How Psychedelics Reshape Our Experience of Time

This article answers the question: How do psychedelic substances like psilocybin and LSD alter our perception of time, and what does this reveal about the brain? 

Synopsis

Psychedelics have the ability to produce profound changes in our experience of time such that minutes feel like hours (time dilation), hours feel like minutes (time compression), or even such that there is a sense of complete timelessness. These effects are not non-specific; they correlate with specific alterations of brain function, namely in a network called the Default Mode Network (DMN), and are a function of the drug's specific pharmacology. By studying these distortions of time, researchers are making revolutionary findings about how our brains construct our sense of time, which could lead to new treatments for mental illnesses where perceptions of time become distorted, such as depression and PTSD.

The Rabbit Hole of Time

Have you ever noticed a minute crawl by like an eternity, or have an entire afternoon vanish in the wink of an eye towards another? Our sense of time is less rigid than the tick of a clock on the wall. It is a subjective, pliable condition constructed by our minds. For those undergoing psychedelic therapy, that pliability can be an overwhelming feature of their experience. Understanding how these powerful substances distort our internal clock is a key part of understanding their therapeutic potential.

Psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin found in "magic mushrooms," LSD, and DMT (the main ingredient in ayahuasca), have been reported to produce radical distortions in the sense of time. They are not new things; they are powerful experiences that can transform a person's relationship with the past, the present, and the future. It is therefore crucial to understand what is in store for a person on this temporal journey if one is considering trying psychedelic therapy.

Time Dilation, Compression, and Timelessness

The most common reported temporal effect of psychedelics is time dilation, in which subjective time stretches widely. A few minutes are like an endless ocean of hours. Research shows it happens because psychedelics increase the amount of sensory information the brain is dealing with [1]. The internal clock of the brain seems to stretch each moment in order to soak up the deluge of perceptions because there is so much new information to digest. This is often accounted for by high neural oscillations within sensory-processing brain regions effectively making the brain high-processing. 

There are those who view time dilation, with long periods appearing to take place immediately. This is most often associated with states of high focus or ego dissolution—a state in which one's sense of self is lost. As the grip of the ego on linear time is eased, time can appear to accelerate. These effects are associated with changes in the brain's serotonin system, or more precisely in the 5-HT2A receptor, which is the site of action for most classic psychedelics [1].

The most vivid time experience is possibly timelessness, when the whole concept of time dissolves. Past, present, and future could become a timeless instant. This is generally a feature of mystical-type experiences and is closely linked with the inhibition of the Default Mode Network (DMN) of the brain. The DMN is a set of brain regions involved in self-referential thinking and is hypothesized to be central to our sense of continuous, linear self moving through time. Since psychedelics close down the DMN, the temporal boundaries it helps to create simply disappear [2].

Your Brain on Psychedelic Time

These brain-bending experiences are not random; they have their roots in complex neurobiological changes. Our subjective sense of time is not the province of any one area of the brain but occurs as a result of interaction between cooperating areas. The basal ganglia acts as a stopwatch for very short timescales, while the prefrontal cortex governs longer timescales related to planning and decision-making. Psychedelics alter the functioning and network of these and other central areas, such as the thalamus, the brain's sensory gateway, and the insula, which combines our internal body sensations with our sense of time [1].

The differential effect of different substances demonstrates the complexity of such mechanisms. Psilocybin, for instance, is more and more associated with feelings of timelessness, whereas LSD is more likely to produce a stronger feeling of time dilation [1]. This shows that while both drugs act on the serotonin system, their specific pharmacology produces disparate temporal experiences, giving researchers an impressive toolkit with which to study the very nature of time in the brain.

Doors to Therapy Opened by Distorted Time

Why does this matter in therapy? Distorted sense of time is a hallmark symptom of numerous mental illness syndromes. Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example, can get bogged down in the past, reliving a traumatic incident as if it were happening right now. With depression, the future can appear bleak and inaccessible, with individuals believing they are trapped in an unchanging, static present. By briefly disengaging from these rigid temporal modes, psychedelics could possibly create a window of therapeutic potential.

This disruption allows one to see and remold distressing memories and sensations from a new perspective, unencumbered by the usual constraints of one's own subjective chronology. The sense of timelessness, for example, can provide a searing realization of unity and concord, with a potent therapy against the temporal dislocation of depression and anxiety. Research into psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to form new connections—also suggests that these altered states can lead to long-term alterations in the way the brain processes information, even time itself [3, 4].

By offering a new way of viewing the brain and its interaction with time, psychedelics are not simply redefining our understanding of consciousness; they're also unlocking new therapeutic approaches. For those who undertake it, traveling in time can be one of the most transformative elements of the experience, offering a chance to leave behind the temporal gilded cages of mental illness and enter into a new, more fluid relationship with past, present, and future.

References

1.Jiang, P., Lin, C., & Wang, X. (2025). Psychedelics and time: Exploring altered temporal perception and its implications for consciousness, neuroscience, and therapy. Psychedelics. https://doi.org/10.61373/pp025p.0041

2.Gattuso, J. J., Perkins, D., & Ruffell, S. (2023). Default Mode Network Modulation by Psychedelics: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 26(3), 155–180. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyac074

3.Agnorelli, C., Modenato, G., & De Gregorio, D. (2025). Neuroplasticity and psychedelics. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 141, 110996. #https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40185376/

4.Nardou, R., et al. (2023). Psychedelics reopen the social reward learning critical period. Nature, 618(7966), 790-798. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06204-3

Disclaimer: Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy has not been approved by any regulatory agencies in the United States, and the safety and efficacy are still not formally established at the time of this writing.