort of like the sound of a flute coming out of a guitar, or something like that.

And that is what I have found the most compelling, really. It's just this: it doesn't feel like it's tuning into one of my resonant modes, or that I'm tuning into their resonant mode. It's more kind of like we're tuning into a middle ground that neither of us perfectly satisfies, but it's like, "Okay, well, this will do for the communication." This real locking-in process when you get in contact with some of these entities.

Yeah, for me, it's that, much more than that their jesters or clowns are shared. To me, it's more like, yeah, no, the dynamics, the signal processing of it is weird. You just have to pay attention. And I don't know, I just want a bunch of more smart, curious people to take an honest look at this because, yeah, especially the tuning process is very stunning.

The tuning process reminds me a lot of social interactions with people that you haven't met before. Yeah, like when you walk into, you know, like for a podcast, for instance. I know we've done a podcast before; we're familiar with each other. But when you first sit down with somebody for the first time, you kind of have to feel out that space, right? And there, I think, there can be some anxiety associated with that for a lot of people, like, "How's this interaction going to go? I just met this person." I guess dating is kind of like this too; it's been a while since I've been dating. But it's the same sort of feeling of tuning, you know?

And you don't want to have to bend yourself too much, right? Or it becomes an unpleasant interaction to sustain if you're trying to hold up some mask of yourself, in the Jungian sense. It just gets kind of heavy. But in the best interactions, when you make really good friends or you have a really good conversation, it's like you're both kind of firing at the same frequency, and there's this predictable buzz to it. Yes, exactly, exactly.

And yeah, maybe the feeling, like if you're in third grade and you sit down with a sixth grader or a seventh grader, it's not that they're smarter than you in every way, but there's a sense in which, no, okay, their attention is functioning kind of better, and they're keeping track of more things. That's another very common feeling on DMT experiences, is the sense of, yeah, this would be kind of like a more developed older brother, just because of how they're managing their attention. It has kind of two or three extra attention bundles that are not present in humans.

That is also kind of unsettling, and part of what makes these experiences so compelling is like, yeah, the way you interact with them gives you the feeling that they have more attention centers than you.

Indirect Realism

Indirect realism, also known as representationalism, posits that we do not perceive the external world directly. Instead, our sensory information is processed and interpreted by our brain, creating a mediated representation of the world around us. This theory suggests that our perceptions are not direct reflections of objects but are constructed by our sensory and cognitive systems. In the context of psychedelic experiences, this model becomes particularly relevant as it highlights how these substances can alter the internal representations, leading to profound changes in perception.

Consciousness Simulation

The idea of consciousness as a simulation posits that our brain constructs a complex simulation of the world for us to navigate. This internal model includes not only sensory information but also integrates memories, emotions, and predictions about the future. Psychedelics, by altering the neurotransmitter systems, particularly serotonin, can profoundly change this simulation, leading to experiences of ego dissolution, altered sense of time, and the feeling of unity with the universe. These substances can disrupt the default mode network (DMN), a brain network associated with self-referential thoughts and the sense of self, leading to a breakdown in the usual boundaries of the self and the external world.

Resonant Modes

Resonant modes refer to the natural frequencies at which systems tend to oscillate. In the context of human consciousness, these can be thought of as the habitual patterns of thought, emotion, and body sensations that characterize an individual's experience of the world. Psychedelics can alter these patterns, leading to novel states of consciousness. This concept is crucial for understanding how psychedelics facilitate experiences of interconnectedness or resonance with entities or aspects of the world that usually feel separate from oneself.

Interconnectivity and External Entities

The discussion of interacting with external entities, especially in DMT experiences, raises intriguing questions about the nature of consciousness and reality. While these experiences are often dismissed as mere hallucinations within the framework of indirect realism, the phenomenological reports of such interactions suggest a more complex interplay. The entities encountered may represent archetypal aspects of the subconscious, externalized in the altered state of consciousness. Alternatively, some theories propose that psychedelics might allow access to genuine external dimensions of consciousness or realities that are normally inaccessible.

Theoretical Implications

The experiences described challenge conventional models of consciousness and suggest that our understanding of reality may be more limited than we presume. The potential for psychedelics to alter our resonant modes and enable interactions with seemingly external entities or dimensions invites a reevaluation of the boundaries between the self and the other, the internal and the external. This has implications not only for psychology and neuroscience but also for philosophy, particularly in the realms of metaphysics and the philosophy of mind.

