Psychointegration : The Physiological Effects of Entheogens

Alex Grey, Viscera (detail), 1979. Oil on linen (84" x 46") Vision inducing plants, commonly referred to as entheogens, hallucinogens, and psychedelics, have played important roles in the therapeutic and religious practices of many societies. Cross-cultural research indicates that their common effects include the induction of powerful emotional, cognitive and therapeutic reactions and interpretations, suggesting these are consequences of similar psychophysiological properties of the substances. Neurophysiological studies illustrate the common physiological effects of entheogens involve psychointegrative effects through intervention in the serotonergic neurotransmitter systems. Psychointegration underlies the entheogens' cross-cultural use as sacred and therapeutic agents. The effects of psychointegrators upon neural, sensory, emotional, and cognitive processes illustrate their adaptive effects in the stimulation of integrative information processing and enhancement of access to lower structures of consciousness. Psychointegrative effects derive from the disinhibition of emotional and social processes and the stimulation of systemic integration of brain functions, particularly the integration of limbic system processes with neocortical processes. Psychointegrators couple nonlinguistic behavioral and social-emotional dynamics with rational processes and functionally integrate different systems of the brain while enhancing spiritual and transcendent experiences by stimulating brain operations supporting basic structures and functions of consciousness (self, other and affect/attachment).