Why Do Some People Develop HPPD and Not Others?

Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is a rare condition that can develop after psychedelic use. HPPD involves persisting visual changes that cause emotional distress and/or impairment to functioning. It is not clear precisely how prevalent the condition is, although its prevalence is considered low. In one study, 4.2% of participants said they experienced continued visual…

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Some Psychedelic Users Are Unbothered by HPPD (and Might Even Enjoy It)

Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is a condition – characterised by chronic visual distortions – that can be triggered by psychedelics. It is considered a rare risk of psychedelic use, although the actual incidence of it is unknown (studies are limited and offer differing incidence rates). Many psychedelic users experience post-trip visual changes, but these…

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Can Psychedelics Make People More Drawn to Conspiracy Theories?

It is widely known that psychedelics and cannabis are associated with non-conventional thinking. The way that these psychoactive substances change how people think – including cannabis, which can have mild and sometimes profound psychedelic effects – can be viewed with serious interest; psychedelics can, after all, alter people’s metaphysical beliefs, including those of psychologists and…

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DMT and the Pineal Gland: A Sceptic’s View

Comedian, UFC commentator, and podcaster Joe Rogan talked about DMT on the Opie & Anthony show in 2007. His descriptions of the craziness of DMT were well-received. A clip of the enthusiastic spiel was uploaded to YouTube, and it currently has over 4 million views. News about DMT was reaching far and wide. However, so…

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The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories? UFOs, Area 51, the Illuminati, 9/11, New World Order, ‘chemtrails’, the moon landing – there are conspiracies about all of them and many people believe them. I’m not really interested in debunking all of these specific conspiracy theories. Since I don’t think there’s a shred of evidence for…

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