perception | Onelargeprawn

Drug-Induced Self-Portraits by Bryan Lewis Saunders

Some of us are fairly aware how drugs can alter our perception of the world. Artist Bryan Lewis Saunders took this to the extreme in an experiment where he ingested a different drug every day and then drew a picture of himself.

Since 1995 Saunders has been drawing daily self-portraits but it wasn’t until 2001 when he introduced drugs into his system and his art. He believes the 45-day experiment may have caused some slight brain damage and that the drugs made him look really ugly. From the colourful childish influences of marijuana to the calming effects of Ambien to monstrous world of bath salts, have a look at how the different chemicals in the drugs altered Saunders’ perception of self.

I’ve always thought hallucinations came at a price – drugs like LSD and mescaline aren’t cheap and I’m not arsed to pay for them. The Boston Globe, however, seems to think you can fling open the doors of perception without having to visit your local dealer.

Here are two simple tricks that mad scientists have thought up to tricking your brain into perceiving what we know isn’t real.

The Ganzfeld Procedure

This trick involves using a radio and ping-pong balls. Turn on the radio and find a station playing static. Then lie down on a couch or bed and secure a pair of halved ping-pong balls over your eyes. You should experience some bizarre distortions within a few minutes. Hallucinations may vary from seeing horses prancing about in the clouds to hearing the voice of a dead relative.

Incredible Shrinking Pain

This trick uses the newest painkiller on the market – inverted binoculars. Oxford University scientists have found out that test subjects looking at a wounded hand through the wrong end of the felt less pain and swelling. By making the hand appear smaller, the brain is tricked into reducing the bodily sensations of pain.

See more tricks to hack your brain at The Boston Globe – via Blame it on the Voices.