BOOK 5 // CHAPTER 34

The Open Mind

Shaking the snow globe.
The Explosion
Fig 34.1: The Connectogram. Under psilocybin, the rigid highways of the brain dissolve, and every village begins to talk to every other village.

The Entropic Brain

Your brain is a prediction machine. It works by suppressing "Entropy" (uncertainty/disorder).

It builds rigid models of the world ("That is a chair," "I am unlovable") and filters out any data that contradicts them.

Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris's Entropic Brain Hypothesis suggests that mental illness is a state of "Rigidity."

Psychedelics (Psilocybin, LSD, DMT) work by dramatically increasing the entropy of the brain. They shake the snow globe.

The Key: 5-HT2A Agonism

Classic psychedelics are structural mimics of Serotonin (5-HT).

They bind specifically to the 5-HT2A Receptor, which is densely populated in the Default Mode Network (DMN)—the seat of the Ego.

Agonism: Unlike SSRIs which just increase volume, Psychedelics pick the lock*. They activate the receptor in a way that creates a "Cascade of Disorganization."
The Key
Fig 34.2: Tryptamines. Note the structural identity between Serotonin and Psilocin. The brain accepts the key because it looks like its own.

REBUS: Relaxed Beliefs Under Psychedelics

The result of this 5-HT2A activation is REBUS.

The brain's "Top-Down" priors (expectations) are relaxed. The "Bottom-Up" sensory data forms the reality.

  • Normal State: You see a chair because your brain predicts a chair.
  • Psychedelic State: You see the raw photons, textures, and breathing energy of the wood, because your brain has stopped predicting "Chair."

This allows you to rewrite the code. If "I am broken" is just a prediction, REBUS allows you to delete it.

The Inheritance of Perspective

We spend our lives building a fortress of certainty to protect us from the chaos. But sometimes, the fortress becomes a prison. Psychedelics do not show you a hallucination; they show you the world before you defined it.

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[!WARNING]
Clinical Context: Set and Setting

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1. Exclusion Criteria: A family history of Schizophrenia or Bipolar 1 is a strict contraindication. 5-HT2A agonism can trigger a latent psychotic break that does not resolve.
2. HPPD: Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (visual snow/trails) is a rare but real risk.
3. The Guide: Because the "Self" dissolves, the environment must be absolutely safe. A "Bad Trip" is often just a "Difficult Experience" in an unsafe container.
4. Integration: The plastic window lasts ~2 weeks. Without integration therapy, the old patterns will swiftly return.