Dr David Luke - Psychedelic Synaesthesia: New Light on Old Phenomena

Psychedelic synaesthesia represents a transient, drug-induced state where stimulation of one sense consistently triggers an involuntary experience in another, such as seeing sounds or feeling musical frequencies. Data from large-scale surveys indicate that serotonergic psychedelics are the most common inducers of these states, aligning with broader research into the serotonin 5-HT2a receptor's role in consciousness. While sharing experiential features with congenital synaesthesia, these induced states are more complex and lack the same degree of long-term stability and specific, fixed associations. These findings suggest potential neurological overlaps and underscore the merit of further experimental study.