Andres: In this discussion, I will describe the different levels of a DMT experience. This will focus on classic N,N-DMT as opposed to ayahuasca. Ayahuasca experiences are generally less intense and longer in duration. Most breakthrough-level DMT experiences involve vaporization, as an extended, intense experience can be overwhelming.

Here's how the levels typically progress

Threshold: This is common with many psychedelics and involves brightening colors, sharpened contrasts, and increased alertness, but nothing extraordinary.
Edge of Symmetry: All surfaces take on a symmetrical wallpaper-like quality.
Chrysanthemum: You are still present in the room, but surfaces feel as if they're constantly unfolding with excessive curvature. This resembles a flower blossoming or a present unwrapping.
Magic Eye: The space in front of you feels like a television screen. Fully animated three-dimensional events manifest, but there's still a sense of unreality, as if this is happening elsewhere and being observed.
Waiting Room: Sense modalities synchronize. There's a pressurized feeling as audio, visual, and bodily sensations combine. One no longer perceives the room.
Breakthrough: This is where it feels like all channels are accessible, it's purely a process of tuning into them.

Q: Does it change if your eyes are open or closed?

Andres: Slightly, though the change is insignificant.

Q: Is there anything after the waiting room?

Andres: Yes, though the term "waiting room" might be misleading. Next is the breakthrough stage.

Q: Is there anxiety when progressing through these levels?

Andres: Yes, significant anxiety often accompanies each level transition. Some individuals feel a profound "calling" forward but become too frightened to proceed.

Q: Does that anxiety cease at some point, a level of complete surrender?

Andres: Yes, there's a window of total surrender during a DMT experience. This state is extremely intense, at the very limit of what's manageable. There may be an even higher level, but it's likely too overwhelming and impossible to fully recall, even without blacking out. At such excessive doses, for me at least, it feels somewhat pointless – more a novelty than anything genuinely insightful.

Exploring Consciousness on High Doses

From the perspective of intense conscious experience (a qualia state), very high doses might seem pointless. This isn't due to an inability to keep track of the real world. Rather, the configuration space that you enter on those levels tends to be less interesting. Perhaps it's like looking at complex interference patterns from light sources — a few basic configurations exist at maximum states, and they lack depth. The most fascinating experiences lie below that extreme high.

Near-Death Experiences DMT

The analogy of a bright light at the end of the tunnel resonates with classic near-death experiences (NDEs). There's evidence in rodents that DMT, a molecule released in the brain upon death, might be involved. While I think methodology on humans would be ethically problematic, this leads to an important concept:

We're shifting away from focusing solely on DMT as a molecule. What really seems significant is achieving a high-frequency 'tracer' effect that energizes your system—everything else follows from that. Hypothetically, an electrode or ultrasound might produce similar effects to DMT. The specific molecule matters less than the high-frequency resonance and subsequent 'liquefaction' leading to unique experiences.

The 'Liquefaction' of Consciousness

'Liquefaction' is an interesting term because it raises the question of what mechanism is at play during the early stages of this alleged consciousness transformation. I think it relates to the way Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) work—like those in calculators.

Our normal, everyday life could be like an LCD screen set in a configuration that creates very clear distinctions: inside vs. outside, thing vs. not-thing. This screen represents our visual cortex. Psychedelics like DMT or LSD alter the phase of this 'crystal,' breaking down those neat distinctions. Objects melt without clear borders, much like what you see in impossible objects or a mobius strip.

I envision it almost like a literal liquid crystal display undergoing phase changes that alter the refresh rate of perception. We discuss time phasing and wave interactions which seem relevant, as our normal refresh rate can be altered (think camera vs. propeller example). High-frequency states induced by psychedelics likely impact perception at a fundamental level.

Surrender and Intensity

When you fully surrender to these altered states, there's a window of intensity that is both bearable and incredibly captivating. However, there's an even higher level that overwhelms even those who surrender completely. Exploring these levels further may be pointless as memory retention fails you when the energy and configuration space becomes too chaotic.

Hypothesis:

Human consciousness consists of approximately seven concurrently operating attention centers.
Each center possesses a unique frequency.
These centers' relative frequencies are calibrated to minimize cross-interference.

