Psychedelic Drugs Prove Your Consciousness Is Not Eternal

The Difference Between the Brain and the Mind

“Look, when you get down to it, even mental states are actually only physical states, are they not? I mean, the brain is just a-a chemical supercomputer.” — Dr. Rodney McKay, Stargate Atlantis

Though spoken by a fictional character, this statement captures a deep and very real truth supported by modern neuroscience and medical science: our mental states — what we call thoughts, emotions, and consciousness — are ultimately the result of physical processes occurring within the human brain. The distinction between the brain and the mind is often misunderstood, but properly recognizing this difference is crucial, not only for science but also for interpreting the Scriptures with clarity.

What Is the Brain?

The brain is a physical organ, a central part of the nervous system, located inside the skull. It consists of approximately 86 billion neurons, interconnected by trillions of synapses. The dictionary defines the brain as: “That part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull.” In other words, it is the biological member of the body responsible for controlling bodily functions such as heartbeat, breathing, and digestion, in addition to producing thoughts, emotions, memories, and attitudes.

The brain communicates through neurotransmitters — chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and others — which transmit signals between neurons. This constant chemical and electrical activity forms the basis for what we experience as thinking and feeling. The brain is a biochemical engine, or as Dr. McKay fittingly puts it, a chemical supercomputer.

What Is the Mind?

The mind, on the other hand, is not a physical thing you can see or touch. It is a term we use to describe the processes produced by the brain — our awareness, thoughts, reasoning, emotions, and experiences. The dictionary defines the mind as: “the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.” In short, the mind is the product of the brain’s physical activity.

When the brain functions normally, the mind is clear and stable. When it is impaired, through injury, disease, or chemical imbalance, the mind is altered. This can be seen in conditions like dementia, where physical damage to the brain progressively erodes memory, personality, and awareness, directly affecting the mind.

Mental States Are Physical States

This understanding becomes especially clear when we examine emotions and mental states like anger, sadness, and happiness. These are often considered intangible experiences, but they have very real physical roots in the brain and body.

When a person becomes angry, their body undergoes several physical reactions. The heart races, breathing becomes faster, and muscles tense. The brain releases adrenaline and other stress hormones that prepare the body for a fight-or-flight response. Even facial expressions change — the brow furrows, and the face may turn red. This isn’t just a mental state; it is a physical state generated by biochemical processes in the brain.

The same applies to sadness. When a person is sad, their facial muscles drop into a frown, their body may feel heavy, and levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin can drop. Conversely, during happiness, the brain releases chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin, resulting in smiling, laughter, and increased energy. These clear connections show that mental states are inseparable from the brain’s physical, chemical operations.

Medical science confirms this connection between emotions and bodily systems. Emotions are deeply linked with the nervous system, immune system, and digestive system. For example:

• Stress can weaken the immune system.

• Anxiety can cause digestive problems.

• Happiness can reduce pain perception and improve immunity.

Neuroscience research using brain imaging technologies like fMRI has shown how different emotional and mental states activate specific regions of the brain. When a person experiences joy, areas like the prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum light up. Fear and anger activate the amygdala. If the mind were something independent of the brain, these clear, measurable physical changes wouldn’t occur.

The Biblical Perspective

Understanding this distinction also sheds light on key Scriptural principles. For instance:

• James 1:8: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” This verse refers to instability in thought and judgment, which is the product of an unsettled mind — produced by conflicting activity in the brain.

• Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Here, Paul encourages believers to adopt the thinking and attitude of Christ, which is only possible through a physical process of learning, contemplation, and brain activity producing new thoughts and behaviors.

This demonstrates that even spiritual-mindedness involves the brain’s functions. Changing one’s mind means changing one’s thought patterns, which is entirely a physical, neurological process.

Conclusion

In summary, while we often speak of the brain and the mind as separate, they are deeply connected. The brain is the physical organ — the chemical supercomputer — while the mind is the product of the brain’s physical, biochemical activity. As Dr. Rodney McKay’s quote aptly puts it: “Look, when you get down to it, even mental states are actually only physical states, are they not? I mean, the brain is just a-a chemical supercomputer.”

This is not just science fiction; it’s a medically supported fact. Every thought, feeling, and experience you have is the result of physical, biochemical processes. Recognizing this truth helps us properly understand ourselves — both scientifically and scripturally — as physical beings with consciousness emerging from the intricate, chemical workings of the brain..

Psychedelic Drugs Prove Your Consciousness Is Not Eternal

Psychedelic drugs such as DMT (dimethyltryptamine) and psilocin/psilocybin, found in so-called "magic mushrooms," have long fascinated people for their ability to drastically alter perception, mood, and thought processes. People who have used these substances often report vivid hallucinations, deep emotional experiences, and what feels like an altered sense of reality. These drugs don’t “unlock” hidden parts of a spiritual realm — they alter neurotransmitter function in the brain, producing unusual sensory and cognitive experiences. This clearly points to a material, not spiritual, basis for consciousness. But far from being evidence of a mystical, eternal consciousness, these experiences actually provide clear and measurable proof that consciousness is entirely dependent on brain chemistry — and therefore, not eternal.

From a medical science perspective, the effects of psychedelic drugs are well-documented. These substances chemically resemble natural neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly serotonin, which plays a significant role in regulating mood, cognition, and perception. When someone takes psilocybin, for example, the body converts it into psilocin, which binds to serotonin receptors, especially the 5-HT2A receptor. This causes a flood of unusual activity in certain areas of the brain, leading to visual and auditory distortions, emotional shifts, and altered thinking patterns. What this clearly shows is that when you alter the chemistry of the brain, you also alter consciousness. If consciousness existed independently of the brain — as some ancient beliefs suggest — then introducing a chemical agent into the body should have no effect on the conscious experience.

