hello
you can be sure this is a very discussed topic in the psychedelic-related circles.
I also find the analogy about brain being a 'receiver' as interesting, but whether it really explains what goes on, I dont know.
I've thought a lot about this subject, and here's where im at, more or less: on one hand, subjectively, the experience is incredibly convincing and feels more-real-than-real. There is definitely a sensation of impossibility of being my own creation due to the superior complexity of the effects, and it feels like, if all those complex experiences and perceptions really comes from inside ourselves, then we are all greater artists than picasso, dali, alex grey or whoever (so give me all the money I deserve
)
On the other hand, claiming that it comes from outside begs a whole lot of other questions, and it doesnt really explain anything in the end, its just using an abstract word, "outside", and connecting it to an experience.
Also, chosing one side over another already rules out at least one more interesting possibility which is that it is a mix of inside and outside.
Now, for me, in the end, it does not matter. Sure I will be always interested in discussions (and usually I take the devil's advocate position and go against whatever the other people believe), and will always be interested also in any research this area, but.. The experience is still profoundly life-changing, amazing, mind-boggling, and giving a word or 'putting the fault' to our brain synapses misfiring or to real hyperspace aliens doesnt exhaust the experience and all it can be. Its like in school when a child has a deep curiosity and asks a teacher "whats this", when a firefly passes by, and teacher goes like: "ah, its just a bug".. As if this name, "bug", is all there is to it, as if this is the full explanation, while for the child's curiosity that slowly gets crushed with such cold outview of the world, the question wasnt only about giving it some name, but intuitively its about the whole complexity of that animal, why it lights up, how comes it exists at all, how does it relate to other animals, why is it different than the other firefly from the other day, etc etc etc
So in the same way, I feel that, whatever explanation is given, its still gonna remain having a very mysterious aspect, and I will still be able to learn new things from it every single time. Lastly, I just want to emphasize the idea that its important that we are always critical of all the models and do not consider them as final, even if they seem to make a lot of sense to us for the moment