Why don’t we normally hallucinate?

Not that you'd want to spoil all the eye-ball magic altered states provide by knowing just what's cooked up behind the curtain, but it's an interesting quick look into how our big grey blobs go about processing visual input. Cool stuff, figured there may be a few folks around these parts who would enjoy the read.

hmmm..I dont buy it to be honest. I am sure that alot of that is true but it only really explains effects of low doses IMO..I mean sure a low dose you might see some weird patterns but with a full dose of say, ayahuasca there is definatily something else going on. What they talk about it that article does not explain visions..it explains geometic patterns seen on lower doses.

I'd have to agree, with any psychedelic once you've made the dosage dependent jump to hyperspace all bets are off. But I doubt anyone would argue that there are certain patterns that present themselves while tripping with your feet more firmly grounded on this side of the universe.

Thought the comparison between the two brain models, one standard and the other "physiologically plausible alternative network" was nifty.

I have to agree. This happens a bit too often when people try to explain away DMT based on its low dose effects such as its effects on light after-images and wavering walls, but low dose compared to high dose is subjectively practically two (or more) different drugs entirely.

I don't see it as any attempt to "explain away DMT based on its low dose effects", or explain away any psychedelic for that matter. It's just insight towards a bit of the puzzle that we see. Low dose, high dose, any speck of information we have to make sense of the altered mindset is an important step.

That "explain away", I don't like that. It's not an attempt to lessen the experience, or call into question any subjective understanding, practical or not.