The Mathematics That Predicts Your DMT Trip | Andres Gomez Emilsson

Andres Gomez Emilsson introduces a new approach to model psychedelic perception using mathematical models, exploring the state space of consciousness and its potential connections to the laws of the universe.

• Qualia, the way an experience feels, can be studied separately from sensory input to understand the structure of consciousness.

• The 'Photoshop' tool uses coupled oscillators and deep dream layers to replicate and visualize psychedelic experiences by manipulating parameters.

• 5-MeO-DMT experiences are characterized by the annihilation of topological defects, leading to feelings of merging with the universe.

Andres Gomez Emilsson discusses the mathematical underpinnings of psychedelic states, including visual distortions, the feeling of oneness, and encounters with entities during DMT trips. He presents a tool developed by the Qualia Research Institute, which acts as a 'Photoshop' for psychedelic experiences, allowing users to explore and visualize different states of consciousness by manipulating parameters like coupled oscillators and deep dream layers. The discussion also touches on the potential for these experiences to reveal deeper truths about the nature of reality and the structure of consciousness.

Qualia vs Sensory Input

• 00:02:28 Andres clarifies the distinction between qualia and sensory input, explaining that qualia refers to the way an experience feels, separate from the sensory input that triggers it. This separation allows for mapping the state space of experiences, like colors, using different sensory modalities, such as sounds through synesthesia, to understand the geometry of phenomenal colors. He argues that shared qualia spaces could provide a basis for understanding between different entities, even aliens, through common experiences and the geometry of those experiences.

Deep Dream Algorithm

• 00:16:19 The Deep Dream algorithm, originating from Google in 2015, is used to replicate psychedelic visuals by clamping high-level features in neural networks. This process involves maximizing the probability of the network identifying specific features, like dog ears or eyes, leading to trippy images. While this method has limitations, it captures a percentage of the psychedelic experience and highlights the need for more advanced tools to fully visualize these states, and it is correlated with certain psychedelics like LSD, DMT, and 5-MeO.

Coupled Oscillators

• 00:23:41 Andres explains the concept of coupled oscillators, where each oscillator changes color at a certain rate and interacts with neighboring oscillators based on distance and phase. This system can be tuned to create different wave patterns and diagnose the shape of oscillator arrangements. He relates this to psychedelic experiences by suggesting that the projection of three-dimensional tactile sensations into the two-dimensional visual field creates a negotiation between different resonant modes, leading to unique visual effects.

5-MeO-DMT and Topological Defects

• 00:37:42 Andres describes how DMT tends to split the vacuum into polar opposites, whereas 5-MeO-DMT feels like everything cancels out, merging with a white light or emptiness. He uses coupled oscillators to replicate this, where pixels simulate oscillators, and increasing the coupling constant causes the screen to converge to black and white as pinwheels annihilate each other. This process of topological defects, where experiences are constructed from these defects that, when canceled, rejoin the sea of the universe, is quintessential to the phenomenology of 5-MeO-DMT.

Psychedelic Thermodynamics

• 01:12:55 Andres introduces psychedelic thermodynamics, which proposes that psychedelic experiences increase the energy of consciousness, making everything brighter and more flexible. Semantic content and symmetries act as energy sinks that crystallize experiences. The field may start to shrink wrap around a concept if something looks familiar. This model suggests that while symmetrical visuals may be universal, the semantic content is culture-bound, explaining the varying entities and visuals encountered during psychedelic experiences.