The brain can be thought of as a biochemical engine. It runs on neurotransmitters, electrical signals, and complex chemical interactions. Psychedelic drugs interfere with or mimic these natural processes, disrupting the brain's normal patterns and producing altered states of awareness. This direct connection between brain chemistry and consciousness strongly suggests that consciousness is a product of the brain's functioning — not something that exists separately from it.

A simple analogy can be made with a car engine. A car’s ability to move depends entirely on the functionality of its mechanical parts. If the engine breaks down, the car stops moving. No mysterious "car spirit" jumps from one vehicle to another to keep it running. We instinctively understand this when it comes to machines — so why should it be any different with the human brain? If consciousness is generated by a physical brain, then when the brain ceases to function, consciousness would also stop. There would be no reason for it to “transfer” or “continue” elsewhere, just as a dead car engine doesn’t pass its motion on to another car.

Modern neuroscience consistently reinforces this understanding. Brain imaging technologies like fMRI and PET scans can track brain activity and show how different regions light up during different mental states — including those induced by psychedelics. When people take these substances, there are visible changes in brain activity patterns that directly correspond with the altered conscious experiences they describe. Again, if consciousness were independent and eternal, these physical changes would have no influence over the conscious state.

Additionally, medical cases involving brain injury, stroke, or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s further emphasize the dependence of consciousness on the brain. Damage to specific areas of the brain leads to changes, diminishment, or even complete loss of consciousness and personal identity. If an eternal, separate consciousness existed, such damage to the physical brain should not fundamentally affect a person's awareness or selfhood — but it undeniably does.

In conclusion, the way psychedelic drugs alter consciousness provides powerful, scientifically verifiable evidence that consciousness is a product of brain biochemistry. When that biochemistry is disrupted, consciousness changes. When the brain ceases to function entirely, so too must consciousness. These facts are entirely consistent with what medical science has demonstrated about the nature of the mind and body — and completely inconsistent with the idea of an eternal, independent consciousness that survives the death of the brain.

Look, when you get down to it, even mental states are actually only physical states, are they not? I mean, the brain is just a-a chemical supercomputer Rodney Mckay Stargate 

The brain creates chemicals which produce feelings and emotions

Like it or not, emotions share some very real biochemical links with your nervous system, immune system and digestive system.

Consciousness is a property of the brain, and the brain is a biochemical engine or its just a chemical super-computer.

So what is the difference between the 'brain' and the 'mind'?

It may seem, on the surface, that distinguishing between the brain and the mind is not important but to understand the Scriptures properly we must recognize the difference in the brain versus that which the brain produces.

The dictionary says, Brain: "That part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull". In other words it is the physical member of the body that controls the biological functions of the body in addition to producing thoughts, attitudes &c.

Mind: the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought

Thus the Mind is thinking produced by the brain

Psychedelic Drugs Prove Your Consciousness Is Not Eternal

If you talk to anyone who’s used DMT or psilocin/psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms) at one time or another they’ll tell you they experienced some very vivid hallucinations — and an almost completely altered perception of reality. This clearly implies that brain biochemistry is consciousness. If consciousness resided in some kind of soul or spirit as the ancients believed, then taking chemicals would have no effect on your consciousness. If you can alter your consciousness by taking a chemical to interfere with or mimics neurotransmitters, on the other hand, then consciousness must be biochemical in nature.

Psychedelic drugs like Magic mushrooms demonstrate that consciousness is a property of the brain, and the brain is a biochemical engine in the same way that the engine in your car is a mechanical one.

When your car’s engine dies, does another car nearby immediately start up as the “spirit of the car” transfers from one automobile to another? Of course not. You intuitively know that makes no sense. So if consciousness is a property of the brain (which is a biochemical engine), why would it transfer from one vehicle to another when the brain dies? that doesn’t make any sense.

In allegory, "eternal life" refers to the experience of timeless rebirth, or the discovery of the fact of your true real self the Christ Consciousness. This is the true, main mystic or allegorical meaning of "eternal life".

the discovery of timeless rebirth in the Christ Consciousness, is shown and revealed and unveiled by the word of God during the uncovering or revelation of the hidden mystery.

awakening to the kingdom of Heaven while in this life is the most important thing in this life.

The mind that overcomes the world and takes a higher perspective consciously enters Heaven and the eternal life right now, in this life. That is as certain as anything could be.
Aeon, the Greek word translated as 'eternal life', means an age. For enlighten believers, Aeon refers to life in the period of the glory of the Christ Consciousness, as well as eternal life in the sense of indefinitely lasting life in the coming system of things.

Eternal life, in the sense of the higher stages of consciousness, surfaces in Rm 6:22-23. "But now that you have been set free from sin, the return you get is sanctification [awakening into the Christ Consciousness] and its end, eternal life [participation in the glory of the Christ Consciousness]. For the wages of sin is death [living a barren life], but the free gift of God is eternal life [the full manifestation of the Christ Consciousness].

Therefore, brethren, be more zealous to confirm your call [awakening of your conscience] and election [the renewing of your mind] for if you do this you will never fall [back slide into lower stages of Consciousness]: so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord [the full manifestation of the Christ Consciousness]." (2 Pt 1:11)

In 3:17-18, Peter uses the term Aeon in reference to the Christ Consciousness "Beware least you be carried away with the error of lawless men [pre-rational consciousness or the consciousness of sin] and lose your stability. But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord…to him be the glory both now [in the awakening of your Consciousness] and to the day of the age [the period of the full manifestation of the Christ Consciousness]."