The cannabis high is one of those things that people appreciate so much that not even 80 years of senseless prohibition could stop it.
Imagine risking jail time, custody of your children, or your job because this altered state adds so much value to your life.
What’s going on there at the cognitive level? What are the nuances of altered states through cannabis?
Why do people love getting high?
A few months ago, The Bluntness published a free e-book 17 Mind Enhancements of the Cannabis High, which explores the groundbreaking work of Consciousness Researcher Dr. Sebastián Marincolo.
Below you can find a quick summary of the first nine cognitive enhancements, which appear in the e-book.
For the full experience, you can still download the free e-book here.
With all of these cognitive effects, you have to pay careful attention to dosing, set and setting, and quality of your cannabis.
And the real question is this: how might cannabis bring new insights into your own life that you haven’t realized yet?
1. Hyperfocus of Attention
Hyperfocus can be a valuable mindset when you need to really dial in on a project, a relationship, your own thoughts, or when you need a focused distraction from the day-to-day grind.
To that end, it’s no surprise that a lot of famous authors have enjoyed cannabis over the centuries.
2. Intensification of Sensory Experience
A lover’s touch, the taste of good food, the poetry of language, the rhythmic peaks and valleys of music…
Heightened sensitivity is one of the most pleasurable experiences of the cannabis high as long you don’t take it for granted.
Why do you think cannabis and sex is such a popular combo?
3. Feeling of Awe
The cannabis high has a way of making you feel like a kid again.
Imagine seeing the stars for the first time or losing yourself in a refreshing, hot shower. Simple yet profound and therapeutic.
You could apply this to any number of situations that we normally do take for granted when we are not high.
After all, it was Aristotle who said that the beginning of all philosophy starts with wonder.
4. Meaningful Redirection of Attention
How many important things in our daily lives do we overlook?
The cannabis high, in addition to enhancing focus, has the potential to redirect our attention to more meaningful and important issues.
Maybe you realize you need to spend more time with your family or get to know your colleagues better.
Or perhaps there is some past trauma in your life that you’ve buried instead of dealing with. Or maybe you realize your local cannabis laws need improving, and you need to be part of the solution.
Whatever you might be missing, a quality cannabis session could point you in the right direction.
5. Greater Acuity in Perception (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.)
This perceptual enhancement is closely linked to the first two in this list yet nuanced enough to deserve its own entry.
Imagine hearing something new in one of your favorite songs or spotting previously unnoticed details in your favorite works of art.
The beauty of this enhancement is that it can bring novelty to what would otherwise be mundane and ordinary.
6. Synesthetic Experiences (strong high)
Synesthesia is essentially when stimulation of one cognitive pathway leads to the involuntary stimulation of a second pathway. It is considered a cognitive phenomenon with reports dating back to the early 1800s.
Imagine being able to hear colors or see sounds and feelings.
As more cannabis consumers chase higher levels of potency, the synesthetic experience will become all the more prevalent.
7. Enhanced Episodic Memory Retrieval
Using cannabis to explore past events in your mind’s eye is a thing.
In fact, the late Carl Sagan wrote about this in his anonymous cannabis essay “Mr. X”:
“When I’m high I can penetrate into the past, recall childhood memories, friends, relatives, playthings, streets, smells, sounds, and tastes from a vanished era. I can reconstruct the actual occurrences in childhood events only half understood at the time,” Sagan noted.
Despite many reports on enhanced episodic memory retrieval, science has continued to overlook this important phenomenon in cannabis.
8. Intensified Imagination
Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
Creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, empathy, planning – all valuable skills that hinge on the strength of your imagination.
Marincolo notes that many cannabis users have experienced an enhanced ability for imagination especially during a strong high.
How would you rate your imagination these days?
9. Mind Racing
Even though it comes in at number nine on this list, mind racing is fairly common with higher doses of cannabis.
Perhaps you’ve experienced it before, a rapid flow of thoughts, which could be connected or totally random.
Some cannabis consumers love this effect, others aren’t so comfortable with it.
The important factor here is how to put cannabis mind racing to effective use, and how to understand when it is getting in your way.
Ready to dive deeper? Download the free e-book: 17 Mind Enhancements of the Cannabis High today.
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