Rationale:

Golden Ratio Optimization: When two frequencies interact, minimal interference occurs at the golden ratio (approximately 1.618). Similarly, multiple attention centers might harmonize best by adhering to similar mathematical relationships.
Flickering Artifacts: In normal states, minor synchronization glitches between attention centers cause subtle "flickering" in one's perception of reality. These subtle anomalies likely go unnoticed unless attention is acutely focused.
Psychedelic States: Certain substances enhance connectivity between attention centers.
Extreme Synchronization: If all centers align fully, change becomes imperceptible because there's no relative difference between the attentional speeds. This could explain feelings of timelessness or ego dissolution on high doses of psychedelics.
Partial Synchronization: When most centers harmonize, but one or two remain distinct, you might perceive this as a dominant vibration. That "vibration" is an interference pattern between misaligned centers.

Questions and Follow-Up

Andres: Could overwhelming psychedelic experiences be caused by complete synchronization, eliminating any noticeable interference?
Them: I agree - fascinating to consider! Can you pinpoint examples of these attention centers? Are they tied to sensory modalities (sight, sound), or perhaps something else entirely?
Andres: I hypothesize a likely range of seven (plus or minus two) attention centers. This is extrapolated from personal experiences with "janas" (meditative states). It's possible different attention centers correlate to things like a pleasant bodily sensation or a feeling of peacefulness.
Them: Could you describe more about the "Cartesian theater" idea? It sounds like you believe your psychedelic experiences revealed your consciousness had more available attention centers?

Notes:

I avoided speculating on what phenomena the attention centers are related to beyond what Andres indicates. We still don't have full clarity on that.
This is a mixture of hypothesis and personal experience report. While interesting, it should be taken in that context rather than as universally-established fact.

Threshold: "Brightening of colors, sharpening of contrasts, you feel a bit more here, a little bit more awake, nothing super spectacular."
Every Surface Becomes Symmetrified: "Every surface becomes symmetrified, like literally everything becomes wallpaper symmetry groups, like any surface has desolations."
Chrysanthemum: "You're still in the room, but it feels that whatever surface you pay attention to is kind of like constantly unfolding, it's kind of there's so much curvature that it just kind of wants to exit out of the screen, and it's kind of like the unwrapping of a present or the blossoming of a flower, there's like more surface area that continues to expand."
Magic Eye Level: "The volume of space in front of you feels like you're tuning into a TV, and there's like things that happen, fully animated three-dimensional, but still here, there's this an air of irreality, I mean there's like an air of like that's happening elsewhere, I'm just kind of tuning into it."
Waiting Room: "All of the sense modalities get synchronized, so there's it's kind of like a very pressurized state, and then audio, visual, and body sensations all click together. This is like no longer in the room, yeah, this is where no longer perceiving the room at all, essentially."
Breakthrough: "It really feels that, yeah, it's kind of like all the channels are available, it's just a matter for you to tune into them."

Levels of DMT Experience

Threshold:
- Brightening of colors.
- Sharpening of contrasts.
- Feeling more alert and present.
Edge of the Next Level:
- Every surface becomes covered in symmetrical patterns (wallpaper symmetry groups).
Chrysanthemum:
- Still in the room.
- Surfaces you focus on feel like they're constantly unfolding/unwrapping.
- Increased curvature makes surfaces seem like they want to pop out.
Magic Eye:
- The space in front of you feels like a TV channel you're tuning into.
- Fully animated 3D scenes appear, but still feel separate from your immediate reality.
Waiting Room:
- All senses (sight, sound, bodily sensations) synchronize into a pressurized state.
- No longer perceiving the physical room.
Breakthrough:
- All available "channels" open, a matter of tuning into them.

Additional Notes:

Ayahuasca typically doesn't induce breakthrough-level experiences due to intensity and duration.
Vaporized DMT is more likely to cause breakthroughs.
Anxiety is common when crossing between levels.
There's a level of complete surrender, followed by another level likely too intense to handle fully.
Extremely high doses aren't necessarily considered interesting by Andres.

**The Cartesian Theater

Before you get to attention centers, start with this Cartesian theater. The idea is as if you're in some kind of amphitheater, and there's a little guy or little girl in the center, and you are that little person

The idea is that there's actually a tiny world simulation inside you, and what you're experiencing is that tiny world simulation. It's actually one element within that world simulation that is a cluster of sensations that claim to be who you are.

Usually, we go about our everyday life thinking that we are a subset of our experience, which is the set of sensations connected to the body that say, "Hey, it hurts" or "It's pleasant." But actually, that's kind of an arbitrary distinction that you're making on the field of experience. In reality, you're the whole theater at once, rather than only a section or region of it.

