If you’ve ever dabbled in psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms, you know that reality can take a turn for the surreal. The walls might breathe, the colors may shimmer with life, and strange sounds can echo in your mind. But sometimes, things get a little spookier than that. Whether it’s a shadowy figure lurking just out of sight or hearing whispers that you’re sure didn’t come from anyone in the room, psychedelic trips have a way of stirring up "ghostly" encounters.
With Halloween on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to dive into the fascinating link between psychedelic visions and supernatural experiences. Why do so many people report seeing apparitions, spirits, or otherworldly creatures while tripping on shrooms? And more importantly, what’s really happening inside your brain during these wild, often eerie experiences?
How Psilocybin Affects the Brain
So, what’s really going on inside your head when you’re seeing all those wild, trippy visuals? It all starts with psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms. Once it enters your system, psilocybin is converted into psilocin, which then binds to your serotonin receptors. These are the same receptors responsible for regulating mood, perception, and sensory experience. When psilocin latches onto them, it kicks off a whole chain reaction that throws your brain’s usual way of processing reality out the window.
Basically, psilocybin disrupts how your brain connects different regions, particularly the areas that help make sense of what you’re seeing, hearing, and feeling. It messes with your brain’s usual filters, meaning sensory information that’s typically organized and rational becomes a colorful, chaotic mix of perceptions. This is why you might start seeing things that aren’t there—or hearing whispers that seem like they’re coming from another dimension.
The altered connectivity in the brain also ramps up creativity and imagination, which is why your visions on psilocybin can get so vivid and fantastical. Whether it's a kaleidoscope of patterns or a fleeting glimpse of a ghostly figure, psilocybin opens the door to an alternate way of experiencing reality that feels both strange and magical.
The Science of Hallucinations
Now that we’ve cracked open the door to how psilocybin hijacks your brain’s usual programming, let’s talk about hallucinations. These aren’t just random blips on the radar—there’s actually a method to the madness. Hallucinations happen because your brain is desperately trying to make sense of the sensory overload it’s experiencing. Think of it like this: your mind’s usual “control center” is off-duty, so your perception is left to roam free, filling in the gaps with whatever it can piece together.
Visual hallucinations are probably the most common on psychedelics. You might see patterns ripple across surfaces or objects morph into something else entirely. Auditory hallucinations—like hearing voices, music, or even whispers—are another big one. Then there’s the full sensory experience, where everything you see, hear, and feel seems to shift and blend in ways that don’t quite fit the usual rules of reality.
So, why does your brain do this? It’s all about connectivity, or in this case, disconnectivity. Psilocybin breaks down the normal communication pathways between different regions of the brain, especially the ones responsible for organizing sensory data. With these connections loosened or rerouted, the brain has to improvise, leading to surreal visions, sounds, and feelings. This “chaos” creates the perfect storm for hallucinations, and your mind—doing what it does best—tries to make sense of it by projecting familiar images or sounds, sometimes dipping into your subconscious to pull out memories, emotions, or cultural cues.
That’s how you might end up seeing something as wild as a ghostly figure or feeling like you’ve stepped into a parallel universe. It’s not magic—it’s just your brain doing its best to ride out the psilocybin-induced chaos.
When Hallucinations Resemble Ghosts or Supernatural Beings
Now, let’s get into the juicy part—why do people on psychedelics sometimes see ghosts, spirits, or creatures that seem straight out of a supernatural thriller? It all comes down to how psilocybin taps into your brain’s memory banks, emotions, and cultural influences, blending them into the wild visuals you see during a trip. While psilocybin alters perception, it doesn’t just throw random images at you. It works with what you’ve already got stored in your mind, which is why some hallucinations feel oddly familiar.
Many of us have grown up surrounded by stories of ghosts, spirits, and other mysterious beings. Whether it’s from horror movies, childhood folklore, or even urban legends, these images sit in the back of your mind, waiting for the right moment to resurface. When your brain’s usual filter system is off during a psychedelic experience, those stored images can take on a life of their own. That shadow in the corner of your eye? Suddenly, it’s not just a trick of the light—it’s the ghost of your great aunt, come to say hi.
But there’s more to it than just memory. Psychedelics also mess with how you process emotions, amplifying feelings of awe, fear, or wonder. So, when you see that eerie figure or hear an otherworldly voice, it feels deeply significant, like you’re having some kind of spiritual encounter. It’s your brain’s way of making sense of the intense sensory input and emotions by turning it into something you can relate to—often pulling from those ghost stories or supernatural elements you’ve picked up over the years.
Add in the fact that psilocybin heightens creativity and imagination, and it’s no wonder people often interpret these hallucinations as ghostly or otherworldly beings. The line between reality and fantasy gets blurred, and that’s when things can start to feel pretty supernatural.
Historical Events of Mass Hysteria Linked to Hallucinations
While tripping on shrooms and seeing ghosts or demons might seem like a personal, one-off experience, there’s actually a fascinating history of entire communities experiencing something similar—mass hysteria and moral panic. And what’s even wilder? Some of these episodes might have been linked to hallucinogenic substances in the environment.
