Why shouldn’t I? My body is equipped with the finest tools evolution could give me to help me navigate this world. Besides, where the senses fail, the brain steps in to help us piece reality together. Right?
Well… Maybe not.
Under My Nose
I told before in another article how my first psychedelic experience — LSD — opened my eyes to the possibility that there are different ways of seeing the world.
Growing up, I treated the 5 senses as royalty in the sense that I believed that what I saw, heard, smelt and felt was reality.
At the time, I had a dog called Jose, and I started to think…
— My eyes contain three pigments that detect three different ranges of electromagnetic frequencies. In comparison with dogs — who have two pigments —, the perception of color is totally different.
Comparing noses, dogs use the smell to navigate their environment, and are able to detect much lower amounts of molecules in the air than humans. Simillarly, with hearing; Dogs are more sensitive to sound and can detect a broader range of sounds, revealing a world that is invisible to humans.
— I mean… it’s obvious that humans and dogs see the world differently, but believe it or not, to me it was a shocking realization. This insight raised questions like:
- Is there a right way of seeing the world?
- Is what I call “reality” just an illusion?
- How do I see beyond the limitations of the senses?
The Story of The World
Consider this, it’s a sunny day, and sit comfortably on a chair in a beautiful garden. You admire a flower with colors illuminated by rays of sun.
The light that reaches your eyes came all the way from the sun, through the atmosphere till it reaches the plant, reflecting the light to your retina. Then, this information is manipulated in the brain until it reaches the cortex — the wake consciousness.
Sunlight illuminates the plant, triggering a chain reaction that generates energy for the plant — photosynthesis. When we look at a plant, the color we see is basically the waste, the part of the light that was of no use to the plant. In other words, we see things how they are not.
The world of sight is a story told second-hand.
The information our eyes detect are stories told by the surrounding light. It is up to our brain to piece together a coherent picture of reality.
Turn your imagination back to the garden, and imagine that the birds are chirping all around you. The sound that you hear is simply air moving around your ears, and are not a loyal representation of the bird itself.
You take a deep breath, smelling the floral perfume. Your nose doesn’t “detect” molecules, it reacts with surrounding molecules, causing a response that we call “smell”. Again, not really an accurate depiction of the molecule itself.
With time, it dawned on me that the 5 senses — that I trusted with my life, — are not that great in detecting what is going on around me. I started to suspect that evolution designed humans to be blind to reality.
Why did evolution create a veil between me and the real world?
Human UX
Let’s think of how we see computers, for a moment.
Look at your phone and look at the home screen. You may see icons, apps, files, etc… Most people have no idea of how a computer works behind the scenes, but even a child can swipe of a finger to move files in the memory of a smartphone.
The user rarely gets a glimpse of the inner workings of the computer.
The most basic operations became so abstract that, looking at a modern phone, we can barely imagine how the technology really works at its core. But this is usually a good thing!
By hiding the inner workings of the computer behind an intuitive user interface, technology became easier to use and assessable.
Our understanding of reality works in a remarkably similar way. The information that reaches our awake awareness has been filtered a number of times in the brain to display reality in an easy-to-digest way that prioritizes survival.
The Illusion of Reality
We are optimized to survive, not to understand the world.
Our brain filters the overwhelming sea of information that is reality and presents to us a user interface that, while not a 1:1 representation of the real thing, helps us navigate our surroundings safely.
To illustrate further, picture this: baby turtles buried in the sand and about to hatch from their eggs.
Turtles are genetically programmed to follow the moonlight immediately after they hatch. This is imperative to increase their chances of survival, because the walk to the ocean leaves the little turtles vulnerable to predators. However useful, the attraction that baby turtles instinctively feel for the light can backfire in beaches around urban areas illuminated by artificial lights, which can cause turtles to head the wrong direct
This demonstrates that evolution can be useful for survival, but can also cloud our perception of reality.
The Brain Filter
If you think that consciousness is generated in the brain, I would like to challenge that idea. In place, I would like for you to consider that your brain is a filter that seems to limit the range of your awareness and consciousness.
The brain filter is a good thing, because without this filter we would be unable o focus on anything.
Think of a time when you were walking in the street, looking down at your phone. Your focus was on your phone, but on the periphery you simultaneously pay attention to potential threats like a hole in the ground that you have to dodge, or the sound of an approaching car.
Without filtering reality, we would be overwhelmed by our surroundings, but turning off this filter can open a window to a whole new world.
Taking moments in our day to cultivate practices that decrease the impact of the brain filter can create a more flexible and expansive lifestyle.
Incessant internal chatter, felling like you are in a mental prison, or being narrow-minded are good indications that you may need to regulate your brain filter.
Luckily, scientists are looking at ways to turn off the reality filter for therapeutic reasons.
Turning Off The Filter
The following are techniques and phenomenon shown in research to decrease activities in areas in the brain related to filtering and processing reality.
1 — Near-Death Experiences (NDE)
NDEs are phenomena known to create a mystical experience in the individual that are almost impossible to put into words. Nevertheless, studies have collected a myriad of near-death experience reports that puzzle scientists.
Science has been following the case of multiple of cases of near-death experiences where someone suffers an accident, or a stroke, or other health issue that causes them to enter a state of coma, and then resuscitates with memory of what they experienced while they were “dead”.
One common characteristic in almost all NDEs is the sensation that the experienced lived after the brain turns off is more real than ordinary reality. A type of hyperreality.
In some of these experiences, the person returns to the land of the living with information that they could never have obtained in an ordinary state of consciousness.
