GABA and Filtering

Note: This topic was mentioned during the OGM 2025-11-06 call in Jerry Michalski's check-in about his reading and psilocybin experience, but was not a main focus of discussion. This page provides background on the concept.

What is GABA?

GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. It plays a crucial role in reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system.

The Filtering Function

GABA acts as a neural "filter" that:

Reduces neural noise by inhibiting excessive neuronal firing
Prevents sensory overwhelm by dampening incoming stimuli
Regulates anxiety by calming overactive neural circuits
Enables focus by filtering out irrelevant information

High GABA Levels

Normal baseline state for most people
Protection from being overwhelmed by sensory input
Maintains cognitive and emotional stability
Filters allow selective attention

Low GABA Levels

Increased sensory perception
Reduced filtering of environmental stimuli
Can lead to anxiety, seizures (in extreme cases)
May explain altered states of consciousness

GABA and Consciousness

The filtering hypothesis suggests:

The brain doesn't generate all conscious experience but rather tunes or filters it
GABA modulates how much information passes through to awareness
Reducing GABA may reveal perceptions that are always present but normally filtered out
This connects to theories of Non-Local Consciousness

GABA and Psychedelics

Research suggests that psychedelic substances may:

Temporarily reduce GABAergic inhibition
Allow more sensory information to reach conscious awareness
Create "filter reduction" rather than "hallucination generation"
Enable perception of normally-filtered aspects of reality

Connection to the Call

Jerry discussed GABA in relation to:

Dan Brown's novel "The Secret of Secrets"
His own Psilocybin and Perception experience
The idea that psychedelics lower filters rather than create false perceptions
Epileptic seizures as extreme GABA reduction events
The relationship to Non-Local Consciousness theories

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