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Log in * facebook-icon * twitter-icon * Subscribe Psychology How to Face Your Fears Psychology Why We Love Horror Stories Astronomy What Happens in Space Matters on Earth Geoscience The Trees That Remember the Pyramids Psychology Psilocybin Lifted Her Burden Arts In Awe of Tiny Things Health Watch My Skeleton Dance for Science Arts Can Embracing the Unknown Save Us From Dystopia? Health How a Rare Disease Could Yield a Pandemic Drug Astronomy Could the Sun's Orbit Shape Evolution? Health Lifetime of Friendships Slows Aging Arts Making Art with Pythons and Lionfish ADVERTISEMENT Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . * Psychology What Hallucinogens Will Make You See 8 ways psychedelics distort our vision. * By Kristen French * June 1, 2023 * [comment-pl] Add a comment * [share] Share img Facebook img Twitter img Pocket img Reddit imgEmail Article Lead Image Unravel the biggest ideas in science today. Become a more curious you. Unravel the biggest ideas in science today. Become a more curious you. The full Nautilus archive * eBooks & Special Editions * Ad-free reading * The full Nautilus archive * eBooks & Special Editions * Ad-free reading Subscribe to Nautilus Join [VVcT4Zdm-T] Explore Psychonaut turned scientific researcher Josie Kins has personally tried over 200 psychedelic compounds and had hundreds of psychedelic experiences. But she no longer takes them herself. "I've already explored them so thoroughly," she says. Over the past 12 years, Kins has compiled a list of 233 effects people experience under the influence of psychedelic drugs, drawn from online accounts and her own experience, called the Subjective Effect Index. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . THE VARIETIES OF PSYCHEDELIC EXPERIENCE: Josie Kins created this video compilation of replications of the visual effects of DMT. Credit: Josie Kins / YouTube. In 2021, she began working for a startup drug company called Mindstate Design Labs to make the classification system more precise and comprehensive, under the advisement of renowned psychedelic researchers Thomas Ray and Andy Newburg. That work could double the total number of entries on the list, she says. But it's the cognitive and emotional effects that seem to elude categorization and need the most refining. "The visual effects are already rigorous," says Kins. Below, a selection of some of the 52 visual effects on her list. ADVERTISEMENT Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Diffraction In Body Image Diffraction is the experience of seeing rainbows and spectrums of color embedded within the brighter parts of a person's visual field. It is most commonly induced under the influence of mild dosages of psychedelic compounds, such as LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline. Increased pareidolia ADVERTISEMENT Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . In Body Image Increased pareidolia is an increase in a person's ability and tendency to recognize patterns (usually faces) within vague stimuli. It is most commonly induced under the influence of mild dosages of psychedelic compounds, such as LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline. Machinescapes Machinescapes are a complex visual and tactile experience where one perceives hallucinatory mechanical landscapes that are vast in both size and intricacy. They are most commonly induced under the influence of heavy dosages of Salvia divinorum. However, they can also occur less commonly under the influence of psychedelic compounds, such as LSD, psilocybin, and 2C-P. ADVERTISEMENT Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Object activation Object activation is the experience of looking at an object and perceiving it to move, become alive, or become fully animated and autonomous of its own accord. It is most commonly induced under the influence of heavy dosages of deliriant compounds, such as DPH, datura, and benzydamine. Scenery slicing [FondEnlightenedKitty-size_restricted] ADVERTISEMENT Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Scenery slicing is the experience of a person's visual field appearing to split into separate, cleanly cut sections. These individual slices then proceed to drift slowly away from their original position before disappearing and resetting to normal. It is most commonly induced under the influence of moderate dosages of dissociative compounds, such as ketamine, PCP, and DXM. Texture liquidation In Body Image Texture liquidation is the experience of the texture, shape, and general structure of objects and scenery appearing progressively simplified, smudged, and stylized in such a way that one's external environment begins to take on the aesthetic of a painting or cartoon. It is most commonly induced under the influence of moderate dosages of psychedelic compounds, such as LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline. ADVERTISEMENT Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Unspeakable horrors Unspeakable horrors describe the experience of prolonged exposure to indescribable scenarios and hallucinatory content of a scary and disturbing nature, which are often directly influenced by a person's fears. They are most commonly induced under the influence of heavy dosages of psychedelic compounds, such as LSD, psilocybin, and 2C-P. Visual exposure to inner mechanics of consciousness Visual exposure to inner mechanics of consciousness is the experience of being exposed to a mass of visual geometry comprised entirely of innately readable representations which subjectively feel as if they convey the inner mechanics that compose all underlying neurological processes. [nautilus-f] ADVERTISEMENT Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Lead image: Josie Kins / YouTube * Kristen French Posted on June 1, 2023 Kristen French is an associate editor at Nautilus. She has worked in science journalism since 2013, reporting and writing features and news for publications such as Wired, Backchannel, The Verge, and New York Magazine. She has a masters degree in science journalism from Columbia University. An illustration of a colorful MRI scan of the head and neck, highlighting the brain. Neuroscience The Brain's Hidden Drain Article Sidebar Image Zoology Orcas Giveth and Orcas Taketh Away Article Sidebar Image Astronomy Visit Our Solar System's Tallest Mountains ADVERTISEMENT [comment-pl] View / Add Comments Fuel your wonder. Feed your curiosity. Expand your mind. Access the entire Nautilus archive, ad-free on any device. Explore Subscriptions [Print_2up_] * [VVcT4Zdm-T] Explore Article Recirculation Lead Image How to Face Your Fears + By Molly Glick + November 5, 2025 + Psychology And why a bit of fright can be a good thing * [VVcT4Zdm-T] Explore Article Recirculation Lead Image Why We Love Horror Stories + By Kristen French + October 31, 2025 + Psychology From ancient monsters to modern slashers, our fascination with horror may be an evolutionary gift * [VVcT4Zdm-T] Explore Article Recirculation Lead Image What Happens in Space Matters on Earth + By Dagomar DeGroot + October 28, 2025 + Astronomy Dagomar Degroot's three greatest revelations while writing Ripples on a Cosmic Ocean * [VVcT4Zdm-T] Explore Article Recirculation Lead Image The Trees That Remember the Pyramids + By Elena Kazamia + October 21, 2025 + Geoscience Dendrochronologist Valerie Trouet on what tree rings reveal about climate, fire, and human history * [VVcT4Zdm-T] Explore Article Recirculation Lead Image Psilocybin Lifted Her Burden + By Grigori Guitchounts + October 20, 2025 + Psychology The Covid pandemic left this frontline medical worker burned out, angry, and depressed. 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