Dr Robin Carhart Harris - How Do Psychedelics Work in the Brain?

Psychedelics exert their neurobiological effects by binding to 5-HT2AR serotonin receptors. This binding facilitates a state of temporary brain network disintegration, disrupting the integration hubs that maintain our default mode network, which is the system in the brain often associated with the sense of self. This network disruption often results in ego-dissolution or ego-collapse during the psychedelic experience. Psilocybin and other psychedelic substances effectively lower the brain's baseline entropy, promoting a transition between otherwise rigid states and allowing for more flexible, divergent cognition.