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Rather than numbness or suppression, psychedelics tend to amplify awareness. Johnson likens their effect to "taking that rug outside and beating the dust out," forcing individuals to confront and process underlying issues they might otherwise avoid. Post-session, many describe feeling the mental and emotional heavy lifting as exhausting but ultimately transformative.
The Science Behind Psychedelic Effects
During a psychedelic experience, substances like psilocybin or LSD stimulate specific brain receptors, leading to a dramatic reorganization of neural networks. Research indicates that psychedelics increase communication between disparate brain regions that do not normally interact—akin to society's internet connecting distant communities for the first time.