Martin Fortier: Sense of Reality in Serotoninergic & Anti-Cholinergic Plants

The sense of reality in psychedelic experiences is not uniform, but rather composed of distinct cognitive components that vary based on the specific substance. Whereas serotoninergic psychedelics like ayahuasca and psilocybin enhance the affective load and integrative processes of the brain, creating a sense of hyperreality, anti-cholinergic plants diminish these functions and impair reality monitoring. This contrast illustrates that the subjective reality of these states emerges from complex, heterogeneous neurobiological mechanisms rather than a single unifying factor. Beyond simple classification, these substances reveal different experiential planes. Serotoninergic agents often leave users capable of distinguishing between their internal visions and the external world, while anti-cholinergics can dissolve this boundary entirely. Recognizing this distinction helps explain why the phenomenological qualities of these two classes of substances diverge so significantly in practice.