Hallucinogens are a chemical substance that alters sensory processing in the brain. This causes an alteration in perception, thought, and mood. They are also referred to as psychedelics. Extracts from some plants and mushrooms make up compounds of hallucinogens. Mostly all hallucinogens have nitrogen, are classified as alkaloids, and have chemical structures like our natural neurotransmitters. They are thought to alter how the user’s nerves and neurotransmitters interact. Not all hallucinogens cause hallucinations, but cause intense change in thoughts and mood. Hallucinogens can c ause the user to feel, hear, and see things that are not there.
Hallucinogens effect people differently, and have unpredictable effects. The amount taken, personality of user, other drugs also taken, and if taken in a group of people or solo; these factor how the effect of the hallucinogen will be for a person. Hallucinogens vary in range of drugs, and differentiate greatly.
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LSD
 PCP
Mescaline
 DMT
 Ketamine
 Mushrooms psilocybin
 Mandrake
 Peyote
 DXM
 Peyote cactus
 Jimsonweed
 Nutmeg
 MDMA

Slang or street names for the hallucinogen drug LSD are acid, blotter, cubes, microdot, yellow sunshine, blue heaven and Cid. The hallucinogen drug Psilocybin or mushrooms have various street names such as
Simple Simon, Shrooms, Silly Putty, Sherms, Musk, and Boomers. The hallucinogen drug Mescaline can be referred to as Cactus, Cactus Buttons, Cactus Joint, Mesc, Mescal, Mese, Mezc, Moon, Musk and Topi.
The neurological brain effects of hallucinogen drug abuse are caused by the hallucinogens disrupting the nerve cells and the neurotransmitters serotonin. They are disrupted in the brain and spinal cord. Serotonin controls a person’s behavior, perceptual, and regulatory systems. These disturbances cause the user to have an unreal perception of reality. When the serotonin system is tampered with the user has unusual mood, body temperature, sexual behavior, muscle control, and sensory perception. When the user uses
PCP for example, it affects the glutamate receptor that controls perception of pain, learning, memory, and response to environment in the brain. The neurologic effect than leaves the user unable to recognize pain as they should, and unable to respond to the environment around them.
The drug LSD is not known as an addictive drug but a user can develop tolerance. They can also develop cross-tolerance; meaning that the user builds tolerance towards other hallucinogens by just using one.
Peyote has not been found to have any psychological or cognitive effects. A user can experience flashbacks, but there is not enough research to have findings on the effects of abusing Peyote. Psilocybins have LSD properties and a user can experience hallucinations, altered perception of time, and altered perception of reality. If a user takes a large amount they could experience panic and psychosis.
Psychological effects for PCP are much like the symptoms of schizophrenia. The user can become paranoid, have delusions, hallucinations, disordered thinking, and perceive their environment differently.
They also can develop anxiety like symptoms. PCP is also known to be an addictive hallucinogen because repeated uses can lead to cravings for the drug and at higher doses.

Psychedelic effects include altered states of consciousness when using hallucinogens. They can be compared to other ontological state of being like a mystical experience, enlightenment, ego death, a religious experience, or ecstasy. The effects could be described as liberating the mind form ordinary restraints creating a transcendent experience. Psychedelic states include hallucinations, delusions, changes in perception, illusions. Psychedelic experiences can be mentally overbearing and can cause a “bad trip” or psychedelic crisis, which include panic attacks, hysteria, dysphonia, and depersonalization. These psychedelic effects of hallucinogens suggest there might be medical applications to the use and research into certain mental illnesses.
Health risks for long term abuse of hallucinogen can be flashbacks of the feelings and thoughts experienced while on the drug. If a person abuses hallucinogens they could develop mental disorders or long-lasting psychoses as well. LSD causes the user to have severe feeling changes and sensations compared to dramatic physical changes. When an extreme amount is taken the substance causes delusions and the user may feel several emotions at once. They also may have a “cross over”, which is hearing colors and seeing sounds. Flashbacks can cause hallucinogen-induced persisting perceptual disorder or for short HPPD; which is flashbacks persisting and causing significant distress and impairment in social functioning. Long term effects for Psilocybin (mushrooms) are flashbacks, psychiatric illnesses, impaired memory, and tolerance. Abusers of PCP can have long-term effects of memory loss, difficulty speaking, difficulty thinking, have depression, coma, hyperthermia, death, convulsions and weight loss.
Short-term health risks of abusing hallucinogens are impaired judgment leading to risks, panic attacks, altered perception, auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, sensory hallucinations, nausea, and dry mouth. Psilocin abusers could show short term symptoms of cramping, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and anxiety.
Signals of abuse can include: dilation of pupils, perspiration to excess, body odor, self- image distortion, skin is warm and clammy to the touch, mood swings, repeated and unpredictable flashbacks, disturbance of the senses. Because hallucinogens cause an individual to experience reality in an unreal way, they are often taken in seclusion where others cannot see odd behavior and report the activity. Other signs can include, inattentive, daydreaming, staring for extended time at body part, or object, conversations can be esoteric, and overly interested in common objects, hallucinations, anxiety. Objects that might be found around the house are cold medicine bottles, colorful blotter tabs, temporary tattoo pages and other medical equipment.

o Playing games for during a session of therapy can help the client to engage and open up to speed up the recovery process. o Go to AA meetings o Find a song that inspires you to become empowered and listen to it when you are feeling down.
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