The Neuroscience of Psychedelics

A detailed look at the neural and biological mechanisms of psychedelic use examines the main pharmacological properties of psychedelic substances, including LSD, DMT, psilocybin, ayahuasca, mescaline, ketamine, ibogaine, salvia, and MDMA. It explains the physiological mechanisms behind visionary effects, including what is happening in the brain and how each psychedelic is processed by the body. The text shares safe strategies for using psychedelics, including harm-reduction techniques, and discusses the future of psychedelic therapies.

With the widespread legalization of marijuana and increasing use of psychoactives in controlled therapy settings, further research and understanding of psychedelics is now possible. Yet, while individual accounts of their use abound, the exact processes occurring in the brain and body when using these substances are still not widely understood. Longtime pharmacological researcher Genís Ona presents a comprehensive look at the main pharmacological properties of psychedelic substances, including LSD, DMT, psilocybin, ayahuasca, mescaline, ketamine, ibogaine, salvia, tropane alkaloids, and MDMA.

Exploring how psychedelics work within the brain, Ona shares results from his extensive research to reveal the physiological mechanisms that allow these molecules to have their visionary effects, explaining what is happening at the receptor level as well as the downstream and cascade effects that differ from substance to substance. He examines how the body processes each substance, describing how each psychedelic is released, absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated. He also details possible dangerous interactions between these substances and other drugs, as well as their potential toxicity. Although his main focus is the biological and neurological effects of psychedelics, Ona also explores the mystical and spiritual dimension of psychedelic use, particularly as practiced in Indigenous traditions, showing how they enable access.