Hello fellow travelers!

I've been dealing with a rather strange issue lately, and since I couldn't find any information online about it I was wondering if anyone else have had similar issues.

It's like a strange "popping" sound in my head, almost feels and sounds like my brain short-circuits if that makes sense. The sound is like when you touch an unplugged speaker cable, just a really loud pop. It only comes once at a time and lasts for around one second, and is accompanied by a dizziness that settles in a couple seconds after the pop.

Up until recently this has exclusively affected me during intense psychedelic experiences, it started during my first DMT experience, and I just felt like it was a reaction to my brain getting bombarded with too intense sensory input, and "short-circuiting" in a way. Nowadays I get it spontaneosley, even while I'm perfectly sober. It's not that annoying but it's occuring frequently and it's starting to worry me a bit.

Does any of you know what I'm talking about, what it is or what causes it?

Have you recently disengaged from habitual benzo use by any chance? Or discontinued SSRI meds?

If so, you may want to see a doctor.

Why, what could that cause?

I've used some benzos and some serotonin-heavy stimulants on and off, but haven't now for a while.
Why do you think I should see a doctor? Do you know what the issue I'm describing is called?

I'm pretty sure this is linked to psychedelics, and not use of other drugs, since psychedelics are what triggered it in the first place, I still get it much more often of psychedelics, just occasionally when I'm sober as well.

how did you consume your DMT, in changa?

how long has it been since the benzos and the SSRIs?

Homemade ayahuasca analogue with mhrb and syrian rue.

Last time I used benzos was maybe 1,5 weeks ago, I have never used SSRIs but I've used other drugs that act primarily on the serotonin system, mainly MDMA and 3-FEA. Last time I used stimulants was about 1 week ago. I have not however used any of those regularly, and always sparingly and not to the point of any tolerance buildup.

benzos can have some pretty bad reactions with aya analogs i am not sure of the exact time line for how long you are supposed to be clean off them but with ssri meds it is more than a month generally so i would generally wait a month after taking benzos as well but a week may do it

the wiki article say 2-28 day that they can be in your system. Keeping that in mind i personally would not take any harmala containing substance for 1 month after benzo usage.



All of that aside is this sensation you are experiencing in any way similar to have your ears "pop" from a difference in atmospheric pressure like when you are in a plane or going up a really tall elevator? I some times will have my ears pop when the barometer takes a large rise or fall

but in the case of a psychedelic experience when smoalking DMT on the come up some times i will hear a sound inside my head as if my brain is on a frying pan sizzling in oil and i can almost feel my brain sizzle, not in a painful way but it is a deffinate sensation

anyways i hope that can help you understand/figure out what it is you are experiencing.

-DM

It's a bit similar to ears popping but I feel it in the middle of my head, and not at all in the ears. It's also much louder than ears popping and it's accompanied by some dizziness, and I can feel it also in my head, not really painful but very uncomfortable.

I was more concerned with habituation to benzos, or SSRIs, and suddenly stopping- more likely in the case of an illicit (read:unprescribed) benzo habit, which I've been seeing happen more and more with the quasi legal RC's. People are not aware of the physically addictive nature of these things, or how quick a dependence can develop, and a sudden cessation of use can result in serious withdrawal symptoms, one of which "brain zaps", which sounds like what you prescribe.

That's the only reason I ask, sorry to be unclear.

I'm just a guy in recovery who's been through it, so please don't ask me about the brain chemistry going on. But if you are dependent on benzos, including the "legal" RC's, cold-turkey is not an option. Seizure and death can result fairly easily.

..can you give more detail, what are those: ''serotonin-heavy stimulants'' ? Something other then MDMA and 3-FEA??

I suspect the typical potato gun sound that I've heard too, but mostly in my beginning period of working with the plants. When I had them there was no other substances or medications going on far and wide a period of time. Just aya or pharma. But as said not in recent times. There's a commonality that wagers to suspecting that it's just plain normal processes.

