Pivotal Mental States: Difference between revisions

'''Pivotal Mental States (PiMS) are states of mind created by profound psychological events which shift default thought patterns. PiMS are an evolved feature of human brains as they aid in overwriting outdated ways of thinking when novel, actual or perceived environmental pressures demand this'''<ref>'''Pivotal mental states'''. Brouwer A, Carhart-Harris RL.  ''Journal of Psychopharmacology''. 2021;35(4):319-352. doi:10.1177/0269881120959637. Accessed on 24th September 2022 via https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0269881120959637</ref>'''.''' PiMS exert their effect by inducing [[Neuroplasticity|neuroplastic]] states, which given the correct [[priming]], [[setting]] and [[integration]] allows the user to eliminate out-of-date thought patterns and strengthen healthier, more adapted ones. Specific PiMS have been shown clinically to ease psychological transitions away from egocentrism toward ecocentrism<ref>'''From Egoism to Ecoism: Psychedelics Increase Nature Relatedness in a State-Mediated and Context-Dependent Manner'''. Hannes Kettner, Sam Gandy, Eline C. H. M. Haijen and Robin L. Carhart-Harris Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Published: December 2019 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16245147. Accessed on 30th September 2022 via: <nowiki>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31888300/</nowiki></ref><ref>'''Lifetime experience with (classic) psychedelics predicts pro-environmental behavior through an increase in nature relatedness'''. Matthias Forstmann and Christina Sagioglou Journal of Psychopharmacology 2017. DOI: 10.1177/0269881117714049. Accessed on 30th September 2022 via: <nowiki>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28631526/</nowiki></ref><ref>'''Manifesting Minds''': A Review of Psychedelics in Science, Medicine, Sex, and Spirituality. Doblin, Rick; Brad Burge (2014) North Atlantic Books. <nowiki>ISBN 1583947272</nowiki>.</ref>.

[[File:Pivotal mental states induced by psychedelics.png|alt=Pivotal mental states induced by psychedelics|thumb|'''Figure 1'''. Pivotal mental states induced by psychedelics<ref>'''Ketamine psychedelic psychotherapy: Focus on its pharmacology, phenomenology, and clinical applications.''' Kolp, E., Friedman, H. L., Krupitsky, E., Jansen, K., Sylvester, M., Young, M. S., & Kolp, A. (2014). ''International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 33''(2), 84–140. Accessed on 24th September 2022 via: https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ijts-transpersonalstudies/vol33/iss2/8/</ref>.]]

=== Psychedelics ===

[[Psychedelics]] are [[exogenous neurotransmitters]] that when administered correctly can safely and proundly shift normal thought patterns<ref>'''From Egoism to Ecoism: Psychedelics Increase Nature Relatedness in a State-Mediated and Context-Dependent Manner.''' Kettner H, Gandy S, Haijen ECHM, Carhart-Harris RL.  Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 16;16(24):5147. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16245147. PMID: 31888300; PMCID: PMC6949937. Accessed on 24th September 2022 via https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/24/5147</ref> (see '''Figure 1'''). This is achieved by causing brain function to be less constrained than usual by modulating the presence or absence of underlying anatomical connections<ref>'''LSD alters dynamic integration and segregation in the human brain''', NeuroImage, Volume 227, 2021, 117653, ISSN 1053-8119, Andrea I. Luppi, Robin L. Carhart-Harris, Leor Roseman, Ioannis Pappas, David K. Menon, Emmanuel A. Stamatakis,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117653.Accessed on 24th Sept 2022 via https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811920311381 </ref>. There is a common misconception about psychedelics propagated by the [[War on Drugs]] which manifests medically as [[Psychedelic Anxiety Syndrome]]. Instead of psychedelics being detrimental to one's health there is a vast amount of evidence to suggest that they are highly effective in treating mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety<ref>'''Adverse effects of psychedelics: From anecdotes and misinformation to systematic science.''' Anne K Schlag, Jacob Aday, Iram Salam. First Published February 2, 2022. [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02698811211069100 https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811211069100]</ref>.  

===Electroconvulsive Therapy===

Whilst unproven scientifically, (it would be very difficult due to the subjective nature) spiritual experiences have been shown to shift modes of general thought patterns. Pharmacologically the human brain has been found to produce endogenous psychedelic compounds (DMT)<ref>'''N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an Endogenous Hallucinogen: Past, Present, and Future Research to Determine Its Role and Function'''. Front Neurosci. 2018; 12: 536. Published online 2018 Aug 6. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00536. Accessed on 24th September via: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6088236</ref>, some believe that certain techniques may be helpful in unleashing its effect:

*'''Holotropic breathing techniques'''<ref>https://maps.org/news-letters/v23n1/v23n1_24-27.pdf</ref><ref>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353/full</ref> - 30 minutes breathing in a controlled, three-beat pattern — one sharp breath into my belly, one sharp breath into my lungs, and a sigh-like exhale to release.

===Stroboscopics===