The Effects of Psychedelic Drugs

These include such effects as pupil dilation, increased heart rate, and blood pressure, increased body temperature, and increased sweating. The psychological effects are more profound, and include changes in visual perception, feelings of deep insight into oneself and the world, deep religious feelings, and an increase in the ability to enjoy and appreciate art. (Keith, 1996) Vision altered users describe changes in depth perception and in the meaning of the perceived object. The sense of time and of self is altered. (Hallucinogens, 1996)) Initially, at lower dosage levels, the visual images are intensified in color or flashes of light are seen. The visual images progress to brightly colored geometric designs and become distorted. At higher dosages, images appear as distortions of reality or as completely new visual images and can be seen with the eyes open or closed. Hallucinations also take other forms: thoughts become dreamlike or free flowing, perception of time can become slowed or distorted, and out-of-body experiences may occur or the perception that one"s body has merged with another person or object. These drugs usually weaken performance in a variety of tasks as the user has difficulty remaining motivated and attending to the task. The most prominent effects of psychedelics in humans are their subjective effects, rather than their overt behavioral effects. (Keith, 1996) Sensations may seem to "cross over"--that is, music may be seen or color heard. (Hallucinogens, 1998).

             A behavior of people under psychoactive drugs is significantly affected be experiences, set and setting. Also affects moods and emotions and suppresses memory centers and other higher cerebral functions, such as judgment, reason, behavior control, and self-awareness. (Solomon, 1996) Emotional responses to the vivid hallucinations can be wide-ranging, from euphoria and contentment to disturbing feelings of confusion, fear, and despair.

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