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    Altered states of consciousness induced by breathwork accompanied by music

    (journals.plos.org)
    557 points gnabgib | 16 comments | 28 Aug 25 00:22 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
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    brandall10 ◴[28 Aug 25 02:45 UTC] No.45047771[source]▶
    FWIW, I used to use a light and sound machine (Mindplace Procyon) and was able to induce these states with minimal effort. And I had a couple dozen experiences w/ psilocybin in my college years, so I'm well versed in what they should be like.

    The goggles w/ binaural beats create some weird sort of state where I don't feel any connection to my environment. After only a couple minutes my body turns to total mush and my brain comes alive with phosphene visuals. By about 15 minutes in, my stomach usually gurgles a bit, not unlike the indigestion that often accompanies psychedelic trips.

    Interestingly enough, these machines are marketed as brainwave entrainment, but the literature on that says the visual component doesn't really have much impact. Yet auditory entrainment on its own doesn't seem to do much for me either, or at least, not convincing enough beyond placebo.

    There is an app for the iPhone called Lumenate that uses the LED flash and it seems to work, though it's not as strong for me as the multi-LED goggles I used to use. Still, it's a great gateway for those who are curious.

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    1. l33tbro ◴[28 Aug 25 05:19 UTC] No.45048662[source]▶
    So you are saying this is more effective than foraged mushrooms in a dark dorm room - paired with a Winamp visualizer using real-time DirectX plugins and shader-based graphics? Forgive me for being a bit skeptical
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    2. maeln ◴[28 Aug 25 08:20 UTC] No.45049764[source]▶
    I don´t know if it was intentional, but for whatever reason, I find the specificity of "Winamp visualizer using real-time DirectX plugins and shader-based graphics" in this context, quite funny.
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    3. griffzhowl ◴[28 Aug 25 08:23 UTC] No.45049778[source]▶
    > paired with a Winamp visualizer using real-time DirectX plugins

    Been there, done that

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    4. l33tbro ◴[28 Aug 25 09:59 UTC] No.45050337[source]▶
    Yes my attempt at humor. Which is always a bit risky on this forum :D
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    5. westmeal ◴[28 Aug 25 10:12 UTC] No.45050404{3}[source]▶
    Jokes aside I've definitely melted my face to visualizers before.
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    6. Shorel ◴[28 Aug 25 10:22 UTC] No.45050452[source]▶
    ¿Effective? I don't understand your point.

    The sensation induced by binaural beats are based on brain waves synchronisation, basically we get control of the stick shifter of the brain, and we perceive the changes strongly, as they are much faster than usual.

    TLDR: you definitely feel them, and it feels a bit like getting high.

    Chemical induced states of altered consciousness are of a fundamentally different nature. Keeping the car centric metaphor it would be like switching the type of fuel you are giving to the engine. It feels different, for different reasons.

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    7. Cthulhu_ ◴[28 Aug 25 11:43 UTC] No.45050971[source]▶
    Damn kids these days, back in MY day we got our daily relaxation by looking at defrag.exe!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nidwz3BzFCM

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    8. __MatrixMan__ ◴[28 Aug 25 12:35 UTC] No.45051389[source]▶
    Sure, but maybe you have a goal that can be achieved with either method, even if doing so feels different. If they'll both achieve the goal, foregoing the inconveniences of drugs sounds pretty great.
    9. viksit ◴[28 Aug 25 13:35 UTC] No.45051983[source]▶
    you definitely succeeded in your humorous endeavors ;) i snorted haha
    10. thenobsta ◴[28 Aug 25 13:46 UTC] No.45052132[source]▶
    oh so satisfying.
    11. luma ◴[28 Aug 25 14:11 UTC] No.45052396{4}[source]▶
    Used WinAmp AVS back in the 90s with some crappy projectors to melt faces at parties professionally.
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    12. ◴[28 Aug 25 14:47 UTC] No.45052860[source]▶
    13. brandall10 ◴[28 Aug 25 15:13 UTC] No.45053225[source]▶
    More effective? No. Just a ballpark state similar to the article, which I believe is more like the initial come up where you still have the ability to snap back to reality. Quite efficiently and reliably. Can't edit my OP but the caveat should be applied that I was already experienced w/ psilocybin upon purchasing the device.

    Can't claim it would produce the same results for everyone, but I provided a free, low friction option for anyone curious.

    14. pak9rabid ◴[28 Aug 25 15:15 UTC] No.45053264[source]▶
    That sure is a lot of words to say Milkdrop
    15. hluska ◴[28 Aug 25 17:00 UTC] No.45054463[source]▶
    Geez, foraged mushrooms and Winamp make me think we’re of the same generation. Those were good times…

    This isn’t well known because his name was (deservedly) mud at the time, but Timothy Leary did a lot of work with sound and lights. He did his light shows when he was a pop guru, but he was even doing this work before he got fired from Harvard.

    At the time, he considered it following the history of altered states. In the nineties when he had mellowed out, Leary started talking about lights, sound and technology. Here’s one example:

    https://www.sidjacobson.com/Portals/23/articles/Tim%20Leary%...

    I’ve had a few experiences with non chemically induced altered states. They’re psychedelic-ish, but not really comparable to a substance like psilocybin. They’re definitely altered states, just while I could draw a picture to describe mild effects of psilocybin to a non user, I couldn’t with music and light.

    They’re both altered but very different.

    16. devin ◴[28 Aug 25 17:30 UTC] No.45054785{5}[source]▶
    Hello GForce. Hello Milkdrop.