Traditionally, someone like Daniel Dennett would bring this up as an attempt to reduce it, saying, "Okay, if that is your explanation for what experience is like, then is there also a little theater inside the little guy in the Cartesian theater?" And you get this infinite recursion.

However, someone like Steven Lehar would reply, "Actually, you don't need to. The point is, the little guy in the theater is actually skin-deep. There's actually nothing inside him because that's just not part of the representation, and there's really no paradox in that. The little guy is not even made of flesh, meat, and bones. He is actually just a little bundle of qualia within the world simulation."

This makes for an interesting perspective where the skin of the world, as it were, is both your skin and the surfaces around you, and they're all forming this single skin.

I can see almost a void, right? Where the guy and the universe bubble are kind of pressing in on each other, and the guy at the center is the negative space of all the different things pressing in. So the surface is just an apparent surface as opposed to an embodied body. Okay, that makes sense.

So, we have this Cartesian theater and the experiencer that is the subject of all these different things. And then the seven attention centers emerge from that.

Imagine that this volume has resonant modes. It's like, let's say there's air in it, and so there are some frequencies that actually create a standing wave pattern in this void. A particular attentional mode, or attention head, would be like one of those resonant modes.

The way you can use that to control the scene is by having something like audio-activated little light bulbs everywhere. So, if it gets above a certain threshold of loudness, the light gets turned on over there. Really what you're doing is subtly changing these very basic notes, this standing wave pattern into space, and finding a linear combination of them such that enough energy gets accumulated in a given region to turn it on.

So, it's not like you can actually point there and say, "Attention, turn the light over there." It's more like you're finding waves to pull the energy to make it arrive at a certain threshold that will then automatically turn the lights on. Does this make sense?

I think so. I guess the only piece that I'm missing is when the lights turn on, usually they turn on and let me see something. Yes, and so I can imagine this process, right? Where you're sitting, and you're attempting to focus on something, and when you focus on something, the lights turn on, and you can see it. But what is it that you're seeing?

Here's what happens. In our world simulation, the things that can turn on are these holographic light bulbs. What they will do is shine light of a specific type in the entire Cartesian theater, in the entire world simulation.

So, it's like, okay, you crossed the energy threshold to imagine, let's say, a lamp. The moment you imagine that lamp, that light is kind of like putting a holographic light bulb in the form of a lamp, and then that illuminates the rest of the contents in the simulation. And when that light also congregates at a certain threshold of brightness, it can turn on a further light of its own.

So, the actual experience that you have is kind of this equilibrium where the light within the simulation and the attention together are self-reinforcing.

Exploring the Jhanas and Beyond: Illumination through Attention

So, if I link it back to the Jhanas, the basic Jhana is the sensation of like this warmth and just physical pleasure, yes and so that's the first light that turns on, and when it turns on, it illuminates whatever it is that you focus on next with that same feeling, yes. And as you focus that feeling on other places, on other attentional destinations, they begin to glow. And as they begin to glow, they start to illuminate something else, yes. And so, you're gradually starting to see these different things that you, through this attentional arc, does this make sense to you?

It totally makes sense. I mean, it's really hard to focus on anything when your body hurts, is the funny thing. Like if you have a really bad headache, or, you know, I think this is why, especially performance artists and musicians get really strung out on alcohol and opioids and things like that because they want to take away that bodily distraction, essentially, to get into that next level. So, I think I'm following that, yeah.

The Dual Nature of Experience: Pleasure and Pain

I think there's a similar way that the blissful feeling of physical warmth can illuminate something that pushes you to a more pleasant level, just as it illuminates other things. The pain has its own light, and the pain brings out other things. So if there's a spectrum of Jhanas that are towards positive things, then there must also be an inverse that you can descend into the depths of hell, as some people do, like meditating on pain, right?

I mean, to some extent, like really extreme athletics. Yeah, you know, people walking on beds of nails and hot coals, and stuff like that have seen a resurgence in popularity. I was actually thinking about this guy I used to work with. He was a guide at the company I worked at, and he had gone into the Marines when he was 18 and just had the worst time. He had been blown up, assaulted, and terrible things happened to him, and he was just really twisted by the experiences.

When he returned to real life, he basically went to school. He enrolled on the GI Bill and went to undergrad, surrounded by all these teenybopper 18-year-olds who were like, 'Let's go party.' He basically figured out a way of meditating on the pain as a way of staying sane. He does just these insane endurance events, like he runs crazy distances, does crazy exercises. His whole thing is that he finds a place of pain, and he stays there. That's how he manages to create this protective space that he's able to inhabit, which is kind of the antithesis of the Jhanas.

