neat topic. i think it is a difficult but much needed discussion. if we want people to take psychedelics seriously we have to be honest with their effects.
I wonder how much of the visual aftereffects of psychedelics is based on pattern regocnition. i mean, you've seen fractals, you've seen tracers, moving textures and patterns, it is now a part of your memory, your visual repertoire. your mind will expect to see these things again.
i can definitely say that psychedelics and thc permanently changed my visual and sensual awareness. i started doing them in my mid/late 20's, unlike many who start dropping in their teens and don't have as much of a before/after period. as an artist/musician who actively closed his eyes and explored his senses for hours per day for years without psychedelics i was very, very fucking aware of the changes afterwards. and overall very happy with them
+increased awareness of how my senses affect each other, i'm not synesthesic but definitely tend to feel visual art and music in an almost tactile way now
+psychedelics taught me how to go into a trance with eyes open, i can do that now easily without substances to the point i see objects shimmer, move
+also i always got visuals from listening to music esp minimalist meditative music, that isn't new. psychedelics of course just amplify this effect by 100x
during the trip.. and for a couple days after I often get increased CEV while relaxed, falling asleep, not to mention the wonderful afterglow
+definitely increased emotional and self awareness overall
as for some visual changes:
-while i wouldn't say i have palinopsia (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterimage#Medical_conditions ) I do tend to see afterimages longer than i did before. i specifically remember when this started on my 4th or 5th acid trip and never really stopped afterwards. it isn't really a big deal, we are talking like a split second, and it never got worse/better. it of course, only increases mildly while tripping
-visual snow, i definitely get more visual snow than I used to, and my heavy THC experiences had much more of a role in this for me than acid I think. those little shimmering neurons firing in different directions when you look at the sky, how long have people on this board who mentioned them had them? because i never had them before i took psychedelics, and as a person who grew up in big sky country i guarantee i spent countless days laying in the grass looking at the sky. also if i don't do psychedelics for a long while the effect tends to go away..
overall i'm happy with the effects of psychedelics, i think they have been a positive, creative and healing force in my life, (not to mention pretty fun). as for the side effects i mentioned, i really only tend to notice them occasionally, it certainly doesn't interfere with my life, and generally i kind of enjoy them actually, it tends to give the world a sort of visual lushness and richness.