Relaxed BEliefs under Psychedelics
REBUS proposes that Psychedelics, due to their action on the 5-HT2a receptor and subsequent increase in plasticity, as well as their action on layer V pyramidal neurons, result in the relaxation of high-level priors.
For aberrant beliefs to be ‘recalibrated,’ they first need to be relaxed — a temporary subversion of the Free energy principle. Psychedelics may relax beliefs acutely, and the revision of those beliefs is controlled by longer term outcomes, like contextual manipulation Carhart-Harris2018, music-listening Kaelen2018, priming/suggestion Carhart-Harris2015, open & empathetic listening Watts2017, and spontaneous or coaxed insight Carhart-Harris2018c.
Merges brain (Entropic brain hypothesis) — uncertainty of neuronal fluctuations across time — with mind (Free energy principle) — uncertainty of beliefs encoded by neuronal fluctuations
- The entropic brain hypothesis itself proposes that an increase in the entropy of spontaneous brain dynamics is mirrored on a subjective level (consistent with dual-aspect monism (Solms2003))
Since posterior beliefs are encoded in deep Pyramidal neurons, it’s thought that activation of these by Psychedelics lightens the precision of higher-level expectations so that they are more sensitive to ascending prediction errors
Realignment of aberrant beliefs allows for better harmony with over levels of the system (the brain), with regard to both lower-level intrinsic systems (and related interoception) or via sensory input/exteroception
- System is better able to guide thought/behavior in an open, unguarded way (Watts2017 Carhart-Harris2018b)
References
How do psychedelics work?
[[Carhart-Harris2019a|[“REBUS and the Anarchic Brain”]]]