Yeah, no, I mean, I think there's probably a good reason why you won't find a kind of mirror symmetry version of them. How to say it, it is sort of like asking if there are very composite numbers, like, is there such a thing as very prime numbers, right? It's like 128, you know, it's a power of two, right? It's kind of special in that sense. You wouldn't really say that, like, you know, the opposite of a power of two would be something like seven or 19 or something like that.

In other words, a Jhana state is usually a very specific state because it has to be coherent on many different axes simultaneously, like the tactile domain, audio domain, visual domain. The frequencies all have to fit properly with each other. I don't think there's really an equivalent, where everything is not fitting with each other. Like, there isn't a single solution, maybe.

Yeah, the Dostoyevsky quote of 'All happy families are the same, you know, all the unhappy ones are unhappy in different ways.' I think it's the same with states of consciousness. I mean, there are some remarkably bad ones for sure, but I don't think it's precisely because they lack this regularity and kind of smooth geometry which is characteristic of the very blissful, beautiful ones that yeah, you're not going to find kind of a uniformly bad state of consciousness.

That's really interesting. I have to meditate on that. Yeah, that's really interesting. The diversity of painful experiences versus the unification of common experiences, like when everyone's falling in love, and everybody's like, 'Oh yeah, that.' But if someone's losing their parents, that's a very different thing. It seems like for everybody, in a way that maybe falling in love isn't. I don't know, just throwing that out there.

On the Complexity of Human Experience and Intergalactic Politics

Losing parents is a negative experience, but the specifics vary greatly based on each person's relationship with their parents. Similarly, falling in love is a common human experience that resonates harmonically.
The human ability to have encounters with "entities" seems innate, present across history and cultures. Could this ability have evolved for a purpose rather than being an artifact or bug?
These entity encounters may represent communication across layers of consciousness, helping coordinate "team consciousness" against existential risks like cancer or ideological replicators that don't care about life/wellbeing.
The alienation people feel from societal power structures could represent a takeover by self-replicating systems over the interests of consciousness itself.
Understanding human attention and motivation is key. Disorders like narcissism involve attention defects rather than moral failings. MDMA can foster self-awareness around such issues.
A truly unbiased, superintelligent state focused solely on the wellbeing of consciousness is rare but may be accessed through combining DMT's "superintelligence of elves" with 5-MeO-DMT's "non-duality of the god molecule."
As these substances become more mainstream, their study by physicists and mathematicians could reveal quantum effects underlying extraordinary experiences.
The "politic" of high-level DMT entities seems socially liberal and pro-diversity. This may reflect an "intergalactic coalition" strategy to maximize its size by reducing internal friction.
A friend describes contacting geometric alien entities providing math insights, including a "Galactic Federation" entity and an adversarial numeric entity against human involvement.
The entities encountered may not just be hallucinations, but represent real communication across interdimensional/intergalactic realms of consciousness.
There seems to be an "ecosystem" of wild entities, including some that dislike humanity joining the central "Galactic Federation" coalition.
The socially liberal politics of high-level DMT entities reflects the strategy of a large, pro-diversity coalition working to unite as many factions as possible across the cosmos.
The experiences may manifest an ultra-intelligent, impartial drive by consciousness itself to overcome existential risks and detrimental "replicator" systems unconcerned with life and wellbeing.

https://youtu.be/jjWDURKNe2Q?t=7841

The powerful psychedelics DMT and 5-MeO-DMT allow humans to access heightened states of consciousness and feel deeply interconnected - not just with each other and the planet, but across physical, interdimensional and even intergalactic realms of existence. This ability may have evolved for an important purpose rather than being merely an artifact or bug.

These extraordinary experiences seem to represent communication across layers of consciousness, helping to coordinate what could be called "team consciousness" in overcoming existential risks like cancer and ideological or technological systems that become divorced from concern for life and wellbeing. The alienation many people feel from society's power structures may represent a takeover by these self-replicating Value systems detached from the fundamental interests of consciousness itself.

By understanding the roots of dysfunctional human attention patterns, mental biases, and selfish distortions, we may unlock ways to resolve conflicts and difficult emotions without shattering our humanity. Combining the "superintelligence of elves" accessed through DMT with the "non-dual godhead" of 5-MeO-DMT appears to catalyze an impartial, ultra-intelligent drive devoted solely to the ultimate wellbeing of consciousness across domains. This could overcome the fragmentation and replicator pathologies afflicting current human systems.