The enhanced sense of awareness experienced during an NDE could serve as evidence that our brain actually works by limiting our consciousness.
The Most Similar Drugs To a Near-Death Experience
What psychedelics mimic the mystical experience lived by people who died and returned?
2 — Mediumship and Shamanism
In study, certain areas in the brain related to filtering reality have been observed to decrease activity during shamanic rituals.
Researchers found that the shamanic state of consciousness causes a change in brain activity from the left — analytical side — to the right side, which is more focused on the experience of being.
Shamanism and mediumship is often said to cause a feeling of universal interconnectedness, omniscience, and oneness. This state of trance is desirable during these practices. Detaching ourselves from the illusion of reality and from the story our senses tell us is imperative in achieving a state of trance.
Mediums often reach out to the “invisible world” to receive information from people who have passed away, or not present physically.
Another reason for Shamans to explore expanded states of awareness is to visit the mystical world in search of a cure for a sickness or for guidance.
Studies indicate that they achieve this by bypassing the filter of reality present in our brain.
3 — Deep Meditation
Meditation is a big one. Brain imaging of long-term practitioners of meditation shows a reduction in activity in the areas responsible for self-referencing and for the experience of a separate self.
I don’t like making recommendations, but a safe recommendation I can make to anyone is: you should start meditating.
Cultivate a meditation habit, and start sooner rather than later.
Meditating is a lifelong exercise that does wonders for your physical and mental health.
Meditation is a practice that has helped me stay in touch with my emotions and to gain perspective when necessary. Another big impact meditation can have is in decreasing rumination (that mental voice that won’t shut up).
In study with experienced Buddhist practitioners, neural changes indicated a state of union, compassion, a sense of being one with the universe, and a sense of being part of a bigger consciousness. Again, in the case of experienced meditators, brain areas related to processing reality were shown to reduce significantly during the initial meditation phases.
This does not necessarily mean that your brain works less during a meditation session. In reality, research showed that once the participants settled into the practice and reached deeper states of meditation, there was an increase in brain energy.
At the peak of the meditation experience, participants showed a decrease in activity in the language centers and the orientation areas.
Mystical Experiences
Experienced practitioners of meditation can have seriously trippy mystical experiences.
In a research study, participants of the Fire Kasina retreat practiced for around 20 days by focusing on a candle flame for 6.5 to 11 hours a day. Then, the practitioners filled the Mystical Experience Questionnaire, a scientific tool to measure the occurrence of a mystical experience, and the practitioners scored a mean score of 85%.
Comparing MEQ scores (Score of 60% = mystical experience):
- Meditation — 85%;
- Psilocybin — 74–77%;
- 5-MeO-DMT — 83%;
- LSD — 73%;
- Ayahuasca — 81%;
- Near-Death Experience — 68%;
Meditating can be an effective way to lift the veil of the filter. But there is another technique that shows promise as a therapeutic tool:
4 — Psychedelic Substances
The effects of meditation on the body and brain are similar to the effects of a transformative psychedelic experience.
Both in meditation and in studies with psilocybin, participants showed a reduction in the Default Mode Network, a group of areas in the brain often linked to that incessant mental chatter and the sense of self.
Brain imaging research with Psilocybin, shows that while it’s true that the brain becomes more interconnected during a psychedelic ceremony, there are areas of the brain that show a drastic decrease in activity during the trip.
This decrease in the Default Mode Network could be a key contributor to the feeling of being a part of a higher consciousness, or the infamous ego-dissolution that has been described as such in Berrett & Griffiths research (2008):
It felt more real than any reality I have experienced…
It was when I surrendered to this that I felt like I let go. I was gone… or should I say this earthly part of me was. I was in the void. This void had a strange and indescribable quality to it in that there was nothing to it but this feeling of unconditional and undying Love… Time and Space did not exist there.
Going on a psychedelic retreat is not a guarantee to bring you benefits.
The real life-changing benefits of going on a psychedelic trip comes from a life-long process of psychedelic integration. This integration refers to implementing your newfound understanding of the invisible world into your daily life.
Contact me if you want to participate in our online integration sessions!
Why Lift The Veil?
If we ignore the fact that what we see is just a representation of a small portion of reality, then we’re limiting ourselves tremendously.
Advantages of seeing beyond reality
Knowing that things are not how we see them is humbling.
The belief I cultivated growing up that I knew what reality looked like and that my way was the only “right way” was shattered as I reached maturity
This reminds me of Socrates quote:
I woke up and became aware of the puppet show I had created for myself.
The world gained a different light, and I had access to an invisible world. As the years passed, I worked on incorporating a holistic perception of the world that includes this newfound world-view.
This process revealed to be an awesome way to catalyze self-development and teach myself how to live properly — without regrets.
In this journey, I discovered three techniques that are scientifically proven to lower the filter in our brains, effectively lifting the veils of perception.
Keeping a healthy dream habit and a dream journal can be of great help while exploring the unseen parts of ourselves.
Adding a moment of meditation to your routine can help you focus on your thoughts, emotions and the inner workings of the human body and mind.
Every once in a while, going on a psychedelic retreat can help, but the most important part is integrating the insights, epiphanies and ideas that occurred during the psychedelic experience that brings the real long-lasting benefits.
Good luck in your experiences and have a great journey!
Contact me if you need professional help exploring expanded states of consciousness.
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Relevant reference:
Woollacott, M., & Weiler, M. (2025). Neural filters to conscious awareness and the phenomena that reduce their impact. International Review of Psychiatry, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2025.2478907
