Scott reviews a paper proposing that psychedelics work by relaxing priors in the brain, potentially treating mental illness but also risking side effects. Longer summary

This post reviews a paper by Friston and Carhart-Harris that uses predictive coding theory to explain the effects of psychedelic drugs. The authors argue that psychedelics 'relax' priors in the brain, allowing for new perspectives and potential therapeutic benefits. They suggest this mechanism could help treat most mental illnesses by allowing patients to break free from maladaptive priors. The post discusses the theory's implications, including potential downsides like HPPD and increased belief in pseudoscience. It also mentions connections to meditation and prior work by other researchers. Shorter summary