Look here: https://www.dmt-nexus.me...&m=350583#post350583

5-MAPB has also been linked to "brain zaps", from what I gather.

I've used some other stimulants in the past that mainly act on dopamine and noradrenaline receptors, however they do affect serotonin a bit as well. MDMA and 3-FEA are the only ones I've used that are mainly serotonergic. Mostly 3-FEA lately due to it being easy to obtain in a 100% pure, uncut form, unlike MDMA.

I found out what it is!

It was impossible to find information about it before for me since I didn't know what it was called, however I stumbled across the term "brain zaps" a couple days ago, googled it and I'm pretty sure that's exactly the thing I'm experiencing. Now that I know the name of it finding information is much easier, it's apparently a pretty common phenomenon associated with serotonin deficiency and especially with SSRI withdrawals and comedowns from serotonergic drugs.

They can also be caused by anxiety which might explain why psychedelics usually trigger them for me.

So now that I know what it is, and what it's called, I just wanted to post this in case someone else with the same issue stumbles across this thread

I'm so relived to know it's common and not dangerous, for a while I thought it might have been caused by neurological damage.

Popping sounds remind me of some times durring sleep i wake from a vivid dream early in the morning..just as i wake out of the dream ..i can hear a pop...or sometimes a loud bang ...or sometimes it sounds like someone just tapped on my window from the outside.. or something got knocked over in my room ?..

When this happensafter opening my eyes i would look everywhere!.. even through my window to see if smeone is there...but there is never anyone there..

As time went by i just asumed it was a mind sound from the dream.. the second the dream is interupted and i wake ..dream ignition is suddenly cut! and that causes the sound...


One simple example is ..i was driving down the highway 70 mph then sudenly i heard a loud bang and my motor stopped and i coasted to the side of the road...

After investigation..I found out what happened.. as i found that the ignition points suddenly lost their ...[timing gap]... because the ..set screw came loose... and suddenly broke ignition stopping the engine very suddenly and causing that loud bang..

Well human brains are part chemicle and part electricly operated so when i woke very suddenly from a strong dream ....the dream ignition was altered or re routed...very suddenly causing the sound...


It sounds like maybe something biochemicle and electric is happening ..?

just a theory...

could it be this..


20% of us have 'exploding head syndrome' where we hear loud ...
www.dailymail.co.uk/.../...exploding-head-syndro...
Apr 6, 2015 - The waking dreams of people with sleep paralysis can make for convincing hallucinations, which might account for why some people in the Middle Ages would be convinced they saw demons or witches. 'In 21st century America, you have aliens,' Dr Sharpless said. 'For this scary noise you hear at night ...
Exploding head syndrome - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org.../Exploding_head_syndrome
Individuals with exploding head syndrome hear or experience loud imagined noises as they are falling asleep or waking up, have a strong, often frightened emotional reaction to the sound, and do not report significant pain; around 10% of people also experience visual disturbances like perceiving visual static, lightning, ...
‎Symptoms · ‎Causes · ‎Treatment
Loud crash at 3 a.m.? It may be your exploding head - NBC News
www.nbcnews.com/.../loud...xploding-head-f1C9926224
Feb 17, 2010 - As strange as the name sounds, exploding head syndrome is actually a rare and relatively undocumented sleep phenomenon. While sleeping or dozing, a person with the condition hears a terrifically loud sound in their head, such as a bomb exploding, a clash of cymbals or a gun going off.
Exploding Head Syndrome - Overview and Facts - Sleep Education
www.sleepeducation.org/s...mnias/.../overview-facts
Exploding head syndrome is a parasomnia. A parasomnia involves undesired events that come along with sleep. Exploding head consists of a loud noise that you suddenly imagine just before you fall asleep. It can seem like a violent explosion has gone off in your head. It can also occur as you wake up in the night.

Hmm yeah that might be it..