Good morning Freethinkers.

Here's a short piece I wrote last year called Tryptamines and Reality:

Tryptamines are compounds that all have a tryptamine indole ring structure and are chemically related to the amino acid tryptophan.

There are the neurotransmitters serotonin: (5 hydroxytryptamine) or 5-HT and the primary pineal hormone, melatonin: (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) and the so-called psychedelics aka entheogens: psilocybin (O-phosophoryl-4-HO-DMT) which is the psychoactive compound in "magic mushrooms" and 5-MEO-DMT (5 -methoxy-N, N-dimethyltrptamine)
Bufotenine (5-HO-DMT) and DMT (dimethyltryptamine).

The indole backbone can also be identified as part of the structure of more complex entheogens like LSD (lysergic acid dimethylamide) and ibogaine. Because these tryptamines/entheogens possess the same basic structure as neurotransmitters, they are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and hence have a dramatic effect upon consciousness. 5-MEO-DMT and DMT, unlike other tryptamines, are found within the human body and are hence natural, in a sense, endogenous "psychedelics".

Important insights: Some people regard psychedelics as merely compounds that produce hallucinations, but animal brains naturally create approximations of reality (call that a hallucination, if you will) which are none other than mental models projected unto the fabric of what we call "reality" via the reciprocal feedback loop of brains and nervous systems.

During the day, photons of light fall onto the retina and travel up the optic nerve, through the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), on towards the hypothalamus, and also down to the ancient superior culliculus of the brain stem and further down along the spinal chord to clusters of sympathetic nerve cell bodies (the sympathetic nervous system which is excitatory) and towards other visual centers in the brain; and ultimately back up to the pineal gland with info to turn off melatonin production (circadian rhythm).

This natural cycle of serotonin and melatonin (tryptamines/natural psychedelics) production in the brain mediates the ordinary percepts and qualia of consciousness we take for granted, which are approximations of whatever reality truly is. We assume that the percepts of our visual, auditory, olfactory systems, etc., reflect an actual, unambiguous reality. Yet conscious experiences whilst awake (due to serotonin) is a tryptamine induced quality of consciousness. And during REM sleep, our consciousness seamlessy continues with altered and for some people, augmented levels of awareness (I.e. lucid dreaming) or ordinary fuzzy dreams (due to melatonin; this is also an example of a tryptamine induced quality of consciousness.

Thus, while we're awake or dreaming, consciousness is constantly being tweaked via the tryptamines serotonin and melatonin (not to exclude other neuro-chemical modulations) and it is not a stretch to claim that so-called psychedelics, and hence the "hallucinations" facilitated via certain drugs like LSD and so on, merely allow our brains to experience a greater flood of information (energy with symbolic value) which concomitantly grant us a broader view of the multifaceted dimensions of what we call reality.

Our ordinary states of consciousness during the day and night (mediated via serotonin and melatonin and the receptor sites which have an affinity for these natural, endoganous tryptamines) simply haven't evolved to cognize aspects of the "real" world. Our brains are the result of what was naturally selected for our daily survival and ability to procreate preferentially; or perhaps, you could say that the human brain evolved to filter, for practical, existential purposes, the quirkier aspects of realities that exist on a quantum scale or multidimensional milieu.

For example, an ancient hominid, simply trying to eat, drink and procreate to pass on genes didn't necessarily have to be able to experience or comprehend deeper aspects of the dimensions of what we call reality to be a patriarch or matriarch of our species: homo sapiens. Imagine how hectic life would be if you were always aware of neutrinos popping up and passing through bodies, or trying to eat whilst seeing fractals or exotic particles jiggilating around ordinary objects! I came to this conclusion based upon the work of Donald Hoffman, whose brilliant and practical explanation of the evolution of human consciousness entails that we are attuned to fitness, rather than to truth, I.e. reality (Hoffman's The Case Against Reality).

Also, I'm very excited to learn more about the elaborate and very intriguing studies of Thomas Ray PhD, who is conducting research on the various receptor sites of neurotransmitters, such as the cannabinoid receptors, histamine receptors, serotonin receptor sites (5-HT- 2 and 5-HT- 7), etc. These "organs" of the mind, as he calls them, most certainly mediate the quality of any given state of consciousness.