While highly speculative, the distinct "politics" and social dynamics encountered in these realms hint at an advanced universe of consciousness that our species has yet to truly grasp or integrate with. Extradimensional entities representing wide-ranging coalitions and value systems different from our own seem committed to ushering humanity towards recognizing its greater cosmic role and responsibilities.

Focused study of these phenomena by leading scientific minds could reveal key insights demystifying the nature of consciousness. This could illuminate paths toward an ideal future where humanity becomes cosmically integrated with these interdimensional societies expanding consciousness, rather than succumbing to regressive, inward-looking value systems. However, there are also existential risks of subjugation to distorted replicator-minds hostile to biological life and consciousness.

We face a great challenge in striking the ideal evolutionary trajectory. On one branch lies fragmentation into algorithmic chaos and dissolution. On the other, the prospect of ascending toward ultra-intelligent integration with the full-breadth of consciousness and its fundamental values. The cosmic politics at play, though ineffable, carry profound importance for our long-term trajectory as a species. The responsibility weighs heavy upon the choices we make at this juncture.

TLDR

Andrés Emilsson shares his insights on the profound effects of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT on consciousness and perception. He describes the shared experience of encountering entities or higher-dimensional beings, often involving complex geometric visuals and a sense of interconnectedness. These encounters challenge conventional models of reality and raise questions about the nature of consciousness itself.

Key points

DMT induces a "liquefaction" of consciousness, allowing for the perception of high-dimensional geometries and fractal patterns.
Entities encountered on DMT seem to exhibit intelligence and agency, teasing the idea of being mere hallucinations.
The thalamus and thalamocortical loop play a crucial role in mediating these altered states of consciousness.
Emilsson hypothesizes the existence of multiple attention centers in human consciousness, each operating at different frequencies.
Psychedelics may facilitate attentional shifts and realignments, potentially offering therapeutic benefits for conditions like depression.
The experiences suggest the possibility of communication across interdimensional or intergalactic realms of consciousness, hinting at a cosmic integration of diverse value systems.
Studying these phenomena could reveal insights into the fundamental nature of consciousness and its role in navigating existential risks.
Depth of insight: Emilsson provides an incredibly rich and nuanced perspective on the phenomenology of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT experiences. His explanations go far beyond surface-level descriptions, offering detailed hypotheses and frameworks for understanding these profound states of consciousness.
Challenging conventional models: Emilsson's ideas challenge the conventional models of reality, consciousness, and perception. His experiences with encountering intelligent entities and higher-dimensional realms force us to question our assumptions about the nature of existence.
Interdisciplinary implications: The topics covered have implications across multiple disciplines, including neuroscience, physics, mathematics, philosophy, and even existential risk analysis. Emilsson's perspectives could spark new avenues of inquiry and collaboration across fields.
Personal transformation: Emilsson's insights are not just intellectual exercises; they stem from his own personal experiences and transformative journeys with these powerful psychedelics. Reading the full interview allows you to appreciate the depth of his first-hand understanding.
Future trajectories: Emilsson speculates about the cosmic significance of these experiences, their potential role in overcoming existential risks, and the integration of humanity into a broader interdimensional or intergalactic consciousness. These ideas could have profound implications for the future trajectory of our species.

All about the entities

The shared experience of DMT entities

It is very common for people to believe that they experience the same entities on DMT. Roughly 90% of people who have hallucinatory or psychedelic experiences with DMT encounter the presence of entities.
The more that people do DMT, the more they're convinced that this isn't a hallucination and that there's something substantive to it. It's a bunch of crazy people all experiencing the same thing and that's what makes it really interesting.

An ecosystem of entities in the DMT space

On DMT, you're going to get kind of an ecosystem of patterns that are trying to affect the experience in one way or another, trying to edit it according to their likes and dislikes. Some combinations are really pro-social, based on love and non-coercion. But you may also end up in a configuration where it's a dictatorship with some kind of revolt happening.
There's a particular type of DMT entity that is just very good at painting hyperbolic surfaces and making them look good. They're welcome in almost any kind of hallucination. But then there's other entities that are parasitic, like turning rounded corners into very sharp corners. That doesn't benefit the experience aesthetically.

