Pivotal Mental States

Pivotal mental states (PiMS) are states of mind created by profound psychological events which shift modes of general thought patterns. PiMS are an evolved feature of human brains, they aid psychological transformation when actual or perceived environmental pressures demand this.

PiMS induce neuroplastic states which given the correct priming, setting and integration guidance allows the user to eliminate out of date thought patterns and the strengthen healthier thought patterns.

Chemically induced PiMS

Figure 1. Pivotal mental states induced by psychedelics.

The quickest way to induce a PiMs is by the use of certain chemicals.

Psychedelics

Psychedelics are chemicals that when administered correctly can safely shift normal thought patterns (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. There is a common misconception of psychedelics which exhibits medically as Psychedelic Anxiety Syndrome. Instead of psychedelics being detrimental to ones health there is a huge amount of evidence to suggest the opposite.

Oneirogens

Whilst not considered a classical psychedelic, oneirogens, are chemicals which can induce PiMs by enhancing dream states. They are unlike psychedelics as they seem to be less potent and work unconsciously.

Non chemically induced PiMs

Near Death Experience

A Near-death-experience (NDE) is an intense psychological experience characterized by an atypical state of consciousness usually in life-threatening conditions. NDEs in general are typically characterised by Out of Body Experiences and hallucinations which are affected by set and setting much like psychedelics. Some evidence suggests that dissociatives such as ketamine or classical psychedelics such as DMT can induce this state however historically, a defunct class of drugs called the pseudohallucinogens is also thought to bridge this gap by actually causing a near death experience! These compounds consist of a diverse range of chemicals the effects of which broadly are considered poisonous, these include:

• Nutmeg / mace
• Wisteria sinenis

Electroconvulsive Therapy

When people think of ECT they often think of the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, however this was a dramatisation, the modern process is far from what was depicted. Since its introduction in the 1930's, various changes to pulse width, dosing and duration, electrode placement and anesthesia have made the treatment almost unrecognisable. Research has shown that 64% to 87% of patients with severe MDD respond to ECT, with response rates as high as 95% for patients with MDD with psychotic features. Furthermore, in otherwise healthy patients with intellectual disability, a retrospective chart review performed at Cambridge university has shown that 79% showed a positive outcome following ECT. There is some evidence to suggest that ECT causes similar long and short term effects to psychedelics in some in vivo case studies.

Blue Marble Effect

Leland Melvin was saying “we need to send everyone to space so they can experience this overview effect” and it was frustrating, because as great an idea as that is, it’s extremely unrealistic in the short term. Yuri Gagarin, upon his return as the first human in space, marveled at the planet from orbit in 1961. “People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty — not destroy it,” . A half-century later, ex-NASA astronaut José Hernández said that the view aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2009 turned him into “an instant treehugger.” On Christmas Eve 1968, the NASA astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders were aboard Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. They had spent most of the day photographing the Moon’s surface, when Borman turned the spaceship around, and Earth came into view. ‘Oh my God, look at that picture over there. Here’s the Earth coming up,’ shouted Anders. Like the astronauts themselves, the world was awestruck by the first images of the whole Earth from space, which are today widely credited with triggering the birth of the modern environmental movement.

Astronauts looking down on Earth from above for the first time see that only a fine blue line of atmosphere shelters our planet from the hostile vacuum of space — and often, they suddenly get an overwhelming responsibility to protect it. National borders disappear; the scene evokes a feeling of cosmic connection. This so-called “overview effect” has been turning astronauts into environmental advocates ever since the first person in space.

Spiritual experiences

Whilst unproven scientifically, (it would be very difficult due to the subjective nature) spiritual experiences in some cases have been able to shift modes of general thought patterns. Pharmacologically the human brain has been found to produce psychedelic compounds, the thought is that certain techniques may be helpful in unleashing its endogenous effect:

• Holotropic breathing techniques- 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

A bright light which flashes at the same speed as the transmission rate of the optical nerve can induce visual hallucinations similar to effects induced by psychedelic substances. Whilst the visual aspects of the psychedelic experience can be replicated, there is no evidence to suggest any other neurological effect occurs. Anyone can perform this at home using Psychedelic Visualisation Modulators, the strongest of which is a stroboscopic. Many of these techniques are thought to work by replicating the speed of specific brain wave patterns. It is thought that low hallucination-inducing frequencies (8 to 11 Hz) and high hallucination-inducing frequencies (19 to 25 Hz).

Optical Illusions

Whilst one of the weakest ways to induce of PiMS, optical illusions can provide a gateway for people to start to ask elementary questions about their perceptions.

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References