One of the most infamous examples is the Salem Witch Trials in the late 1600s. Now, we’re all familiar with the stories of witchcraft accusations spiraling out of control, but what if those “visions” of witches and demons were actually fueled by something a little more... psychedelic? Some historians believe that ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and contains compounds similar to LSD, may have been the culprit. If ergot-contaminated bread found its way into the diets of the Salem townspeople, it could’ve caused intense hallucinations, paranoia, and hysteria—leading them to believe they were seeing witches or possessed by dark forces. Basically, their brains were on a bad trip based on their belief systems, and the rest is history.
And Salem isn’t the only case. Throughout history, there have been other accounts of mass hysteria linked to environmental factors—many of which resemble the effects of psychedelic substances. In some parts of Europe, there were reports of entire villages dancing uncontrollably for days, possibly under the influence of hallucinogenic plants or contaminated food. These experiences often got chalked up to supernatural forces or divine punishment, but modern science suggests psychedelics may have played a bigger role in these “haunted” events than we thought.
Whether it’s mass sightings of ghosts, religious visions, or collective hallucinations, these historical outbreaks show us that when the brain’s perception of reality gets warped—whether by psilocybin, ergot, or some other hallucinogenic substance—the results can feel very real and very supernatural.
How Hallucinations Can Be Confused with Ghost Sightings
Picture this: You’re deep into a psychedelic trip, the lines between reality and imagination are already blurred, and suddenly—there it is. A figure, maybe just out of the corner of your eye, or a strange shadow that seems to move with you. Is it real? Or is it just your brain playing tricks on you? When you’re under the influence of psilocybin, the line between hallucination and ghost sighting gets extra fuzzy.
When psilocybin scrambles the way your brain processes sensory information, it becomes much easier to mistake what you're seeing or hearing for something paranormal. Your brain is working overtime, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar and often chaotic input. If it sees a random shape or hears an odd noise, it might latch onto the closest thing it can relate to—sometimes that just happens to be a ghost or some other supernatural figure. This is especially true if your surroundings are eerie or if you’re already primed to think about ghosts (cue spooky Halloween vibes).
What’s even more fascinating is how your cultural or racial background, personal beliefs, and even your subconscious can influence these hallucinations. Research suggests that what you experience on a trip isn’t random—it’s heavily shaped by what’s already buried in your psyche.
Take me, for example. I was tripping ass trying to watch a movie, and my soundbar went out a few times. I went to go get a tool to unhook it from the wall so I could reset it, and when I returned, I saw a large, black, shadowy figure with red eyes that I believed through and through was a demon standing in front of the TV.
For cultural context, I was raised religiously. In a superstitious context, I’d said multiple times that my house was haunted since I’d lost things I’ve moved around, knowing full well it’s ADHD. There’s a good case to be made upon reflection that this hallucination was from a psychological backlog of stuff my brain was trying to pull from, knowing that I was frustrated by having to fix a technical issue while under the influence.
But to take that a little further, people who’ve been raised with certain religious or supernatural beliefs might see visions of heaven or hell during a near-death experience. Similarly, those who’ve grown up hearing stories of ghosts, demons, or even urban legends like the Benadryl “hat man” might be more likely to encounter those figures during a trip. If it’s something you believe in or have been conditioned to fear, your brain might just conjure it up when it’s scrambling to make sense of the psychedelic chaos— especially in near-death experiences when your brain is flooding with DMT.
This ties back to historical events like the Salem Witch Trials or the dancing plagues in Europe. These communities held deeply ingrained beliefs in witchcraft, possession, or divine punishment, and those beliefs shaped what they experienced when mass hysteria took over. They weren’t just hallucinating random figures—they were seeing the supernatural through the lens of their cultural expectations.
Ultimately, your trip is personal and unique because it’s influenced by your life experiences, social background, and even your fears. Whether you encounter benevolent spirits or gnomes from hell pouring out of the walls, it’s not about being good or bad—it’s about how your mind pulls from your subconscious to make sense of the world in that moment. As pattern-seeking creatures, we tend to connect the dots to what feels most familiar, and sometimes, that’s where the ghosts come in.
Conclusion
So, there you have it—ghosts, ghouls, and psychedelic visions aren’t so different after all. When you’re tripping on psilocybin, your brain is basically running on overdrive, pulling from all the memories, beliefs, and cultural cues you’ve accumulated over your life. It’s no surprise that some of the things we see during these experiences look a lot like the supernatural beings we’ve heard about in stories or feared as kids.
But here’s the kicker: it’s all happening inside your mind. The vivid hallucinations that feel so real are your brain’s creative attempt to make sense of the sensory overload and emotional rollercoaster that psilocybin sets into motion. Ghosts, spirits, and shadowy figures aren’t necessarily lurking in the shadows—they’re conjured by your brain’s fascinating and sometimes chaotic process of connecting the dots.
As we approach Halloween, it’s hard not to draw parallels between the spooky season and the otherworldly vibes of a psychedelic trip. Whether you’re someone who’s fascinated by the science behind hallucinations or just love a good ghost story, there’s no denying that the line between reality and imagination gets blurred in both worlds.
So, the next time you’re thinking about tripping—or hearing someone else’s wild stories—just remember: the ghosts you see may be less about the supernatural and more about the incredible, mysterious power of your own mind. If you’re curious about diving into the world of psychedelics and experiencing these ghostly visions for yourself, we’ve got you covered—especially if you’re in Washington, DC. Get your shrooms delivered straight to your door and see where the journey takes you with Flower Ave.
And while you’re at it, drop a comment below and tell us about your craziest experience on shrooms.