Settings, sceneries, and landscapes

Settings, sceneries, and landscapes are the perceived environments in which the plot of an internal or external hallucination occurs. [1] This effect is capable of manifesting in a seemingly infinite variety of places and settings.

When explored, the geography of these settings is capable of organizing itself as static and coherent. However, they may also manifest as a non-linear, nonsensical, and continuously changing layout that does not obey the laws of physics. The chosen locations, appearance, and style of these settings may be entirely new and previously unseen locations; however, there is a large influence towards replicating and combining real-life locations stored within a person's memories. There are some common themes and archetypes within this component which generally include:

Jungles, rainforests, deserts, ice-scapes, cities, natural environments, caves, space habitats, vast structures, civilizations, technological utopias, ancient ruins, machinescapes, historical settings, rooms and other indoor environments, real-life locations, incomprehensible geometric landscapes, and more.

It is worth noting that the content, style, and general behaviour of a setting is often largely dependent on the emotional state of the person experiencing it. For example, a person who is emotionally stable and generally happy will be more prone to experiencing neutral, interesting, or positive settings. In contrast, however, a person who is emotionally unstable and generally unhappy will be more prone to experiencing sinister, fear-inducing, and negative settings.

Settings, sceneries, and landscapes are often accompanied by other coinciding effects, such as autonomous entities and delusions. They are most commonly induced under the influence of heavy dosages of hallucinogenic compounds, such as psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. However, they can also occur under the influence of stimulant psychosis and during dreams.


References

  1. Belser, Alexander B.; Agin-Liebes, Gabrielle; Swift, T. Cody; Terrana, Sara; Devenot, Neşe; Friedman, Harris L.; Guss, Jeffrey; Bossis, Anthony; Ross, Stephen (2017). "Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis". Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 57 (4): 354–388. | https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167817706884

Tags

deliriant
hallucinatory state
hallucinogenic
sensory
visual

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