Senior Thesis
Presented to the Department of PsychologyCalifornia State University, Long Beach
“Each person is capable of perceiving infinitely more. The universe is funneled through the reducing valve of the brain and nervous system ..what comes out at the other end is a measly trickle.”From ‘The Doors of Perception’ by Aldous Huxley
Abstract: The Serotonin Hypothesis offers the most plausible explanation for hallucinatory experience in neuroscience. It is consistent with reports from Anthropologists describing the experience of people participating in Indian peyote ceremonies. It also comes close to reports by Clinical Psychologists documenting the experience of members of the psychiatric population. Neuroscience informs us that a major function of the central nervous system is to filter and reduce information reaching the brain to manageable and ‘culturally-relevant’ levels. The serotonin hypothesis tells us that hallucinations occur when these filters are lifted and areas of the brain involved with conscious experience are released from the constraints they are ordinarily under. Anthropologists report a similar process. They say that the guided peyote session serves to temporarily remove barriers inside the mind and allow for conscious-states that are not ordinarily accessible. I find this compelling evidence in support of the serotonin hypothesis as a model for hallucinatory experience. It also strengthens the argument that peyote sessions could serve as a useful method-of-investigation for Psychologists.
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