Perception of eternalism from Ketamine

Perception of eternalism can be described as a major alteration of one's perspective regarding the fundamental mechanics behind the linear continuity of time. During this state, it feels as if all points across the timeline of existence — past, present, and future — are equally real and are occurring simultaneously alongside each other. The conventional experience of time as a flowing river moving from past to present to future is replaced by a sense that every moment that has ever existed or will ever exist persists in an eternal, unchanging structure.

This experience draws parallels with the philosophical position known as eternalism or the block universe theory, which holds that all points in time are ontologically equivalent — just as all points in physical space continue to exist regardless of the observer's current location, all moments in time are equally real regardless of which moment the observer happens to be experiencing. However, while all moments are felt to be equally real, the directional flow of time may still be maintained within the experience, with the present moment remaining the one that is currently being lived through.

At lower intensities, this effect may manifest as a subtle shift in temporal perspective in which past events feel unusually vivid and present, as if they are still happening somewhere rather than being lost to the past. At higher intensities, the experience can become a profound and overwhelming realization in which the totality of existence across all time is felt to be laid out simultaneously, accessible in its entirety. The individual may feel as though they can perceive or intuit the entire timeline of the universe, from its beginning to its end, as a single unified structure.

Perception of eternalism is most commonly induced under the influence of heavy dosages of psychedelic compounds such as LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and DMT. It is one of the transpersonal effects that tends to occur primarily during peak experiences at high dosages, and it is relatively uncommon during lighter psychedelic experiences. Dissociative compounds at high doses may also occasionally produce states that share features with this effect.

This experience is often accompanied by other coinciding transpersonal effects such as unity and interconnectedness, perception of interdependent opposites, and perception of predeterminism. It is important to note that the insights and convictions arising from this state should not be uncritically accepted as literal truths about the nature of reality. While the experience can be profoundly meaningful and transformative, it represents a subjective alteration of perception rather than a verified metaphysical revelation.