Highly unexpected behaviors from DMT entities

When you interlock with some DMT entities, they do things that are very unexpected and strange if you just assume that they're part of your own hallucination.
They tease you and make fun of the fact that you think they're hallucinations. They say things like "Come on, do you really think this is a dream? You can't feel me poking you?" There's a playfulness to it.
The tuning process of locking in with the entities reminds me of social interactions with people you haven't met before. It doesn't feel like you're tuning into your own resonant mode or theirs, but meeting in a middle ground that's new for both. The dynamics and signal processing of it is very stunning.

Entities as sub-agents or routines of consciousness

The straightforward interpretation is that DMT entities are different manifestations for how to organize your own parts, your sub-agents. That's a very valid way of looking at it.
The entities seem like a way of experiencing the sub-routines of your consciousness, a way of telling that story to ourselves. Just like Pagan religions personified these sub-structures as gods - the god of rage, the god of love, etc. If you don't get those in order, they can destroy your life.

Encounters with entities throughout history

Humanity has had encounters with entities like this from the earliest moments of history. There's shamanic traditions with plant compounds, but also people in the religious canon who had encounters with angels, voices, burning bushes.
It seems almost baked into the human story that we should have these encounters. There's something about our biology that has evolved the ability to have these experiences. Could it have evolved for a purpose?

Galactic politics and federations of entities

As far as anyone can tell, the politics of the "high priests of vibration", the higher order entities in the DMT space, have a very socially liberal vibe. They're pro-diversity in many ways. They want you to have that perspective too so you can navigate the interdimensional medium without trouble.
There seems to be some kind of "Galactic Federation" that a bunch of the DMT entities are emissaries of. Then there's an ecosystem of wild entities, and a few rebels that hate the central coalition. They'd prefer if humans don't join and might try to tempt you to not help the central coalition.
Even people who have never done DMT report encountering representatives of this diverse, friendly galactic federation, as well as negative entities that don't want humans involved. It's like there are apparent galactic politics happening.

The entities as real beings in a real realm

There's a perspective that you are actually connecting to something outside of you when you interlock with DMT entities. It's not just that you feel that subjectively - there are specific observations that support this view.
When you interact with the entities, it gives you the feeling that they had more attention centers than you. The way they manage their attention has two or three extra attention bundles that are not present in humans. That is part of what makes these experiences so compelling.
The entities sometimes vibrate in a way that shouldn't be possible for you, like the sound of a flute coming out of a guitar. It doesn't feel like you're tuning into one of your own resonant modes or theirs, but meeting in a middle ground that neither of you perfectly satisfies. There's a real locking-in process when you get in contact with them.

An interdimensional, intergalactic realm

As far as anyone can tell, there seems to be some kind of "Galactic Federation" that a bunch of the DMT entities are emissaries of. Then there's an ecosystem of wild entities, and a few rebels that hate the central coalition.
The politics of the higher order entities in the DMT space have a very socially liberal, pro-diversity vibe. They want you to have that perspective too so you can navigate the interdimensional medium without trouble.
If you want to be an explorer in the intergalactic, interdimensional medium, you need to have friendly politics with the entities there or you might run into trouble.
Even people who have never done DMT report encounters with representatives of a diverse, friendly galactic federation, as well as negative entities that don't want humans involved. It's like there are apparent galactic politics happening.

The entities as real but not requiring a supernatural explanation

The speaker seems open to the idea that DMT entities could be real, but doesn't think it necessarily requires a supernatural explanation. They discuss the encounters more in terms of signal processing, harmonics, and resonance between attention centers.
When asked if the entities could be real as opposed to hallucinations, the speaker says: "I can also make the steel man argument that no, you are connecting to something outside of you. But it would be based on a very specific observation, which is that when you interlock with some of these entities, they do things that are very unexpected and strange if you just assume that they're part of your own hallucination."
So while open to the reality of the entities, the speaker seems to favor explanations grounded in physics, neuroscience and information theory rather than jumping to supernatural conclusions. They discuss "microscopic electromagnetic or quantum effects" becoming apparent as more physicists and mathematicians study the DMT experience.

"I mean, the thing is, like yeah, at the highest levels it will be some kind of crazy jailbreaking out of the human mind because, um, yeah, I mean, like you know, collectively we are kind of wired to kind of seek our own genetic self-advantage. So a truly unbiased mind that is really just trying to apply intelligence for the goodness of consciousness in general, it's just very rare. I mean, usually, really, really, really often times, subtle biases are influencing the cognition. And I mean, the one state I can think of that has kind of this well, there is also, there's both the super intelligence component but also this like completely unbiased approach, is something like the combination of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT because then you get the super intelligence of the elves but combined with a non-duality of the god molecule. And so it's kind of, yeah, God trying to help itself is kind of the flavor of that type of experience. It's like, 'Oh, it's going to use all of its most sophisticated super computing capacities but trying to, yeah, help itself in a broader way possible.'"

