Scientists Say LSD Can Lead to 'Higher Consciousness'

Scientists investigating how psychedelic drugs interact with the human brain say that they have found the first evidence which points to a “higher state of consciousness” while under its influence.

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Scientists at the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex reanalyzed previous data where volunteers were given of three psychedelic drugs: Psilocybin, ketamine and LSD.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring chemical found in mushrooms, Ketamine is commonly used as a “date rape” drug, while LSD is one of the most popular recreational psychedelics.

Using brain scans to measure the magnetic fields producing in the brain, all three drugs demonstrated higher neural signal diversity.

“During the psychedelic state, the electrical activity of the brain is less predictable and less ‘integrated’ than during normal conscious wakefulness — as measured by ‘global signal diversity’,” said Professor Anil Seth, who helped co-direct the research.

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“Since this measure has already shown its value as a measure of ‘conscious level,’ we can say that the psychedelic state appears as a higher ‘level’ of consciousness than normal,” Seth continued.

However, while the study showed higher levels of brain activity, the researchers noted that this does not necessarily mean that the brain activity of those under psychedelic influence was a “better or more desirable state of consciousness.”

The researchers say that the study is important for future research around psychedelics including how people using psychedelics report experiences of “insights.” With more research, it is thought that psychedelics could also be used medically and therapeutically to treat conditions such as depression.