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Andy Tea's avatar

This aligns completely with the Filter Theory of Consciousness, something that I feel increasingly confident is an accurate view of how we experience “reality”.

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Andrew M. Weisse's avatar

Totally agree. The more I sit with these ideas—and especially after certain Psychedelic experiences—the Filter Theory feels less like a theory and more like an intuitive truth. It shifts the way we think about consciousness, not as something produced by the brain, but as something channeled through it.

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Andy Tea's avatar

Heck yeah!

And so, the prior to all - before everything - the foundation - is the universal conscious. The underpinning of everything - it is the unknowable, loving, absolute energy.

Intuitively we know this to be truth.

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Andrew M. Weisse's avatar

100%.

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Tom Lane's avatar

These people simply don’t understand THE HOW AND WHY BECAUSE OF BEING EDUCATED IN WESTERN CARTESIAN DUALISTIC THINKING.,

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Ishmael Hodges's avatar

I feel like there’s a lot of overlap here between psychedelic experiences and alien abduction experiences. Setting aside for a moment that most accounts of abduction are acquired through hypnotic regression which introduces a host of problems, I can’t help but notice the similarities. I think rushing to either conclusion, that it’s all just made up nonsense, or that it’s some sort of objective reality separate from ourselves does these topics a disservice. Based on what we’re beginning to understand about the brain, my guess would be that it’s a mix, we’re experiencing a real phenomenon in some way, but it’s so far outside the realm of our normal experience that the brain kicks into overdrive to fill in the gaps in what we’re seeing, which would explain why the root experience is very similar but what people are seeing is highly subjective. There’s likely some event happening, but I highly doubt it is, in fact, anything like how it appears to us. I’m always guarded about trying to make any assertions on these subjects, but that’s roughly what my perspective is at the moment.

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Andrew M. Weisse's avatar

Love this take. The overlap between Psychedelic journeys & alien abduction accounts is hard to ignore—especially when you zoom out from the surface details and look at the underlying architecture of the experiences: ego dissolution, time distortion, encounter with “others,” a sense of being shown or told something profound… it’s all there. I am reminded of Sadhguru's experience with aliens...seemed very Psychedelic.

I appreciate your balanced take. Rushing to label it as either pure fantasy or literal external reality definitely misses the complexity of what’s happening. I’ve also leaned into the idea that these experiences are real, but not necessarily in the way we usually define reality.

Your point about the brain filling in gaps with culturally relevant imagery (aliens, angels, archetypes) makes a lot of sense. The phenomenon might be consistent—what differs is the interface.

Ultimately, I think the deeper question isn’t what is happening but why it leaves such a lasting impact. That alone tells me there’s something meaningful going on, whether it’s “real” or not in the traditional sense.

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Craig's avatar

I'd want to know more about the participants that saw "the devil/demons." Specifically any religious upbringing they had (or didn't have).

Then I'd want to find out if participants from cultures with less "good versus evil" frames had the same thing.

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Andrew M. Weisse's avatar

Agreed — it would be interesting to understand the cultural, religious, and familial backgrounds of the participants to identify patterns or signs of projection.

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Steve R's avatar

this is really really interesting. I shared this with a market researcher who had all kinds of questions about the people involved their life experiences and potential for variables based on innate human nature vs life exposure. All of makes you think, and i’d love to hear more the progression of the studies if you like writing about them

great work

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Andrew M. Weisse's avatar

Thanks, man.

We live in a fascinating & weird world(s)!

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Michael Housman's avatar

Love the idea that these substances don't alter our perceptions, that they offer up access to entirely different worlds / dimensions. Very cool concept.

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Andrew M. Weisse's avatar

Thanks, brother!

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Mar 30
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Andrew M. Weisse's avatar

Love how you put that—“reading our DNA in mythology” captures the depth of the experience. DMT does feel like it unlocks something ancient & buried within us.

The idea of DNA as an antenna is fascinating—and if that’s the case, then maybe DMT tunes us into the frequencies it’s capable of receiving. Not just our personal or ancestral data, but archetypal, collective, even cosmic signals. Just like mushrooms help forests communicate, maybe these compounds are helping us remember—through myth, symbol, and direct experience—what we’ve always been connected to.

So the question becomes: what’s broadcasting? And are we finally listening?

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