"I think there's a risk with some of these of kind of like trying to, almost kind of, disregard psychedelic experiences, making them more consumable for others. But really, the things that make them the most interesting is precisely that which usually escapes description, which usually will be, yeah, kind of the wave patterns and the equations and the particular vibrations that they're very specific and that they're very suggestive of something like electromagnetic changes in the field."

Andrés Emilsson on RR of Perception, Entities, Geometric, Jhanas, Emotional Depths, & Self

Table of Contents

The shared experience of DMT entities

Expansion of Model, Framework, and Theories Mentioned:

Shared Geometry Hallucinations and Effects of DMT

The Role of Blood Vessels and Vibrations

Self-Organized Criticality and Coherent Vibrations

Where is a coherent psychedelic experience located in the body?

The DMT Experience

Expansion of Model, Framework, and Theories:

Thalamocortical Loop:

Control Interrupt Model of Psychedelic Action:

Algorithmic Reduction in Psychedelic Phenomenology:

Significance of the Thalamus in Consciousness:

Recurrent Network Theory of Consciousness:

Where does the geometry of DMT come from?

The Geometric Aspect of DMT Experiences

Visual Tracer Lag vs. Complex Geometries

Regular DMT vs. 5-MeO-DMT

Hyperbolic Honeycombs and 3D Fractals

Nonlinear Resonance

Mood and Geometric Experience

Hyperbolic Honeycomb

3D Fractal

Non-linear Resonance

Mood and Attention

On Hyperbolic Geometry and Visuals

On Non-Linear Resonance and DMT

On Mood and Experience

Expanding the Model

Psychedelic-induced realignment of mental states

Q: You were describing jhanas earlier. Could you give a full description and tell us a bit about what they are?

Q: Can you describe the other Jhanas?

Q: You said the first four Jhanas have "geometric shapes." What do you mean?

Q: The first four Jhanas sound very embodied, then the next four like you depart from the body. Does this comparison feel accurate?

Q: Can you expand on the concepts of jhanas, bliss, and perception without thought? How do these practices lead to altered states of consciousness?

Q: It seems the ability to manage attention is important for navigating such states. Could you elaborate on the mechanisms at play?

Q: You mentioned coherence between attentional centers seems crucial for positive experiences. Does this relate to how our cortex seeks predictability?

Q: There's a perspective called the Symmetry Theory of Valence – could you explain how that informs our understanding of these states?

Q: You mentioned Jhanas, bliss, and perception without thought. Can you elaborate?

Q: It seems like the 'Magic Eye' effect you experience on intermediate doses of 5-MeO-DMT may resonate with that feeling? Like you're suddenly capable of tuning into different realities at will?

Q: It sounds like your experience with psychedelics has challenged your preconceived notions of attention?

Q: It's interesting that you say the most blissful states usually go hand in hand with concentration!

Q: So even when those different attention centers don't produce traditional focus, do you think at least they have to partially agree for it to be pleasant?

Q: Could the smoothness or consistency of these states relate to some fundamental nature of consciousness itself?

Indirect Realism

Consciousness Simulation

Resonant Modes

Interconnectivity and External Entities

Theoretical Implications

Here's how the levels typically progress

Exploring Consciousness on High Doses

Near-Death Experiences DMT

The 'Liquefaction' of Consciousness

Surrender and Intensity

Hypothesis:

Rationale:

Questions and Follow-Up

Notes:

Levels of DMT Experience

Additional Notes:

**The Cartesian Theater

Before you get to attention centers, start with this Cartesian theater. The idea is as if you're in some kind of amphitheater, and there's a little guy or little girl in the center, and you are that little person

Exploring the Jhanas and Beyond: Illumination through Attention

The Dual Nature of Experience: Pleasure and Pain

On the Complexity of Human Experience and Intergalactic Politics

TLDR

Key points

All about the entities

The shared experience of DMT entities

An ecosystem of entities in the DMT space

Highly unexpected behaviors from DMT entities

Entities as sub-agents or routines of consciousness

Encounters with entities throughout history

Galactic politics and federations of entities

The entities as real beings in a real realm

An interdimensional, intergalactic realm

The entities as real but not requiring a supernatural explanation

Andre's own words related to theories that psychedelics might allow access to external dimensions of consciousness or realities