# Physiological Changes and Health Impacts ### **Cardiovascular** Heart rate and blood pressure typically rise with psychedelics or breathwork and decrease with meditation. ### **Respiratory** Ventilation changes during breathwork correlate with the depth of altered experience. ### **Neuroendocrine** Cortisol levels often drop, while **oxytocin** spikes during MDMA use or loving-kindness meditation. ### **Neuroplasticity** Increases in **BDNF**, **synaptic density**, and **structural brain connectivity** are observed across several ASC modalities. ### **Mental Health** Controlled studies show sustained improvements in **depression, anxiety, PTSD,** and **addiction**, often exceeding traditional interventions. ### **Personality and Well-Being** Post-ASC increases in **openness, emotional resilience,** and **life satisfaction** are consistently reported. ### **Physical Health** Enhanced **immune function**, **pain relief**, and **sleep quality** are common outcomes. **Risks:** ASCs can occasionally evoke **challenging psychological experiences**, **transient anxiety**, or in rare cases, **persistent psychosis** in predisposed individuals. Physiological risks include **cardiovascular strain** and **syncope** during intense breathwork. Proper screening, preparation, and integration are essential to ensure safety and therapeutic value. *** ### References 1. Fort, L. D.; Costines, C.; Wittmann, M.; Demertzi, A.; Schmidt, T. T. Classification schemes of altered states of consciousness. *Neurosci Biobehav Rev* 2025, *175*, 106178. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106178 From NLM Medline. 2. Cofre, R.; Herzog, R.; Mediano, P. A. M.; Piccinini, J.; Rosas, F. E.; Sanz Perl, Y.; Tagliazucchi, E. Whole-Brain Models to Explore Altered States of Consciousness from the Bottom Up. *Brain Sci* 2020, *10* (9). DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10090626 From NLM PubMed-not-MEDLINE. 3. Vaitl, D.; Birbaumer, N.; Gruzelier, J.; Jamieson, G. A.; Kotchoubey, B.; Kubler, A.; Lehmann, D.; Miltner, W. H.; Ott, U.; Putz, P.; et al. Psychobiology of altered states of consciousness. *Psychol. Bull.* 2005, *131* (1), 98-127. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.131.1.98 From NLM Medline. 4. Carhart-Harris, R. L.; Leech, R.; Hellyer, P. J.; Shanahan, M.; Feilding, A.; Tagliazucchi, E.; Chialvo, D. R.; Nutt, D. The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs. *Front. Hum. Neurosci.* 2014, *8*, 20. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00020 From NLM PubMed-not-MEDLINE. 5. Herzog, R.; Mediano, P. A. M.; Rosas, F. E.; Lodder, P.; Carhart-Harris, R.; Perl, Y. S.; Tagliazucchi, E.; Cofre, R. A whole-brain model of the neural entropy increase elicited by psychedelic drugs. *Sci. Rep.* 2023, *13* (1), 6244. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32649-7 From NLM Medline. 6. Carhart-Harris, R. L.; Goodwin, G. M. The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Past, Present, and Future. *Neuropsychopharmacology* 2017, *42* (11), 2105-2113. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.84 From NLM Medline. 7. Greco, A.; Gallitto, G.; D'Alessandro, M.; Rastelli, C. Increased Entropic Brain Dynamics during DeepDream-Induced Altered Perceptual Phenomenology. *Entropy (Basel)* 2021, *23* (7). DOI: 10.3390/e23070839 From NLM PubMed-not-MEDLINE. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://info.vine-of-the-soul.com/mental-health-wiki/altered-stated-of-consciousness/physiological-changes-and-health-impacts.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.