Seeing the Future on Psychedelics

There are some people however, who feel that they have experienced this — but they can actually tell you why. These people have seen visions of the ‘future’ during their psychedelic experiences. Psychedelics, such as psilocybin, DMT and LSD, are able to make the brain act in magic and mysterious ways, temporarily altering thought processes, inducing synesthesia and even creating new neural connections. Visions of the future may sound fantastical but is the idea really that crazy? 

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We Wouldn’t Argue with a UFC Fighter About the Future

One person you sure wouldn’t argue about it with is a UFC fighter. Especially one who has a professional record of 22-7 with 11 TKOs (Total Knock Outs) to his name. And that name is Kevin Holland. Recently, on the podcast ‘The Fighter vs. The Writer’ 29 year old Holland shared his clairvoyant psychedelic experience;

“mark my f**king words. I’m going to be the champ. I popped some [mushrooms] about a couple weeks ago and I had these visions, and I’m going to be champ.”

This trip was actually Holland’s first experience with magic mushrooms;

“My first time popping shrooms and they say you see the future. I’ve seen the future,”

Kevin Holland in the ring (via Youtube)

Holland is not the first fighter who has spoken candidly about their use of magic mushrooms and other psychedelics for healing. Mike Tyson, Jake Paul and members and organizers of the UFC have championed the therapeutic potential of these substances — key for those whose livelihood is based on getting repeatedly injured. However, Holland is the first to describe it as a tool for seeing his professional career unfold. 

A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

It’s a fascinating concept. Holland, as we have stated above, is a very qualified, skilled and popular fighter. There’s no reason he couldn’t be champ — shroom predictions or otherwise. But, there is something to be said for him having seen this ‘future’. It is much easier to achieve something if we already ‘know’ we can do it. Similarly to visualizing and manifesting your goals, a vision of the future can make it more likely to come true, because to you it is already true. A self-fulfilling prophecy you might say. 

Obviously, only time will tell if Holland’s prediction will come true. In his case It’s quite a binary example . He’ll either triumph or he won’t.

(Unless the whole thing is a metaphor for being the champ of people’s hearts?!)

Reddit is a Trove of Predictions

But what about the other psychonauts who’ve seen the ‘future’? Well, there’s a whole slew of them on Reddit, as you might expect, with people describing visions they have had, and whether they have yet come to pass. For example, a user called TickleMonster528 describes his shroom vision about his future with a woman he was yet to start dating; 

“I drifted off, not sleeping but almost like a daydream, and I saw my future…

The best way to describe it was like a montage of moments, and I not only saw these snippets and flashes of a life that wasn’t mine yet, but I also felt the emotions. I saw good moments, bad moments, and everything in between…Then I saw our life together, our kid, and everything else.”

Not long after this, he and this woman did get together, and within a couple of months she was pregnant. The user describes only feeling slightly surprised at this news — as part of him knew it would happen already. 

Photo by Илья Мельниченко on Unsplash

There are many more stories like this. And their existence does make total sense, if you ponder it. When we are not on psychedelics, in our day-to-day lives, we still daydream about and plan our futures. Of course a UFC fighter dreams about winning. Of course many people dream of a partner and children. And by dreaming of things, they can often begin to take shape. 

A Vision of the Future Without Uncertainty

A psychedelic dream of the future is different however, because our vision is less crowded with self-doubt and fear. This is one of the reasons that psilocybin is such a groundbreaking therapeutic tool. It is able to quieten the DMN (Default Mode Network) which, if overactive, can get us stuck in negative thought patterns and loops causing conditions such as depression and anxiety. 

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

With freedom of mind, euphoric vibes and this quietened self-doubt, a psychedelic trip can give us clear visions of the future we really want. Dredged up from our subconscious, mixed with our everyday desires, we get a true picture of what we want in our soul. And once we see it, and believe it is possible we can make it so. Or at least begin to. 

Currently, there is no way of knowing whether the things we see in psychedelic visions come to pass because they always were going to anyway — a sort of fixed fateor if we begin to work towards these goals after we have seen them — in this case, creating your own fate

Your Future Trips…

Next time you trip, why not try and peep at a little bit of your destiny — self manifested or otherwise. Lie back and let all your hopes and fears and desires wash over you — perhaps you’ll see something great. Then it’s up to you to either wait and see, or make it happen.