Pattern breaking: a complex systems approach to psychedelic medicine
Inês Hipólito, Jonas Mago, Fernando E. Rosas, Robin Carhart-Harris
Neuroscience of Consciousness 2023 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niad017 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Cognitive science Artificial intelligence Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 60 |
| Key points | Proposes that psychedelics act as destabilizers that break reinforced patterns of thinking and behaving by increasing brain entropy and destabilizing neurophysiological set points. |
Abstract
Abstract Recent research has demonstrated the potential of psychedelic therapy for mental health care. However, the psychological experience underlying its therapeutic effects remains poorly understood. This paper proposes a framework that suggests psychedelics act as destabilizers, both psychologically and neurophysiologically. Drawing on the ‘entropic brain’ hypothesis and the ‘RElaxed Beliefs Under pSychedelics’ model, this paper focuses on the richness of psychological experience. Through a complex systems theory perspective, we suggest that psychedelics destabilize fixed points or attractors, breaking reinforced patterns of thinking and behaving. Our approach explains how psychedelic-induced increases in brain entropy destabilize neurophysiological set points and lead to new conceptualizations of psychedelic psychotherapy. These insights have important implications for risk mitigation and treatment optimization in psychedelic medicine, both during the peak psychedelic experience and during the subacute period of potential recovery.